Buying a Renovation Property in Abruzzo: Who Looks After It While You're Away?

Buying a renovation property in Abruzzo can be incredibly exciting. You find an old farmhouse, village house or country property with the character you've been looking for, start imagining what it could become and suddenly find yourself discussing roofs, windows, electrics, plumbing and builders.

If you live outside Italy, however, there's another question that's surprisingly easy to overlook:

Who looks after the property when you're not there?

Renovating an Italian property can take months and, for larger projects, potentially considerably longer. During that time the house, garden and surrounding land don't simply sit still waiting for your next visit.

Grass grows. Vegetation spreads. Storms happen. Gates get damaged. Contractors come and go. Small problems can develop between visits.

Having someone locally who can keep an eye on the property can make managing an Abruzzo renovation from overseas considerably easier.

Property Renovation in Abruzzo From Overseas

Managing a renovation is very different when you live nearby.

If you're twenty minutes down the road, you can visit the property, see how things are progressing and notice when something doesn't look right.

If you're in the UK or elsewhere overseas, you might not see the house for several weeks or even months.

That doesn't necessarily mean somebody needs to act as a project manager or supervise the building work. Sometimes you simply need someone who can visit independently, look around the property and tell you what they can actually see.

A few current photographs can be considerably more useful than trying to understand what's happening from hundreds of miles away.

The Garden Doesn't Wait for the Builders

One of the easiest things to underestimate during an Abruzzo property renovation is the land surrounding the house.

Naturally, most of the renovation budgetand attention goes into the building.

Meanwhile, the grass, weeds, brambles and other vegetation carry on growing.

This can be particularly noticeable during spring and early summer, when vegetation can grow quickly.

A property that had reasonably manageable land when you bought it can look very different after several months without maintenance.

Keeping vegetation under control during the renovation can also help maintain access for builders and other trades working at the property.

Keeping Access to the Property Clear

Renovation work means people need to get in and out.

Builders, electricians, plumbers, surveyors and deliveries may all need access at different stages.

An overgrown driveway, blocked path or vegetation growing around gates isn't necessarily a major problem, but it's another unnecessary complication.

Periodic grass cutting, strimming and vegetation clearance can help keep working areas and access routes usable while the renovation progresses.

It also means that when you arrive for one of your own visits, you aren't spending the first two days clearing the outside before you can get on with everything else.

What Happens After Bad Weather?

Abruzzo can experience everything from intense summer storms to strong winds, heavy rain and winter snow, depending on where the property is located.

If you're overseas, you may naturally wonder how an empty or partially renovated property has coped after particularly severe weather.

This is where a straightforward property check can be useful.

It might include looking for obvious signs of:

• storm or wind damage

• fallen branches or trees

• damaged gates or fencing

• displaced roof tiles visible from ground level

• water ingress or other externally visible problems

• blocked access

• damage around the garden or surrounding land

The important distinction is that this isn't a structural survey or technical building inspection.

It's simply another pair of eyes on the property when yours can't be there.

Photographs Make Managing From Abroad Easier

For overseas owners, photographic updates are one of the simplest ways of keeping track of a property.

They don't need to be complicated.

Current photographs of the house, garden, entrances and surrounding land can give you a useful picture of what's happening between your visits to Italy.

They can also help identify something that needs further investigation.

If a problem is spotted, you can then decide whether your builder, geometra or another appropriate professional needs to look at it.

Don't Confuse Property Oversight With Project Management

There's an important distinction here.

Looking after a property during a renovation isn't necessarily the same thing as managing the renovation.

Your geometra, architect, engineer or building contractor may be responsible for technical matters and the construction itself.

Property oversight complements that.

It concentrates on the practical condition of the property and land while you're away: keeping vegetation manageable, checking the exterior, maintaining access and providing photographic updates.

For someone renovating from another country, those relatively simple things can provide valuable visibility between visits.

What About an Empty Property Before Work Starts?

There can also be a gap between buying a renovation property and the work actually beginning.

Planning, quotations, permissions and finding contractors can all take time.

During that period, the property may sit largely unattended.

This is often exactly when regular maintenance is worthwhile.

Keeping the garden and land under control helps prevent the property becoming increasingly difficult to manage before the renovation has even started.

Occasional exterior checks can also provide some reassurance that the property still looks as expected.

How Often Should a Renovation Property Be Checked?

There's no single schedule that suits every property.

A small village house with a courtyard has very different requirements from a rural farmhouse surrounded by several thousand square metres of land.

The time of year matters too.

During periods of rapid vegetation growth, garden maintenance may need to be more frequent. Property checks themselves might be required less often.

The sensible approach is to base the frequency on the property, the renovation programme and how long you'll be away.

Buying a Renovation Property in Abruzzo From Abroad

Renovating a house in Italy while living overseas inevitably means there will be times when you can't see what's happening for yourself.

Having somebody locally who can maintain the garden and land, carry out straightforward exterior checks and send photographic updates helps bridge that gap.

It doesn't replace your builder, geometra or other professionals.

It simply means your property isn't completely unattended between visits.

Abruzzo Property & Garden Care provides English-speaking property, garden and renovation care for overseas homeowners across the provinces of Chieti, Pescara, Teramo and L'Aquila.

If you're buying or renovating a property in Abruzzo and need someone to keep an eye on the house, garden or land while you're away, get in touch and tell us about your property.