Tax Observatory › Property and individuals › Canone concordato in Ferrara: local rent agreement, cedolare secca and reduced IMU

Canone concordato in Ferrara: local rent agreement, cedolare secca and reduced IMU

Since 19 October 2023, agreed-rent leases signed in the Municipality of Ferrara have been governed by the new local rent agreement. The 10% flat-rate tax, IMU reduced to 75% and registration tax on 70% of the rent apply only if the lease complies with the agreement and, where the parties were not assisted, if it is supported by a compliance certificate.

For properties located in the Municipality of Ferrara, a lease at canone concordato (agreed rent set within the ranges of a local agreement) gives access to the cedolare secca (flat-rate rental tax) at 10% instead of 21%, to IMU (municipal property tax) reduced to 75% and, for landlords who remain under the ordinary regime, to an imposta di registro (registration tax) base equal to 70% of the rent. The reference text is the accordo territoriale (local rent agreement) filed with the Municipality on 18 October 2023. For leases concluded without assistance, the attestazione di rispondenza (compliance certificate) is a condition for the tax benefits.

The local agreement in force

The agreement, signed by six landlords’ organisations and four tenants’ organisations, applies to leases signed and commencing from the day after its filing, and replaces the agreement filed on 26 March 2018.

The municipal territory is divided into four homogeneous zones: the historic centre and prime areas, the area outside the city walls, the outer area within 10 km of the historic centre, and the «forense/agricola» (outlying/agricultural) area beyond 10 km, as the agreement itself calls it. For each zone, the attached table sets three rent bands for nine floor-area classes. The rent is derived from the middle band, adjusted upwards or downwards by objective factors. If the dwelling is furnished, the rent may be increased by up to 28%; a longer term allows an increase of up to 6% for a 6+2 lease.

Lease types and the standard forms of the Ministerial Decree of 16 January 2017

The Ministerial Decree of 16 January 2017 (Official Gazette No. 62 of 15 March 2017) makes the attached standard leases mandatory; Ferrara has adopted them as Annexes A, B and C. The ordinary lease runs for at least three years. At the first expiry, if the parties do not agree on renewal, it is extended by operation of law for two years, unless the landlord gives notice on the grounds listed in art. 3 of Law 431/1998.

The transitional lease (contratto transitorio) runs from 30 days to 18 months and cannot be renewed. It is allowed for the landlord’s or tenant’s needs listed in the agreement, which must be stated and documented on signing. Otherwise the lease is brought under the term laid down in art. 2, paragraph 1, of Law 431/1998. For needs not listed or hard to document, the parties must be assisted by their respective organisations (art. 2, paragraph 5, of the Decree). Where the need is fixed-term employment, non-university study or a transfer, the tenant must not be resident in Ferrara or in the neighbouring municipalities.

The student lease runs from six months to three years and is reserved for students enrolled in university or postgraduate courses in a municipality other than their municipality of residence. At the first expiry it is renewed for the same period, up to 36 months in total, unless the tenant withdraws.

The compliance certificate

In an assisted lease, the organisations assisting the parties certify that the rent complies with the agreement. For a lease concluded without assistance, art. 1, paragraph 8, art. 2, paragraph 8, and art. 3, paragraph 5, of the Decree require at least one signatory organisation to certify that the economic and legal terms of the lease comply with the agreement, including for tax purposes. In Ferrara, the parties file the form listing the objective features of the property (Annex 3 or 3P) together with the signed copy of the lease, registered or being registered.

In Resolution No. 31/E of 20 April 2018, the Agenzia delle Entrate (Italian Revenue Agency) clarified that, for leases concluded without assistance, the certificate is a necessary element for the tax benefits. Attaching it on registration is not compulsory, but it is advisable where, without the flat-rate tax, registration tax is paid on 70% of the rent. If attached, it is not subject to separate registration tax, and its issue is exempt from stamp duty. Art. 7 of Decree-Law 73/2022 allows the certificate to be used for subsequent leases with identical content, as long as neither the property nor the agreement changes. In our view, certificates issued under the 2018 agreement do not cover leases signed from 19 October 2023.

Cedolare secca at 10%

Art. 3, paragraph 2, of Legislative Decree 23/2011, as amended by art. 1, paragraph 6, of Law 160/2019, sets a permanent 10% rate for leases concluded under art. 2, paragraph 3, and art. 8 of Law 431/1998 in the municipalities referred to in art. 1, paragraph 1, letters a) and b), of Decree-Law 551/1988 and in the other high housing-pressure municipalities (comuni ad alta tensione abitativa) designated by CIPE (the Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning). Ferrara, as a provincial capital, falls under letter b). According to the Agency’s guidance (Circular No. 26/E of 2011 for students, Circular No. 8/E of 2017 for agreed-rent transitional leases), the reduced rate also applies to the two transitional lease types. On an annual rent of EUR 7,200, the flat-rate tax is EUR 720, against EUR 1,512 at 21%.

Reduced IMU and the municipal rate

Art. 1, paragraph 760, of Law 160/2019 reduces to 75% the tax calculated at the municipal rate for dwellings let at canone concordato. For 2026 the Municipality has confirmed the rates in rate schedule ID 539 (City Council Resolution No. 17 of 24 February 2025). The schedule provides for 0.5% for dwellings let under local agreements, on the conditions of the municipal regulation and for registered leases only, and 1.02% for other buildings. For an A/2 dwelling with a cadastral income of EUR 800, the taxable base is EUR 134,400 (800 × 1.05 × 160). At 0.5% reduced to 75%, annual IMU is EUR 504, against EUR 1,370.88 at 1.02%. The reduction also applies to transitional and student leases with rent set under the agreement.

Registration tax and IRPEF without the flat-rate tax

Landlords who do not opt for the flat-rate tax apply art. 8, paragraph 1, of Law 431/1998: the property income determined under the ordinary rules is further reduced by 30% for IRPEF (personal income tax), and the annual rent for registration tax purposes is taken at a minimum of 70%. Paragraph 3 excludes these benefits for transitional leases, except for student leases under art. 5, paragraph 2.

Tax relief for the tenant

A tenant who uses the dwelling as main residence under an agreed-rent lease is entitled to tax relief (detrazione, a reduction of gross income tax) of EUR 495.80 if total income does not exceed EUR 15,493.71, and of EUR 247.90 up to EUR 30,987.41 (art. 16, paragraph 1, TUIR, the Italian Income Tax Code). A student enrolled at a university at least 100 km from the municipality of residence and in another province is entitled to tax relief on rent under art. 15, paragraph 1, letter i-sexies), on rent of up to EUR 2,633.

Two cases

A student resident in Bari and enrolled at the University of Ferrara rents a one-bedroom flat outside the city walls for 24 months using standard form C. The landlord applies the 10% flat-rate tax and IMU reduced to 75%; if the lease is concluded without assistance, the certificate is required. The student can claim the tax relief under letter i-sexies).

A technician resident in Padua, hired on a twelve-month fixed-term contract in Ferrara, signs a transitional lease using standard form B and documents the need. The landlord benefits from the 10% flat-rate tax and reduced IMU; without the flat-rate tax, the landlord would obtain neither the 30% reduction nor the 70% base.

In practice

• Landlord, before signing: find the zone in the street list annexed to the agreement, calculate the rent within the band and use standard form A, B or C; a free tool for drafting the agreed-rent lease is available.
• Lease without assistance: request the certificate from a signatory organisation, filing the Annex 3 or 3P form and the signed copy of the lease; attach it on registration if, without the flat-rate tax, registration tax is paid on 70% of the rent.
• Registration: within thirty days, exercising any option for the flat-rate tax in the RLI form (lease registration form); the same time limit applies to an extension or termination.
• IMU: apply the 0.5% rate reduced to 75% for the December balancing payment, after checking the conditions of the municipal regulation.
• Keep for audits: the lease, the rent calculation form, the certificate, the registration receipt, and evidence of the transitional need or of university enrolment.

Frequently asked questions

Must an agreed-rent lease signed in 2022 be brought into line with the new agreement?

No. The 2023 agreement applies to leases signed from 19 October 2023; earlier leases remain governed by the agreement in force when they were signed. New leases, even between the same parties, are instead governed by the new agreement and, if concluded without assistance, require a new certificate.

Does the 10% flat-rate tax also apply to a flat in Comacchio or Cento?

Not automatically. The 10% rate requires a high housing-pressure municipality (provincial capitals, municipalities bordering the large metropolitan areas, municipalities on the CIPE list). Art. 9, paragraph 2-bis, of Decree-Law 47/2014 extends the rate to municipalities where a state of emergency for natural disasters was declared in the five years before 2014; for 2020 it limits it to municipalities with up to 10,000 inhabitants, and its application in later years has not been clarified by the Agency’s guidance, so it should be assessed with caution. The check must be made municipality by municipality, as must the existence of an applicable local agreement.

What is lost if the certificate is missing?

For a lease concluded without assistance, according to Resolution No. 31/E of 2018, the tax benefits: the 10% flat-rate tax and the IRPEF and registration tax reductions under art. 8 of Law 431/1998. The certificate presupposes a rent that complies with the agreement, and it is advisable to request it before registration, or in any case immediately afterwards, filing the signed copy of the lease being registered.

Sources

Law No. 431 of 9 December 1998, arts. 2, 5 and 8 (text in force on 23/10/2026)

Legislative Decree No. 23 of 14 March 2011, art. 3, paragraph 2; Law No. 160 of 27 December 2019, art. 1, paragraphs 6, 745, 754 and 760

Decree-Law No. 551 of 30 December 1988, art. 1, paragraph 1; Decree-Law No. 47 of 28 March 2014, art. 9, paragraph 2-bis; Decree-Law No. 73 of 21 June 2022, art. 7

Presidential Decree No. 917 of 22 December 1986, arts. 15, paragraph 1, letter i-sexies), and 16; Presidential Decree No. 131 of 26 April 1986, art. 17

Decree of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport of 16 January 2017, Official Gazette No. 62 of 15 March 2017, arts. 1, 2, 3 and 7

Agenzia delle Entrate, Resolution No. 31/E of 20 April 2018; Circulars No. 26/E of 2011 and No. 8/E of 2017, as cited in the lease guide of the Emilia-Romagna Regional Directorate

Municipality of Ferrara, local agreement on agreed-rent leases filed on 18 October 2023

Department of Finance, IMU rate schedule of the Municipality of Ferrara ID 539 (City Council Resolution No. 17 of 24 February 2025), confirmed for 2026 by the Municipality