Certificate of habitability in Italy (agibilità): documents and deadlines

A certificate of habitability in Italy is the attestation that a finished building can be used: that it meets the conditions of safety, hygiene, healthfulness and energy saving, and that it conforms to the design that was submitted. Without it you can build, but you may be unable to sell, to obtain a mortgage or to connect the utilities in good order. One point matters at once for readers abroad: the old «certificato di agibilità» no longer exists. Since Legislative Decree 222/2016 it has been replaced by a certified notification, the SCA (segnalazione certificata per l’agibilità), governed by Article 24 of Presidential Decree 380/2001, the consolidated building act known as the Testo unico dell’edilizia.

This guide explains what a certificate of habitability is today, who files it, by when, with which documents, what the penalty is for failing to file and how a building site should be run so that the file is simple to complete. It is written by Federico Cappellina Architects, an architecture practice in Verona that supervises the construction of its own projects, for owners, buyers and advisers outside Italy who need to understand how the Italian system works. The articles of law are linked to Normattiva in the version in force. This is general information, not legal advice.

Certificate of habitability in brief

The certificate of habitability is obtained by a certified notification filed with the one-stop shop for building matters, the sportello unico per l’edilizia (Article 24).
It must be filed within fifteen days of the completion of the finishing works; the building may be used from the date of filing.
It attests the safety, hygiene, healthfulness and energy saving of building and systems, conformity to the design that was submitted, and habitability.
Six groups of documents are required: the site manager’s attestation, the structural test, accessibility, the cadastral update, the systems and, where required, ultra-broadband.
Failing to file brings an administrative fine of 77 to 464 euros.
A certificate of habitability can be partial, covering functionally independent parts of a building or single units.

Certificate of habitability in Italy: SD Home in Soave, an open living room facing the pool, a project by the studio — SD Home, Soave: a project by the studio, shown as a reference of language, not an example of a certificate of habitability.

What the certificate of habitability is, and what it is not

The certificate of habitability concerns the finished building: it says that the building can be lived in. It is not the same thing as the building permit, the permesso di costruire, which authorises you to build; our guide to the building permit in Italy covers that step. It is also not the same as «abitabilità», a term of the past that you may still meet in older deeds, in property listings and in conversation with agents.

If you are used to another country’s system, do not assume that the Italian document is the exact equivalent of what you know. In some English-speaking countries a document with a similar function, often called a certificate of occupancy, is issued by a public authority after an inspection. The Italian mechanism is different in kind: the document that produces the effect is a notification filed by the owner of the permit, supported by the sworn attestation of a qualified professional, and it takes effect without waiting for an act of the municipality. This is why we use «certificate of habitability» in this guide as the everyday English phrase, while the legal instrument is a certified notification. Reading the two as equivalent is the most common source of misunderstanding for foreign buyers.

Why the old certificate of habitability no longer exists

Article 25 of the Testo unico used to govern the certificate of habitability as an act issued after the works. That article was repealed by Legislative Decree 222/2016. Today the instrument is the certified notification of habitability, the SCA, under Article 24, which the professional and the holder of the permit file with the municipality.

The municipality may check afterwards, and for that reason the notification is sworn and documented. A file prepared with care is a record that stands up over time, and that you will need again at the first sale.

Who files the certificate of habitability, and when

According to Article 24, the notification is filed by the holder of the building permit or by whoever filed the SCIA, the certified notice of commencement of works, or by their successors or assigns, with the sportello unico per l’edilizia. The deadline is fifteen days from the completion of the finishing works of the intervention. The building may be used from the date of filing.

The period runs from the finishing works, not from the structure. A house whose finishes are not complete is not habitable. For an owner abroad this has a practical consequence: the fifteen days begin when the site finishes, not when the owner decides to move in, so the file must be ready before the last trade leaves.

Which works need a certificate of habitability

Article 24 applies to new buildings, to total or partial reconstructions and raisings of storeys, and to works on existing buildings that may affect the conditions of safety, hygiene, healthfulness and energy saving of the buildings and of the systems installed in them. For a refurbishment of finishes with no effect on these aspects a certificate of habitability is not normally required; the check is made on the type of intervention. The difference between the notices involved is explained in our guide to CILA and SCIA.

What the certificate of habitability attests

that building and systems meet the conditions of safety, hygiene, healthfulness and energy saving;
that the work conforms to the design that was submitted;
that the building is habitable;
where it applies, compliance with the obligations on digital infrastructure.

Conformity to the design presupposes that any variations were authorised and that small differences fall within the permitted construction tolerances. If differences emerge that tolerances cannot cover, the route is the regularisation of building works (sanatoria edilizia).

The six groups of documents for a certificate of habitability

The notification is accompanied by the documents listed in Article 24. They fall into six groups:

Attestation of the site manager (direttore dei lavori) or of a qualified professional, certifying that the work conforms to the design, that it is habitable and that the conditions of healthfulness and safety are met.
Structural test (collaudo statico), or a declaration of regular execution for the works where this is allowed.
Declaration of conformity on accessibility and on the removal of architectural barriers.
Particulars of the declaration of cadastral update.
Declaration of the installing firm certifying that the systems conform, or the test certificate of the systems.
Attestation that the building is prepared for ultra-broadband, where required.

Each of these documents is born on site, not at the end of the procedure: the structural test after the structures, the declarations of conformity of the systems when the installation is complete, the cadastral survey when the works are finished. An orderly site supervision collects them as the work proceeds. Our guide to the house design process in Italy shows where site supervision sits among the phases of a project.

Certificate of habitability checklist: dark interior with reflective surfaces at MD Home in Verona, a project by the studio — MD Home, Verona: interior details designed by the studio, shown as a reference of language, not an example of a certificate of habitability.

End-of-site timeline: when each document for the certificate of habitability is produced

The notification is filed at the end, but its documents are produced throughout the construction. The sequence that follows is the order we adopt, stated as practice and not as a legal requirement.

Structures finished: the structural test, or the declaration of regular execution where this is allowed, together with the filing required for seismic zones.
Systems installed and tested: each installer issues its own declaration of conformity, with the mandatory annexes.
Building envelope and insulation: product documentation and end-of-works reports on the energy aspects.
Finishing works completed: from this moment the fifteen days run.
Survey of the finished state and cadastral update.
Attestation of the site manager, with the file of declarations of conformity.
Filing of the notification with the one-stop shop.

Whoever reaches the fifteen days with the documents already collected files the certificate of habitability in a day; whoever starts looking for them then often cannot find them.

Declarations of conformity for the systems

The systems are the item that most often delays a certificate of habitability. Article 24 asks for the declaration of the installing firm certifying that the systems conform to the standards, or else the test certificate. In the specification it is sensible to require delivery of the declarations as each system is completed, together with the drawings of what was actually built, the diagrams and the instructions. For heating, cooling and energy production systems the documents also include the product data sheets. A system without a declaration is a system that the site manager cannot attest. Our guide to the construction specification (capitolato) in Italy explains how to write the obligation into the contract.

Certificate of habitability and the cadastral update

Among the documents of Article 24 are the particulars of the declaration of cadastral update. The cadastre (catasto), as is often said, does not legitimise a building: it records its size and its income value. But a cadastral plan that does not match the finished building is an obstacle to a sale and to the habitability file. For this reason, at the end of the site, a survey of the building as built is carried out and the cadastral variation is filed before the notification is delivered.

Certificate of habitability for existing buildings with no works

A building may have been built lawfully and never have had a certificate of habitability, for example because the procedure was never closed. Paragraph 7-bis of Article 24 allows the notification to be filed even when no works are carried out, for buildings lawfully built but without habitability, according to requirements to be set by ministerial decree. For a buyer of a property in this condition, the first step is to check the building titles and the lawful state of the property; if differences emerge, the route is the sanatoria edilizia or the declaration of construction tolerances.

What notaries and banks ask for

The practice in a sale is that the notary refers in the deed to the building titles and to the planning and cadastral conformity of the property, and that the bank asks for the technical documentation for the mortgage. The certificate of habitability is among the documents that slow down or block a transaction when they are missing. Which documents are required in each case is for the notary and the lending institution to establish; a seller does well to have the file ready before putting the property on the market. If you are buying land rather than a finished house, see our guide to buying land in Italy and the urban planning certificate (CDU).

Partial certificate of habitability

The notification can concern single buildings or single portions of the construction, provided they are functionally independent, or single real-estate units, under the conditions set out in the text of the article, which must be read against the specific case. It is useful on sites built in phases and in houses divided into several units. Whether a particular portion qualifies is a question for the professional who signs the file.

The penalty for not filing a certificate of habitability

Failing to file the notification brings an administrative fine of 77 to 464 euros. The sum is modest compared with the practical consequences: without a certificate of habitability the property is hard to sell and to finance, and a professional cannot attest to what does not exist on the record.

Special cases of Article 24

Paragraph 5-bis allows the designer, on a transitional basis, to certify compliance with different requirements for minimum height and minimum floor area of certain dwellings, in the cases the text indicates. Paragraph 7-bis allows the notification to be filed even without works, for lawfully built buildings that lack habitability, according to requirements to be defined by ministerial decree. These are cases to evaluate with the professional on the text in force: the version of the article we consulted has been in force since 28 July 2024.

Certificate of habitability for a new villa: AV Home in Dueville, Italy, a house with pool seen from the garden, a project by the studio — AV Home, Dueville (Vicenza): a project by the studio, shown as a reference of language, not an example of a certificate of habitability.

Certificate of habitability, sale and mortgage

The certificate of habitability is among the first documents that the notary, the buyer and the bank ask for. For the seller of a recent house, it is the proof that the site was closed in good order; for the buyer of an existing property, checking habitability, building titles and cadastral conformity is part of due diligence. If these do not exist or do not match, it is better to discover it before the preliminary contract, with a professional, and to decide whether to regularise or to renegotiate.

Managing the certificate of habitability from abroad

Many owners of Italian houses live elsewhere and follow the work at a distance. In our opinion, a few points are worth agreeing at the start. Ask who will collect the declarations of conformity and in what form they will be sent to you; ask for the list of documents for the certificate of habitability to be attached to the specification, with the phase at which each is due; ask who can sign and file on your behalf if you cannot be present; and ask the site manager to tell you in writing when the finishing works are completed, because that is the date from which the fifteen days run. None of this is required by Article 24 as such: it is a way of making sure the legal deadline is not missed while you are in another country.

Checklist for the end of the site

The structures have been tested, or declared as regularly executed.
Every system has its declaration of conformity or its test certificate.
The finishing works are complete: the fifteen-day period has begun.
Any variations carried out were authorised; any deviations are tolerances that can be declared.
The final survey has been done and the cadastre updated.
The site manager has prepared the attestation.
Accessibility has been declared, where required.
The notification is ready for the one-stop shop.

With this list a well-run site closes in a few days; without it, the search for documents can take months.

How we prepare the site so that the certificate of habitability is simple

A list of documents from the start: already in the construction design we indicate which declarations, tests and certificates will be needed and at which phase.
Setting-out and dimensional checks during the works, to reduce deviations.
Variations in writing and authorised before they are carried out.
Installers’ declarations delivered as each system is completed, not at the end of the site.
Final survey of the building as built, with the «as built» drawings for the cadastre.
Project file: all the documentation, in order, handed to the client.

This is part of the path described in our guide to the house design process in Italy. For the cost side of a site, see the cost of renovating a house in Italy and the explanation of the bill of quantities.

Common mistakes with the certificate of habitability

Waiting months after the end of the works: the fifteen days run from the finishing works.
Neglecting the declarations of the systems until the firm is no longer on site.
Filing the notification without updating the cadastre.
Ignoring differences from the design in the hope that they will not emerge; they emerge at the sale.
Moving in without having filed the notification: use is allowed from the date of filing, not before.
Treating the Italian document as an exact copy of a foreign one: the effect comes from the notification and the professional’s sworn attestation.

Italian terms at a glance

Agibilità: habitability, the condition certified for a finished building.
SCA (segnalazione certificata per l’agibilità): the certified notification that replaced the old certificate of habitability.
Sportello unico per l’edilizia: the one-stop shop for building matters, where the notification is filed.
Direttore dei lavori: the site manager, who signs the attestation.
Collaudo statico: the structural test of the building.
Catasto: the cadastre, which records the size and income value of a property.
Permesso di costruire: the building permit.
SCIA: the certified notice of commencement of works, which can replace the permit for some interventions.

Certificate of habitability: frequently asked questions

What is a certificate of habitability in Italy?

It is the attestation, made through a certified notification (SCA, Article 24 of Presidential Decree 380/2001), that building and systems meet the conditions of safety, hygiene, healthfulness and energy saving and that the work conforms to the design that was submitted.

Is the certificate of habitability the same as a certificate of occupancy?

Not exactly. The Italian instrument is a notification filed by the permit holder with a professional’s sworn attestation, and it takes effect on filing without a municipal act. Do not assume it works like an inspection-based certificate from another country.

By when must the certificate of habitability be filed?

Within fifteen days of the completion of the finishing works of the intervention; use of the building may begin from the date of filing.

Who files the certificate of habitability?

The holder of the building permit or whoever filed the SCIA, or their successors or assigns, with the sportello unico per l’edilizia.

Which documents does a certificate of habitability need?

The attestation of the site manager or of a qualified professional, the structural test, the declaration on accessibility, the particulars of the cadastral update, the declaration of conformity or test certificate of the systems and, where required, the attestation on ultra-broadband.

What happens if the certificate of habitability is not filed?

An administrative fine of 77 to 464 euros, in addition to the difficulty of selling and financing the property.

Does the old certificate of habitability still exist, and can it be partial?

The old certificate, governed by Article 25, was repealed by Legislative Decree 222/2016 and today the certified notification is used. The notification can be partial: it may concern single buildings, functionally independent portions or single units, under the conditions of Article 24.

Certificate of habitability: the short version

In short, a certificate of habitability today means a certified notification filed within fifteen days of the finishing works, supported by six groups of documents that are best collected during construction, with a fine of 77 to 464 euros if it is not filed. Treat it as part of the project from the first day and not as a formality at the end.