HelpWorks Italia - Services
Our Services
Annual HomeCare Services
At HelpWorks Italia (HWI) we understand both the effort it can take to set up a home in a foreign country as well as the logistical problems of maintaining a second home from abroad.
We charge €.30 + IVA* per hour for office work, €.40 + IVA per hour for out of office/site visits and €.25 + IVA per 'file' for written translations which are based on a standard professional rate. (One file equals 1500 characters including spaces).
We are happy to provide assistance as and when you need it, but if you would prefer a fixed annual rate for specific services, our Annual Home Care Services are designed to provide you with both useful and practical solutions:
*IVA is the equivalent of VAT and charged at a rate of 20%.
CALL UP SERVICE - €.240 + IVA p/a: You can call us as often as you need either to make phone calls on your behalf or to organise appointments which your Italian may not yet be sufficient to deal with.
POST BOX AND PAYMENTS - €.350 + IVA p/a: We can arrange to receive all your post and settle on your behalf all agreed bills such as annual taxes and maintenance and service bills. We will forward any important correspondence.
COMBINATION - €.550 + IVA p/a: Allows you to combine our Post Box and Payments Service with our annual Call Up Service.
HOUSE MANAGEMENT - €.1.050 + IVA: Includes all of the above plus the following:
- Finding you permanent domestic staff to look after your property.
- Ensuring the house is aired and checked at least once a week during your absence.
- Liaising between you and your staff should any complications arise concerning the property.
- Providing assistance and the services of reliable professionals in case of technical malfunctions or problems at your property.
- Communicating to your staff your arrival and departure times.
- Organising any requests you might have such as being picked up from the airport, pre-arrival grocery shopping etc...
- Arranging payment - through our Client Account - of monthly salaries and any other monies which might be owed to contractors or suppliers.
- Holding a spare set of keys in case of emergency.
COMPREHENSIVE HOUSE MANAGEMENT - €.2.400 + IVA p/a: Includes all of the above plus overseeing and smooth running of your rental season and in addition:
- Finding you extra, seasonal domestic staff such as caterers, babysitters, drivers etc... when and if they are needed.
- Communicating to your permanent staff all arrival and departure dates of guests and the number of people in arrival.
- Referring any special requests to your staff that your guests might have.
- Liaising between you and your domestic staff should any complication arise such as changes in the arrival times of your guests due to delays or similar.
- Arranging to receive your guests, in place of your staff, if necessary.
- Taking any necessary deposits on your behalf.
- Act as a reference point for your guests should they have any problems or require some help i.e. car breakdowns, medical help, travel complications or similar.
- Hold a spare set of keys should your guests accidentally lock themselves out.
- In the event of a systems malfunction (such as electricity, well, boiler, swimming pool pump etc...), we can provide the services of reliable professionals and organise and oversee the successful completion of any work repair or maintenance.
Rental backup assistance
E1.500 + IVA per season (May - September)
If you are considering renting out your property but don't wish to have the added expense of a full time, English-speaking caretaker to look after your guests, HWI can assist by providing a Back Up service to your existing housekeeping arrangements.
To ensure your guests are well looked after and that their stay in your home goes smoothly, we can help by:
- Finding you extra, seasonal domestic staff such as caterers, babysitters, drivers etc... when and if they are needed.
- Communicating to your permanent staff all arrival and departure dates of guests and the number of people visiting.
- Referring any special requests to your staff that your guests might have.
- Liaising between you and your domestic staff should any complication arise such as changes in the arrival times of your guests due to delays or similar.
- Arranging to receive your guests, in the event it is necessary, in place of your staff.
- Taking any necessary deposits on your behalf.
- Arranging payment - through our Client Account - of monthly salaries and any other monies which might be owed to contractors or suppliers.
- Acting as a reference point for your guests should they have any problems or require some help i.e. car breakdowns, medical help, travel complications or similar.
- Hold a spare set of keys should your guests accidentally lock themselves out.
In the event of a systems malfunction (such as electricity, well, boiler, swimming pool pump etc...), we can provide the services of reliable professionals and organise and oversee the successful completion of any repair or maintenance work.
Property Log Book
Surveyor's fees - from €530 + IVA, but to be based on an initial assessment of your property. The surveyor responsible will provide you with an estimate should there be any complications to sort out.
The principle of having a Log Book for your house is something that many property professionals in Europe advocate.
When you have a second home in a foreign country with rules and regulations you may not even be aware of, it becomes essential.
At HWI we strongly recommend that you have a full, documented record of everything pertaining to your property, including a last will and testament.
In the event you need to sell, even from abroad, it would ensure the sale was as trouble-free as possible.
Our Property Log Book Service consists of the following:
- Depositing, on your behalf, a last will and testament at the offices of the notary who has your title deeds.
- Overseeing, together with your own surveyor (geometra) or a surveyor we can recommend, the carrying out of a professional survey on your property to include:
- An assessment of the structural condition of the property.
- A site visit by an electrician and plumber.
- An assessment of the roof.
- An assessment of basement(s) and ground floor(s) and internal basement walls.
- An assessment of all windows and doors.
- Identification of the property and how it is registered.
- Collation of floor plans, land maps, building authorisations/ permits and the Visure (the catastal value of the property on which purchase taxes are based).
- Certificates of conformity where relevant.
- Identification (if any) of registered neighbouring farmers with regard to pre-emption rights.
- A full Structural Survey if there is some doubt as to the property's structural soundness or the quality of the works carried out in previous years. This can be quite expensive depending on what technical measures need to be undertaken, but at least you would have an informed idea of what problems the property might present, should you choose to sell it.
- At your request, HWI can organise a translation of all the material collated and can retain a copy of all documentation, for safekeeping, in its offices.
Buying a property
€.3.500 + IVA with an optional year long assistance for helping you to set up and settle in at €1.500 + IVA.
HWI can advise you on the most sensible and secure ways to proceed. We can also:
- Organize a full survey for you.
- Accompany you to qualified professionals who can oversee the successful purchase of the property.
- Help you to obtain a mortgage.
- Organize independent estimates for any works the property might require.
- Help you open a bank account.
- Help you obtain a codice fiscale (national insurance number).
- Accompany you to the final notarised contract stage or merely provide you with translations of relevant documentation and/or interpreters.
Once the title deeds are transferred into your name we can:
- Find you gardeners, cleaners, reliable trades people etc...
- Register utilities in your name, upgrade electricity and have satellite and Broadband installed.
- Recommend removal companies.
- Direct you to reliable retailers for the furnishing of your home.
- Assist you in obtaining residency and applying for national health insurance.
- Assist you in setting up a business.
At the end of your first year we can provide you with a choice of annual property management solutions to fit any budget and suited to any situation.
Selling a property
€.1.000 + IVA
HWI can guide and safely assist you through the entire sales process. We can translate meetings and communications between you and the potential purchaser, recommend and/or accompany you to a qualified professional for the drawing up of all contracts and be present at the final notarised contract.
In your absence HWI can oversee the whole process and represent you at the final notarised contract with a legal power of attorney.
Professional fees can range from €300 + IVA to 2% of the sales price should the services of a lawyer be required. These fees would be in addition to those of HWI.
Renovations and building projects
HWI charges €40 + IVA per hour or a percentage on the cost of all works to be done which would depend on the size and duration of the restoration, and whether or not you would be present or absent during its execution. Our fee would be agreed before the commencement of any work.
Our team of professionals at HWI include surveyors and/or architects who can assist you with your project by:
- Ascertaining the permissions required.
- Drawing up plans to your specifications.
- Presenting the project to the planning authorities in your local Comune (borough).
- Acting as Director of Works on site (as required by law).
HWI can assist you by:
- Providing reliable builders, plumbers, electricians, decorators, carpenters etc... who will give you individual quotes.
- Organizing site visits and translating all meetings.
- Accompanying you to recommended retailers for kitchens, bathrooms, floor tiles, light fittings etc...
- Arranging payment - through our client account - of monies owed to contractors and suppliers.
- Overseeing, in your absence, any works in progress, liaising between you, the surveyor and the building contractors and providing you with regular updates and photographs.
- Once your property is complete, we can also accompany or merely direct you to recommended local retailers for the furnishing of your home.
Living and working in Italy
HelpWorks Italia can help you by:
- Guiding you through bureaucratic red tape.
- Interpreting and/or translating.
- Helping you with any paperwork.
- Assisting you with the transcribing and/or recertification of professional qualifications.
- Recommending removal companies.
- Advising you where to go to furnish your home.
- Assisting you in obtaining residency and applying for national health insurance
- Assisting you to set up in business.
- Answering any queries you may have.
