Housing

The first thing to understand is size. In Rome if you want an American sized living space you will be very disappointed. They do not exists.

In the historic center most apartments are either one or two bedroom. The average size will range from 500 sq. feet to 1000 sq. feet.

Most two bedroom will have a second bath. A bath tub is hard to find as most only have showers to save space.

We were lucky in that we found a two bed, two bath apartment on the first floor, (second floor to Americans), with a nice size terrace. It is about 975 sq.ft. of living space, the terrace is about 300 sq ft.

We have AC, a dishwasher, stove, refrig, washer, no dryer and real closets. Many places if not updated will not have real closets.

We have trash pickup throughout the week. Pickup is made on which bin is on the recycling schedule for that day. Being in the Center means building pickup. We do not have to use the bins found on most streets outside the center for our trash.

We have a doorman on duty from 8am until 6pm Monday—Friday. He will accept packages, mail and deliver them to your door. He will also call for a taxi or arrange for a private car service when needed. He also handles any minor repairs.

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Included in our lease is water, a condo fee, high speed internet, (fiber), phone and yes weekly maid service. The only thing we do is our own laundry.

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Now for the pricing:

1 BR €1300 ($1508.00) 500-600 sq ft, no maid service

2 BR starting at €2300 ($2668.00)

In the Center there are bigger places. Adding a third or fourth bedroom will realize prices starting at €4,000.

You can find lower rents leaving the center. You can expect a price drop of 40-60% based on the distance. It’s all location, location, location.

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We have a 4+4 lease. Four years with an extension for another 4 years at the same price. If not a citizen the lease will be on a year to year basis with pricing redone at each renewal being driven by the market.

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Based on the exchange rate converting dollars to euros the cost can drop or go up. We take advantage on rate changes in our favor and will often pay more than one month in advance.

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