Home: 2-room apartments in the lead in rentals, 3-room apartments in sales

The two-room apartment for those looking to rent and the three-room apartment for those who want to buy instead. These are the main trends that draw the map of the most sought-after property types in Italia, a propensity that tells of a country in search of a balance between space, cost and flexibility. According to the latest findings of Immobiliare.it Insights, the real estate portal's proptech, over the past year 43% of rental requests have focused on the search for a two-room house. Looking instead at the purchase and sale market, the three-room apartment absorbs 35% of demand. "In a context of rising prices and increasing mobility, families, young people and workers are favouring solutions that allow them to maintain quality living and also combine any medium or long-term needs," explains Paolo Giabardo, general manager of Immobiliare.it.

The last five years have seen a change in preferences in the Italia property market. Whereas in 2021 the three-room flat for sale was the most popular type of flat in Bologna and the one-bedroom flat for rent dominated in Messina, Taranto, Treviso and Venice, in the last year it is the two-room flat for rent that is the most sought-after flat in the major cities. The most relevant increases can be observed in Taranto (+9%), Treviso (+4%) and in Catania, Como, Monza and Padua (+3%), while the most marked decreases concern Lucca (-8%), Brescia and Trento (-4%).

In an overall stable picture, however, some exceptions emerge. In Messina, three-room apartments remain central, ranking first both for sale (34%) and for rent (30%), as they do in Venice, but only for sale (32%). Lucca stands out as the only capital city where demand for properties for purchase with more than five rooms prevails (30%). Florence, Palermo and Verona also stand out, where the four-room apartment is the second most popular choice for buyers. As is often the case, Milan is a story in itself: since 2021 the two-room apartment has been the property most sought after both for sale (43%) and for rent (50%). More generally, when it comes to buying and selling, mini-apartments are less popular, while when it comes to renting, it is large properties that are not the most popular. Among the least popular types are studio apartments for sale in a number of cities - including Catania, Genoa and Venice - and large rental properties (more than five rooms) in a number of capitals such as Rome, Milan, Turin and Naples.