moving to italy
 

I must be totally mad but I have a plan and it this........im 46 and a uk resident and I have a plan to relocate to Italy {more than likely the Umbrian region} I'm after a long term rental property of about 300 euros per month for a 2 bed apartment now I'm arriving on my own after a recent breakup,,ive been to Italy many times north and south and my Italian is very basic,,,, I am on long term disability benefit which gives me a income of 1000 euros a month, I would like to live in Italy full time......is this possible? ,if not why not ? if it is possible,could I make it work etc?

You need to check with a tax advisor and a financial planner to be certain.

Umbria is a very big region of Italy, so prices for 2-bedroom apartments in towns with rail connections (getting a car is complicated and probably out of your budget) probably vary considerably.

There is a lot of information online about getting a residency permit and permission to stay, the nature of Italian rental contracts, etc. Just google "moving to Italy" or such.

Without command of Italian, you might want to attach yourself to a school or organization or community with English speakers.

First thing you need to do is check that you will continue to receive your benefit from the UK government if you move abroad. Italy will not pay you benefits.
Bear in mind too that the pound is relatively strong against the euro but that can quickly change, meaning you could have considerably fewer euro every month.
There are several expat forums which can offer you more advice than we can on a travel forum.

The University of Perugia has an excellent program of Italian language for foreigners, and Perugia is a good transportation hub, so you might want to consider staying there.

Since you'll be renting an apartment, you won't be burning any bridges, so the worst that could happen is that you'd change your mind and return to the UK.

As long as the UK remains in the EU, you have the right of residence in Italy for up to three months. After that, you have to show that your income is sufficient to keep you from being a burden on the state, and you have to have medical insurance. This is easier than the provisions for non-EU citizens, who need a visa and a "permesso di soggiorno". If you plan to stay for more than three months, you also have to formally request residence, which you can do at the town hall if I'm not mistaken. After five years, you'd be eligible for permanent residence, at which point you'd be inserted into the Italian National Health system. However, you'd better talk to someone who knows the rules better than I do.

Have you done any research to determine if 300 euros per month is a realistic rental? Obviously my experience is not in small towns in italy - but to me that is a shockingly low amount esp for a 2 BR apt with modern amenities.

IMO Hets has raised the biggest potential problem which is whether you would continue to be able to claim your disability benefit/s if you moved permanently to Italy.

I found this UK gov website - I suggest you phone the "exportability unit" [great name] and ask them:

https://www.gov.uk/claim-benefits-ab...ility-benefits

your other problem is surviving on such a low income - and if you start taking language lessons that will deplete your resources still further. i understand the attraction of moving to somewhere warmer but it would be hard to do it on such a restricted budget.

Also ask on an expats forum where those who have moved to Italy can write advise from their experiences.

Here is a 2-bedroom apartment in Spoleto modestly furnished and with a small courtyard, for 300 euros per month -- and Spoleto would be more expensive than less touristic Umbrian towns

http://www.casa.it/immobile-appartam...oleto-30589551

You need to talk to a professional financial adviser, one who specializes in moves to Italy, but be prepared for a lot of ignorant remarks, like disbelief there are affordable apartments with "modern amenities" it Italy's small towns (or Italy period). Italy is not the Bronx or Staten Island. Also be prepared for a lot of discouragement from people who would like to go but are afraid.

It may be that expat forums for countries other than Italy are excellent sources of advice, but I've not seen one for Italy that is. They seem to be dominated by people who feel "stuck" in Italy because they moved here for work or marriage, and pine for home products like specific brands of tea or snack foods. They are also sources of lots of misinformation.

http://insidersabroad.com/italy

This link may help.

I found Chamber of commerce analysis of rental prices in Perugia.

http://www.pg.camcom.gov.it/uploaded...ino_4_2015.pdf

The prices are on page 13. I believe there's an error on the column heading for appartments, where it implies that the prices are per square meter. That's unlikely, given that the apartments are classified by number of rooms, and impossible, given the prices shown. For shops and warehouses, shown below, the prices are certainly per square meter.

The top line is for luxury apartments in the historic center.

Anyway, the cost of a normal apartment with three rooms in the historic center of Perugia ranges from €250 to €400, so you could probably find one with 2 bedrooms for €300. In the semi-central zone, prices are a little lower. Three rooms would typically include a living area (or a combined kitchen/living area) and two bedrooms. They're not supposed to count separate kitchens, nor bathrooms, nor storage rooms.

You can't judge rents in Italy from rents in New York!