There is a moment, in the life of anyone buying a home, when the enthusiasm for the property they have found meets the complexity of the process that leads to the deed of sale. Documents to check, rules to know, professionals to coordinate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where our role becomes decisive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Via della Spiga Wonderful Houses, real estate due diligence is not something we leave to the client. It is an integral part of the service we offer, coordinated by our experience and by the network of professionals we have carefully selected over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to point out that the documents and checks described in this article are only some of the fundamental ones. Due diligence on a prestigious property is a far more complex process, which varies significantly depending on the type of property, its history, the presence of specific restrictions, the legal nature of the seller, its intended use and many other variables that only an expert eye can recognise and assess. Knowing what to look for, where to look and when to dig deeper is not something that can be improvised: it is the result of years of work in this market, of established relationships with the best professionals in the sector and of a knowledge of the area that no document can replace. This is exactly what we bring to the table, for every client and every purchase. Here is how we work, step by step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first check we carry out concerns the cadastral data of the property. The cadastral survey (visura catastale) is the document issued by the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) that contains all the identifying information of the property: cadastral category and class, surface area, cadastral income and registered owners. It is, in essence, the property’s identity card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We always request two separate documents: the current survey, which captures the situation on the date of the request, and the historical survey, which reconstructs the entire evolution of the property over time: all changes of ownership, changes in classification, cadastral modifications. A reading that often reveals valuable information about the history of the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The check we never skip is the comparison between the registered cadastral floor plan and the actual state of the property. Every discrepancy (a wall moved, a bathroom added, a room merged without an update) is an irregularity that must be remedied before the deed of sale. Identifying it in advance avoids last-minute blocks and protects the client from future complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cadastral survey says many things, but not everything. In particular, it does not show whether there are mortgages, foreclosures or other encumbrances on the property. This is why the mortgage registry search (visura ipotecaria) is essential. It is requested from the Real Estate Registry Services of the Revenue Agency, the office that took over from the former Land Registry (Conservatoria dei Registri Immobiliari).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This document makes it possible to view all the formalities recorded in the mortgage database: transcriptions, registrations and annotations. In practice, it allows us to establish whether the property is burdened by voluntary mortgages arising from loans, judicial mortgages, foreclosures, precautionary seizures or legal claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A technical detail that often surprises: a mortgage remains registered even after the loan has been repaid, until its cancellation appears in a specific annotation in the registers. For bank loans this happens through a simplified procedure on notification by the bank, but it must always be checked. It is one of the checks we coordinate with the client’s trusted notary, making sure that every encumbrance is clarified and resolved before signing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the seller is a company, we also carry out a check with the relevant Chamber of Commerce, through the company register extract (visura camerale): a document that shows the status of the company, its officers, its registered office and any insolvency proceedings in progress. An essential step for anyone buying from a legal entity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Planning compliance is the most delicate check in the entire process, and the one that requires the greatest technical expertise and knowledge of the area. It concerns the correspondence between the current state of the property and the building permits issued over its history: concessions, building permits, SCIA notices, amnesties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prestigious properties (often historic buildings that have undergone works and transformations over the decades) require a particularly careful check. It is not unusual for past renovations to have changed the layout of the spaces, the openings or the surfaces without all the works having been properly authorised and documented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this check we rely on qualified technicians with specific experience in the Milan market and in the areas where we operate. They consult the building files held by the relevant municipalities, classify any discrepancies by severity and, where possible, start the regularisation procedures provided for by current regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our goal is for the client to arrive at the deed of sale with absolute certainty about what they are buying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An energy certificate has been mandatory in property sales since 2009 and, since 2013, the Energy Performance Certificate (APE) must be attached to the final deed. It certifies the energy performance of the property on a scale from A4, the most efficient, to G, and is ordinarily valid for ten years, provided that the periodic checks on the heating systems are carried out. If works change the energy performance of the building, it must be updated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since 3 June 2026 the Minimum Requirements Decree 2025 (MASE Decree of 28 October 2025) has been in force, updating the technical rules used to calculate the energy class. In Lombardy the new rules have been adopted by regional legislation, in force from the same date. The format of the APE does not change, but the technical calculation method does: every new certificate issued from that date must be drawn up according to the updated methodology. Certificates already issued remain valid until their natural expiry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For our clients, the energy class is never a formality: it is a variable that enters into the overall assessment of the property. A historic building of great charm with a low energy class brings higher running costs and prospects of works that must be considered from the outset. When necessary, we put our clients in touch with the right professionals to plan any energy upgrading works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the property is part of a condominium, due diligence extends to the common areas and to condominium life. It is an aspect that buyers tend to underestimate, and which can instead hold significant surprises if it is not examined carefully before signing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We request and analyse the minutes of the latest condominium meetings: they reveal whether extraordinary works have been approved, whether there are disputes in progress, whether the building has planned works that could translate into additional costs for the new owner. We also check that the seller is up to date with condominium payments, because by law the building administrator can claim from the new buyer any unpaid charges for the current year and the previous one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A principle we always remind our clients of: the costs of extraordinary works fall on whoever was the owner at the time of the meeting resolution that approved the works. Those who buy after that date take on the costs approved afterwards. It is a distinction that, if not clarified in the preliminary contract (compromesso), can lead to costly misunderstandings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every prestigious property has its own story. And every story needs an expert eye to be read correctly, including in its documentary and legal soundness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What we have described in this article is only part of the work we do for every client. Behind every purchase we accompany there is a much broader process. Checks that change depending on the property, in-depth analyses that arise from apparently minor details, questions that only those who know this market can ask at the right time. Due diligence is not a fixed list of documents to tick off, but a competent and continuous reading of the property, of its context and of the people involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our work does not end when the client finds the right property. It begins there. It continues through every phase of the process (coordinating professionals, anticipating critical issues, translating technical and regulatory complexity into clear information and informed decisions) and ends only when the deed is signed and the client is certain of having bought in the best possible way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because a purchase done well is not only the one that leads to the signature. It is the one that, years later, leaves no regrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is the set of cadastral, mortgage, planning, energy and condominium checks carried out before the deed of sale to establish that the property is in order and free from encumbrances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main ones are the current and historical cadastral survey with the floor plan, the mortgage registry search, the building permits for planning compliance, the APE and the minutes of the condominium meetings. If the seller is a company, also the company register extract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a rule, whoever was the owner at the time of the meeting resolution. It is nevertheless advisable to clarify this in the preliminary contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No. Certificates already issued remain valid until their natural expiry; only new certificates follow the updated methodology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are available for any questions, and ready to accompany you through every phase of the search for and purchase of your next prestigious residence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: this article is for general information purposes only and does not replace the advice of a notary, a lawyer or a qualified technician. For every specific purchase, we always recommend relying on qualified professionals.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Via della Spiga Wonderful Houses \u00b7 via T. Salvini 10, Milan \u00b7 info@viadellaspiga.info<\/a> \u00b7 +39 02 66661260<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Floor](\"https:\/\/www.viadellaspiga.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/due-diligence-immobiliare-planimetrie-1017x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe cadastral survey: the property’s identity card<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The mortgage registry search: checking that the property is free from encumbrances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Planning compliance: the most important check<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The APE: the energy certificate updated to 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Common areas and the condominium: no surprises after the deed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The value of expert guidance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is real estate due diligence?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Which documents are needed to check a property before the deed of sale?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Who pays for extraordinary condominium works approved before the sale?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Does the APE have to be redone after 3 June 2026?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n