Renovating in Italy: SCIA, CILA, Building Permit, Soprintendenza. All You Need to Know For A Stress-Free Renovation Experience

You bought your beautiful house at Lake Como and now it's time to think about its renovation.

The typical questions that you may have are: how to proceed now? How can I move into the jungle of Italian renovation laws?

No panic guys!

Taking for granted that you will always need an Italian technician by your side to face all the steps of the renovation, in this article we want to give you the big picture of the whole renovation process, disclosing which works will need the practices of Cila, SCIA or Building Permit… and which ones the last step of the permission from Soprintendenza office in Milano.

Bear in mind however that each single renovation project is a case on its own, and therefore will always need to be evaluated singularly.

Ready?

Ordinary renovation works that don't need any paperwork

That's the so-called "ordinary maintenance", the one that we often generically call "cosmetic renovation": any renovation that improves the appearance of a building without changing its size or improving its structural integrity. This also includes all works aimed at satisfying temporary needs and being immediately removed when the need ceases and, in any case, within a period not exceeding ninety days (for example scaffolding).

The good news is that these kinds of works don't need any permit. According to Art. 6 of the Consolidated Law on Building (“T.U.”), these are:

"building interventions that concern the repair, renovation and replacement of the finishes of the buildings or necessary to integrate / maintain existing technological systems".

Some practical examples (remember to take them all with a pinch of salt: every renovation is a world apart, every single case must be studied as a whole): 

• replacement of internal doors and external frames (doors, windows and skylights; however, if they are external you’ll need a CILA or a SCIA!);

• painting of internal walls or ceilings (however, in case of historic buildings e.g. with frescoes or plasters that are bound by the Soprintendenza office you’ll need specific authorization);

• installation of awnings (always paying attention to the condo regulations about how the facade must look);

• replacement or repair of fireplaces or sanitary ware;

• installation or replacement of intercoms, antennas or cameras, curtains, railings, parapets, gates, fences, tiles of the roof etc.

Image via Pexels

Let's now talk about the more structural interventions, the ones falling under the so-called "extraordinary maintenance”.

Extraordinary maintenance, i.e. when you need a “CILA” or a “SCIA”

The "extraordinary maintenance” concerns the works and modifications necessary to renovate and replace structural parts of the buildings, as well as to create and integrate the sanitation and technological services, as long as they don’t alter the overall volume of the buildings and don’t involve significant urban changes.

The extraordinary maintenance always needs a SCIA or a CILA. Let's see the difference.

The CILA (Comunicazione Inizio Lavori Asseverata) is a simple communication that the technician brings to the Municipality. Being just a communication, it doesn’t require the approval of the Municipality: you can start the work immediately! 

The works needing a CILA could be defined as "light" extraordinary maintenance.

Here you always need to involve a qualified professional (a certified technician) for the compilation of the declarations of his competence. The technician indeed declares that the works created through the CILA comply with the relevant legislation. 

"Light works" that just require a CILA are, for the example:

• the reconstruction of existing sewers with changes to their route;

• the reorganization of the interior spaces, with the displacement of partitions and non-load-bearing partitions, the creation of plasterboard false ceilings (as they lower the height); the opening, closing or moving of doors and fixtures; the update of electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning system.

For all other structural works (demolition, restoration or expansion works on buildings, involving structural elements like beams, partition walls etc.), you’ll need a SCIA (Certified Start of Activity Report): a project (including plans and a detailed report) that an Engineer will have to present to the local Municipality. 

Any examples of structural works? The construction of an attic, the reconstruction of the roof, the consolidation of foundations, pillars or beams. The SCIA is also used for the change of intended use. 

Once the work has been completed, a final inspection certificate, issued by the engineer / designer or by a qualified technician, must be presented certifying that the work carried out complies with the project that was presented with the SCIA.

Finally, the most "complex" practice, which requires the authorization to proceed from the Municipality, is the so called building permit: this is used for new constructions, elevations, extensions or heavy renovation works.

However, when it comes to buildings subjected to either historical, artistic, landscape, environmental or hydro-geological protection, all the aforementioned interventions can be done only if the opinions or authorizations required by the reference regulatory provisions have been issued. Here comes the role of Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti & Paesaggio.

Soprintendenza: the importance of preserving Lake Como architectural harmony and beauty 

Lake Como is a highly protected oasis: an office called Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti & Paesaggio will review any project of external renovation of buildings, to make sure the harmony of the landscape and the overall beauty of the architecture heritage is preserved. To put it simple with a basic example: the Soprintendenza is the office in charge of preventing a cubic ultra modern house from being built in the middle of a tiny village of rural properties.

The Soprintendenza office preserves the architectural beauty of our old villages | Pic by Juan Rubiano via Flickr

So when you start planning a renovation, you have to present them a project of the works that you would like to do. The technician who follows the works usually goes and speaks, first, with the Municipality to check the rules and to see what is possible to do to the house and what is not allowed. After this first step, the project is submitted to the Soprintendenza in Milan.

The technician knows most of the rules, however beat in mind that no one will give you the certainty to what you can do exactly to the property: just the Soprintendenza can give you the final answer. Remember: this office takes care just of the external part of the house. The only exception is when even the indoor presents some aspects that need to be preserved (e.g. frescoes or other historical/artistic valuable features).

© Lakeside

Examples of outside changes that need approval are: rising up the roof, changing the shape of the roof and the house, new openings, addition of new volume, introduction of new terraces or balconies, etc.

What our technical office can do for you

At Lakeside we have a genuine passion for all renovation projects: for us, every renovation is an exciting challenge that is always worth doing.

You may already know that our company also offers construction, development & renovation management services, thanks to our internal technical studio and our project manager. 

Here’s pretty much what we can do for you:

• Handling building and renovation works (full management service);

• Making available a network of local builders with good reputation, good pricing and good work that is up to code;

• Assigning jobs to different parties (in-house employees, handymen etc.) based on who will do the best service for the best price;

• Preparing a preliminary cost estimate and getting multiple independent bids for the work;

• Providing recommendations on how the project can maximize rental/value income;

• Acting as a general contractor, overseeing the work;

• Preparing design/projects that suit your requirements;

• Submitting all the documents to the Authorities;

• Updating the Cadastral Map & Plan before the sale and after the renovation to be done;

• Meeting with architects together with our Project Manager to discuss about the best design and the smartest ideas;

• Supplying Structural & Technical Reports on properties.

Now all you have to do is find your next home to renovate on Lake Como, and start dreaming and freeing your creativity!

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