If you are buying a house in Puglia, the most useful person you hire may not be the agent or even the notary. It is the geometra, and if you do not read Italian, a geometra who works in English turns a pile of plans and permits into something you can actually weigh before you sign.
What is a geometra in English?
There is no exact English equivalent. A geometra is a licensed building technician, registered with the provincial Collegio dei Geometri, whose work overlaps with that of a surveyor, a building inspector and a small-scale architect.
What a geometra does
A geometra is a licensed technical professional, registered with the provincial Collegio dei Geometri, who sits somewhere between a surveyor, a building inspector and a small-scale architect. In a purchase, a good one checks three things on your behalf: the building itself, the cadastral records, and the planning history held at the town hall.
The agent works for the sale, and in Italy is usually paid by both parties. The notary checks title and drafts the deed, but does not inspect the house or compare it with the permits. The geometra you hire works only for you. Our guide to agents and buyers in Italy explains how the roles fit together.
Before you make an offer
Bring the geometra to a viewing before you sign a reservation or a preliminary contract. An experienced eye picks up structural cracks, damp in the vaults, a closed-in veranda or a room that appears on no plan. Then ask for the paperwork check: the cadastral plan, the building permits and any amnesties (condoni) pulled from the town hall archive, compared with what is actually built. This is the heart of cadastral and planning compliance, and problems here can delay a sale, block a mortgage or leave you with the cost of putting things right.
In the south, many older houses also lack a certificate of habitability. That is not always a reason to walk away, but you should know before you agree a price.
What a pre-purchase check covers
The Consiglio Nazionale Geometri (the national council of geometri) publishes a quality standard for property due diligence (CNG P15 specification). In practice a full check for a buyer includes:
- A site visit, looking at structure, roof, damp, systems and any later additions.
- The cadastral check: the plan (planimetria) and category at the Agenzia delle Entrate’s land registry, compared with what is built.
- The planning check: the building permits, amnesties (condoni) and any open files at the town hall’s technical office (ufficio tecnico). This is often the slowest part, because older files are on paper and access requests take time.
- Habitability and certificates: the certificate of habitability (agibilità), the energy certificate (APE) and system compliance declarations.
- A written report listing what complies, what does not, and an estimate of the cost and time to fix it. That last part is what you negotiate with.
What it costs
Fees in Italy are not fixed by law, so ask for a written quote. As a guide, one published range is:
- a technical report for a sale (relazione tecnica di compravendita): roughly €250 to €700 for a small, simple property, and €400 to €1,400 for a complex one (Edilnet);
Correcting a problem is separate. A cadastral update (variazione catastale, filed with the DOCFA procedure) or a late permit (sanatoria) adds professional fees, municipal fees and sometimes a fine. Put the estimate in the report and agree with the seller who pays before you sign the preliminary contract.
How to check a geometra is registered
Every practicing geometra must be on the register (albo) of their provincial Collegio. The Collegio dei Geometri della Provincia di Lecce publishes its register online; Bari, Brindisi, Taranto, Foggia and BAT have their own. Check the name and registration number on the quote. Also ask for the details of their professional liability insurance, which registered professionals must carry (DPR 137/2012, article 5).
Timing
- Ask for a time estimate up front; the slowest step is usually the town hall releasing the permit files.
- If the seller is in a hurry, sign a purchase offer that is conditional on a satisfactory technical report within a set number of days.
- Tell your notary the geometra’s findings early. The notary will not inspect the house, but needs to know about any cadastral mismatch, because the deed must declare that the cadastral plan matches the property (Law 122/2010).
Town hall archives have their own rhythm: a counter that opens a few mornings a week, a request form, and folders tied with string that come up from the basement days later. A geometra who knows the clerks and the timetable saves you more than the fee suggests.
Questions to ask at the first call
- Do you work only for buyers on this sale, or also for the seller or agent?
- Will the report be in English, or in Italian with an English summary?
- What is included in the fee, and what costs extra (town hall access fees, copies, a second visit)?
- How soon can you get the planning file from this comune?
- If we buy, can you quote for the renovation and site supervision too?
Why English matters
Technical reports, town hall correspondence and the notary’s draft deed are all in Italian, and the details that matter are in the small print. A geometra who works in English lets you follow the report line by line and ask the right questions, rather than relying on a summary from someone who wants the sale to close.
On a first visit to a stone house in the Salento countryside, the conversation tends to go quiet in the same places: under a fresh coat of whitewash, beside a newer wall, at the bottom of a staircase someone added later. Those are the spots to ask about.
After the sale
The same professional can carry a renovation: a measured survey, often with a laser scanner, drawings, the permit applications or a change of use, and supervision on site, coordinating builders, plumbers and electricians. If you will be abroad for much of the work, someone with authority on site is worth more than any photo update. On a country trullo the survey matters even more; our guide to buying a trullo in Puglia explains what to check.
Finding one
Ask for a written quote with a fixed scope and fee before any work starts, and check that the geometra is registered with the local Collegio. In Lecce, Michele Sozzo is one geometra who works in English and only for buyers, offering pre-purchase inspections, technical due diligence and renovation support. Other English-speaking geometri work across the region; ask other buyers and your notary for names.
Worth the fee
A geometra costs money, but far less than a planning problem discovered after the deed. Bring one in early, ideally before you make an offer, and you will buy with a clear picture of what you are getting. For the full sequence, see our guide to buying a home in Puglia.
Geometra FAQ
How much does a geometra cost?
Fees are not fixed by law, so ask for a written quote. One published range for a technical report on a sale is roughly €250 to €700 for a small, simple property and €400 to €1,400 for a complex one. Fixing problems costs extra.
How do I check a geometra is registered?
Look the name up on the register (albo) of the provincial Collegio. Lecce publishes its register online, and Bari, Brindisi, Taranto, Foggia and BAT have their own.
