The documents needed to sell a property in Sanremo: what you need, how to get it, and what can slow everything down
When you decide to put a property on the market, the first thing that comes to mind is the price. The second, usually, is finding an agent. The documents come later — and often too late.
Gathering the documentation before listing is not a bureaucratic detail: it is what allows you to reach the deed signing without surprises. Any problem that emerges during a negotiation — a land registry discrepancy, a missing document, an untraceable title — can bring everything to a halt or cause the buyer to walk away.
This guide lists the documents needed to sell a property in Sanremo, explains what they are for, and is honest about which ones require the most time and attention.
1. Floor plan and land registry record
The cadastral floor plan is the graphic representation of the property registered with the land registry: it shows the layout of the rooms, measurements and internal divisions. The land registry record contains the identifying data — registered owners, cadastral income, location.
These documents are used to verify that what is recorded in the land registry matches what physically exists. If there are discrepancies — a moved wall, an extended room, a modified internal division — they must be regularised before selling.
Those with a SPID digital identity can download them free of charge from the Revenue Agency website. Alternatively you can visit the land registry office in person. If you would rather not deal with this yourself, we handle it.
2. Energy Performance Certificate (APE)
The APE is required by law: without it you can neither sell nor rent a property. It certifies the energy consumption of the property and its energy class, from A4 (most efficient) to G.
It must be prepared by a certified professional — a surveyor, engineer or qualified architect. It is valid for ten years, unless works are carried out that affect the energy performance of the building.
The cost depends on the type of property and the professional. We coordinate this as part of the preparation for sale.
3. Building Compliance Report (RRE)
This is the most delicate document. It certifies that the property complies with planning and building regulations: that what was built corresponds to what was authorised.
To obtain it you need to appoint a professional who accesses the municipal records, checks the building permits and verifies compliance. If discrepancies emerge — and they often do, even in properties purchased in good faith years ago — they must be regularised before proceeding.
This process can take weeks or months. The municipality is not always fast. Sometimes documents cannot be found. Sometimes the verification reveals the need for a retrospective planning consent.
This is why we obtain it before listing the property, not after finding a buyer. Discovering a problem with a buyer already waiting puts everything at risk — the negotiation, the trust, the timeline.
4. Title deed
This is the document that shows how the property came into your ownership: a purchase deed, a gift, or an inheritance.
In theory everyone has it. In practice, if many years have passed since the purchase or inheritance, people often cannot remember where it ended up. In that case it needs to be retrieved.
There are two routes: the notarial archive (for purchase deeds and gifts) and the Revenue Agency (for inheritances). Neither provides it free of charge, and the turnaround is not immediate — which is why these are the last resort, after searching elsewhere.
Before going down that path, it is worth trying the notary who handled the original deed, your own home archives, or the mortgage documents if there was a loan involved.
5. Condominium documents
If the property is part of a residential building, at the start of the process three documents are requested from the building manager: the condominium regulations, the minutes of the last two residents’ meetings, and the final accounts with the expense breakdown. The buyer needs these to understand what they are entering into: which rules apply, whether any major works are planned, and how costs are distributed.
The clearance certificate itself — the declaration that the seller is up to date with all payments up to the date of the deed signing — is requested later, once the deed signing date is confirmed. The building manager must certify that there are no arrears up to that specific date, which is why there is no point requesting it earlier.
Again: it must be requested in good time. Building managers do not always respond quickly.
Gathering the documents takes time. More than you might expect.
The problem is not knowing which documents are needed. The problem is obtaining them.
In most cases it means contacting professionals — surveyors, notaries, building managers, municipal offices — waiting for them to respond, and chasing them if they do not. Each has their own pace. Some are fast. Others are not.
Those managing this process for the first time often underestimate how long it can take. Those who have been doing it for thirty years know that getting ahead of it is the only way to avoid finding yourself in difficulty at the worst possible moment — when there is already a buyer waiting.
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