Inquilino (Tenant)

Common term for the person renting a property (see Conduttore). The inquilino has the right to occupy the property per the lease terms and is responsible for paying rent and utilities. Italian law gives residential inquilini certain protections: for instance, standard leases are 4 years + 4 renewal, during which the landlord can only terminate for specific reasons. For evictions (sfratti) due to non-payment, an inquilino may be granted short grace periods to catch up. When an inquilino leaves, they must typically give 6 months’ notice (for 4+4 contracts) unless otherwise allowed. It’s worth noting that if an inquilino has a regularly registered contract, the new owner of a sold property must respect the lease’s duration (the tenant can remain until contract expiry). An inquilino is also protected by the deposito cauzionale, which must be returned with interest at lease end. The term inquilino is interchangeable with conduttore in most contexts, though conduttore is more formal.