Handover report for a rented flat in Trieste: what to write and why you need photos

Handing over the keys looks like a formality. In fact, it is the moment the condition of the home is fixed. What you do not write down that day matters at the end of the tenancy, for you and for the tenant. This article covers what the law says, what goes in the handover report and how to use it when the flat is returned.

In short

• Without a written description, the law presumes the tenant received the home in a good state of repair (art. 1590 of the Italian Civil Code).
• The handover report describes the home room by room. It includes dated photos, a numbered inventory of the furnishings, meter readings, and the keys and documents handed over.
• For a furnished regulated-rent lease (canone concordato) in Trieste, the list of furnishings attached to the contract is also the condition for applying the rent increase.
• When the flat is returned, you take out the same report and compare. The security deposit earns statutory interest in the tenant's favour.

What happens if we don't draw up a report at all?

If there is no written description, the tenant is presumed to have received the home in a good state of repair. This is set out in art. 1590 of the Civil Code. It is a presumption: the law takes something for granted until someone proves otherwise.

The full rule is this. The tenant (the 'conduttore', in the language of the code) must return the home in the condition in which it was received, in line with the description made by the parties. Wear and tear from use is the exception, meaning the normal wear of living there. And the tenant is not liable for loss or deterioration caused by age, meaning things simply getting old.

Why does the report protect both me and the tenant?

Because it turns a vague formula into precise facts. 'Good condition' does not say which furniture was there, how many keys you handed over or what the living-room parquet looked like. Without a list, it is hard to prove at the end of the tenancy that an item was there or that a damage is new.

For the tenant, it works the other way round. If a tile was already chipped and nobody wrote it down, the presumption of good condition works against them. The report lets them put in writing the defects they find when they move in.

A clear document, signed by both sides, cuts down on arguments. At the return, you are not comparing memories but a description and photos.

What should the handover report include?

The report is a document signed by both parties that describes the home on the day it passes to the tenant. These are the items that should not be missing:

• the condition of each room, described in writing and backed by dated photos;
• a numbered inventory of furnishings and appliances;
• meter readings;
• the keys and remote controls handed over, with their number;
• the documents handed over, such as the energy performance certificate (APE) and the building rules.

In our experience, a properly done report takes about an hour in the flat. That time is all won back when the flat is returned.

Room by room, with dated photos

It helps to always follow the same order: entrance, living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom. For each room, note the walls, floors, windows and doors, and visible systems. If there is a defect, write where it is and what it looks like.

Photos are useful if it is clear when they were taken and what they show. One overall photo per room, plus a close-up of each defect noted. The report can refer to them, so text and images support each other.

The furnishings inventory

Every piece of furniture and every appliance gets a number. Next to it, write what it is and what condition it is in. A numbered inventory makes the final check quick: you go down the list and tick.

Meters, keys and documents

Meter readings separate earlier consumption from the tenant's. Keys and remote controls are counted and written down: they must all come back at the end of the tenancy. For documents, it is enough to list what was handed over, so nobody has to remember it years later.

Furnished regulated-rent lease: does the furnishings list change anything?

Yes: without an attached list of furnishings, there is no rent increase. This is provided for in the Trieste local agreement of 15 December 2025, which sets the regulated-rent rules in the city.

The agreement has two levels:

• FurnishingFullIncreaseup to +22%

  all main rooms, plus oven, hob and fridge

• FurnishingPartialIncreaseup to +15%

  at least one main room

In both cases, the list of furnishings must be attached. If the kitchen is not furnished, there is no increase. The increases are optional: you may apply them, but you do not have to.

In practice, the inventory in the report and the list attached to the contract must describe the same home. To see how the increase affects the rent, there is the regulated-rent calculator.

One note: the 2025 agreement replaces the one of 14 December 2022, which still applies until expiry to contracts signed while it was in force.

Can I hand over the keys before signing the contract?

The cleanest sequence is signature first, keys second. The reason is registration. According to the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) guide on rentals.pdf/3caafa2d-aa6b-93e8-1b6c-2a1671a6eb4e), the contract must be registered within 30 days of signing. However, if the contract is performed before it is signed, the 30 days run from performance.

The guide does not explain when an early handover counts as performance. Signing before handing over removes any doubt about when the deadline starts. And registration is not a detail: the same guide points out that an unregistered contract is void.

So the right day runs in this order: contract signed, inspection, report signed, keys. If you want a starting point for the contract, the site has a contract generator.

When the flat is returned, how is the report used?

You take out the same report and walk through the home in the same order. Room by room, you compare the current condition with the one described. You retake the photos from the same spots, recount the items in the inventory, read the meters and collect keys and remote controls.

The rule in art. 1590 applies to the comparison. Normal wear and ageing are not the tenant's responsibility. Anything beyond that is discussed with the report in front of you, not from memory.

What about the security deposit?

The security deposit is the sum the tenant pays as a guarantee at the start of the tenancy. Art. 11 of Law 392/1978 sets two points:

• it cannot exceed three months' rent;
• it earns statutory interest, which must be paid to the tenant at the end of each year.

So the interest is paid year by year, not all at the end. A clear exit report, compared with the entry one, makes it easier to settle the return of the deposit too, without arguments.

What should I check before signing the report?

This applies to both sides. Before signing, ask yourself:

• is every room described, with the photos linked to it?
• are existing defects written down, not just photographed?
• is the inventory numbered and, for a furnished regulated-rent lease, does it match the list attached to the contract?
• are the meter readings recorded?
• is the number of keys and remote controls written down?
• is the list of documents handed over complete?

If you let your home and want to see how we handle these steps, the information is on the for landlords page.

This article is for information only and is not advice on any specific case. For your own situation, you can write to TriesteAffitti through the site.