Termination of the Rental Contract

It is possible to terminate the rental contract once it has been signed, but there must be specific reasons for doing so. The tenant and the landlord are both entitled to terminate the contract, even without the agreement of the other party, if they have sufficiently valid reasons.

The tenant is able to terminate the contract, but they are required to give six months' notice of their intention to do so via registered mail. If there is a different notice period stated in the rental contract, this must be observed. The motivation behind the termination must be clearly explained, and the reasons given should count as 'serious'. Unfortunately, the definition of 'serious' reasons is not stated in the Italian civil code, and therefore many reasons may not be considered valid as grounds for termination.

The landlord can also terminate the contract, but is similarly required to give six months' notice of their intention to do so via registered mail. If there is a different notice period stated in the rental contract, this must be observed. The landlord is entitled to terminate the contract only when the tenant has contravened the contract requirements or behavioural obligations to which they agreed.

Behavioural obligations include:

• Tenant does not leave property in the care of a third party
• Tenant does not use property for illegal purposes
• Tenant must be regular occupant of property and carry out necessary maintenance
• Tenant is required to be physically present when signing contract
• Tenant moves into property within a month of signing contract, or within forty-five days following that deadline if they are coming from abroad.

Should the tenant fail to satisfy these requirements, or should there be a delay in payment (a delay of twenty days after the rent was due, or two months after for the additional costs were due), the landlord is entitled to terminate the contract. If the landlord has valid reasons for removing the tenant from the property, they are even entitled to use necessary force to evict them.