The "Salva casa" Decree: An Opportunity for the Relaunch of the Italian Real Estate Market

The "Salva casa" Decree: An Opportunity for the Relaunch of the Italian Real Estate Market

A New Boost for the Real Estate Market

The "Save-Home" Decree, which came into force on May 30, 2024, introduces important innovations aimed at simplifying building and town planning regulations, with the objective of giving a new impetus to the Italian real estate market.

Regularizing Building Violations

The decree does not configure itself as a building amnesty, but focuses on so-called "minor violations", allowing the regularization of those properties that, due to small building abuses, cannot be bought or sold.

Simplified Procedures for Legal Status

One of the main innovations concerns the procedure for certifying the legal status of buildings. It will no longer be necessary to reconstruct the entire history of building permits, but it will be sufficient to refer to the last permit filed, even in regularization. This bureaucratic streamlining greatly facilitates the regularization of buildings, especially those with a complex building history.

Mitigated Double Conformity for Minor Violations

Another important novelty concerns the modification of the discipline relating to double conformity for minor violations. To regularize a building work, it will no longer be necessary that it complies with both the regulations in force at the time of construction and those currently in force. Now it will be sufficient to comply with the regulations in force at the time of regularization.

More Free Building Works

The decree extends the free building regime, eliminating the obligation of permits for the installation of removable panoramic windows, awnings, pergolas and other screening works, provided that they do not create permanent enclosed spaces. This simplification favors the realization of small aesthetic and functional improvement interventions of the buildings.

Building Tolerances for Existing Interventions

Building tolerances have been introduced to regularize violations on interventions carried out before May 24, 2024. The tolerances, which vary from 2% to 5% depending on the surface area of the building, concern discrepancies in height, distances, cubature and covered areas.

Silence-Assent for the Issuance of Building Permits

To streamline bureaucratic procedures, the decree introduces the principle of silence-assent for the issuance of building permits. In practice, if the municipal administration does not respond within the prescribed time limits (45 days for permits in regularization and 30 days for the SCIA), the citizen's request is considered accepted. For properties subject to landscape constraints, the times for silence-assent can reach up to 180 days. This measure aims to reduce waiting times for the issuance of permits and to decongest municipal offices.

Simplification of Changes of Use

The decree favors the requalification of the real estate assets by introducing the possibility of changing the intended use of the properties without having to carry out building works. This allows spaces to be adapted to the needs of the current real estate market.

An Opportunity for the Real Estate Sector and for Homeowners

The Save-Home Decree represents an important opportunity for the relaunch of the Italian real estate market. Homeowners will have the opportunity to regularize minor building abuses and to unblock the sale of properties that, due to irregularities, were unsaleable.

What to Do if You Have a Property to Sell

If you have a property to sell and want to seize the opportunity offered by the Save-Home Decree, it is important to contact a professional to check the status of the property and to undertake the necessary regularization procedures.

Conclusion

The Save-Home Decree, although not without its criticisms, represents a positive step towards simplifying building regulations and requalifying the Italian real estate assets. With careful evaluation and the assistance of competent professionals, homeowners can take advantage of this opportunity to regularize their properties and enhance their value on the market.