Casa & utenze

Under-36 first-home mortgage with the CONSAP state guarantee in Rome

The Italian state can back up to 80% of your mortgage if you're under 36 with an ISEE under €40,000. No 20% down payment, free guarantee, more than 250 participating banks.

12 May 2026·

mortgagefirst-homeCONSAPunder-36state-guarantee

In a nutshell

If you're under 36, want to buy your first home in Rome, and don't have the 20% down payment that banks normally demand, the Italian state can guarantee up to 80% of your mortgage through the Fondo Garanzia Mutui Prima Casa (first-home mortgage guarantee fund), managed by CONSAP on behalf of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The guarantee costs you nothing — you pay only the normal interest on your bank loan. If your ISEE (income-and-wealth indicator used to qualify for means-tested benefits) is no higher than €40,000 and you meet the other requirements, you can get a mortgage that covers 100% of the property value.

At a glance


Cost	CONSAP guarantee is free. Normal mortgage fees apply (application, appraisal, notary, substitute tax).
Timeline	Bank processing: 30–90 days. CONSAP response: up to 20 days from bank's request.
Where in Rome	Any participating bank (250+). CONSAP: Via Yser 14, freephone 800 12 22 58.
Documents	ID, Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID), payslips, CU/730, bank statements, preliminary sale contract, land-registry extract, ISEE certificate

How the state guarantee works

The Fondo Garanzia Mutui Prima Casa (established by L. 147/2013) is a Ministry of Economy instrument, operationally managed by CONSAP. In plain terms: the bank lends you the money knowing that if you stop paying, the state covers part of the outstanding debt. That reduced risk for the bank means it can finance a larger share of the property's value.

For general applicants the guarantee covers 50% of the principal. For priority categories — which include under-36 buyers with an ISEE up to €40,000 — coverage rises to 80%, and the bank can finance up to 100% of the property value.

The maximum guaranteed mortgage is €250,000. If the property costs more, you can still use the scheme, but the state guarantee only applies to the first €250,000.

One more practical advantage: the bank cannot charge you a TAEG (annual percentage rate) higher than the quarterly TEGM (Tasso Effettivo Globale Medio — the average effective lending rate published by the Bank of Italy for residential mortgages). In other words, the bank cannot hike your rate simply because you're relying on a public guarantee.

Who qualifies for the 80% guarantee

To fall into the priority category and get the 80% guarantee you must meet all of the following:

Be under 36 years old on the date of the mortgage application
Have an ISEE no higher than €40,000 per year
Request a mortgage with an LTV above 80% (i.e. the bank is financing more than 80% of the purchase price)

The same priority category also covers young couples (both under 36, either married or cohabiting), single-parent families with minor children, and people living in social housing (ERP or IACP properties).

For the standard 50% guarantee there are no age or ISEE limits — you just need to meet the general requirements: be an individual (not a company), not already own another home used as a residence in Italy, be buying for your own residential use, and choose a non-luxury property (not land-registry categories A/1, A/8, or A/9).

Foreign nationals can apply too. EU citizens have access on the same terms as Italians. Non-EU citizens qualify if they hold a long-term EU residence permit (permesso di soggiorno UE per soggiornanti di lungo periodo) or a two-year permit linked to regular employment.

From bank application to deed signing

First step — get your ISEE. Go to a CAF (free assistance offices for tax forms and benefits applications) with the relevant documents for your household; drawing up the DSU declaration is free. Also check the list of participating banks at consap.it — there are more than 250, including Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit, BNL, BPER, Crédit Agricole, MPS, BancoPosta, and many regional banks.

Do not sign a preliminary sale contract before getting a preliminary approval from the bank. If the mortgage is refused after you've signed, you forfeit the deposit (typically 10% of the purchase price).

At the bank: state explicitly that you want a first-home mortgage with the CONSAP guarantee under the priority category. The bank handles all the paperwork and submits it electronically to CONSAP. You don't need to contact CONSAP yourself.

Processing takes 30–90 days. CONSAP must respond within 20 days of the bank's request. If approved, the guarantee kicks in automatically at no cost. The bank won't give formal approval until CONSAP has confirmed.

At the notary's office you sign the purchase deed and the mortgage contract simultaneously. At this point explicitly request the prima casa (first-home) tax relief: registration tax at 2% instead of 9% for purchases from a private seller, or VAT at 4% instead of 22% for new-build properties.

After the deed: transfer your official residence to the new home within 18 months. If you don't, you lose the first-home tax relief and must pay the standard taxes plus a 30% penalty.

What a CONSAP mortgage actually costs you

The CONSAP guarantee itself is free. The costs you'll face are the same as any other mortgage:

Bank application fee: 0.5–1% of the loan (roughly €500–2,000)
Property appraisal: €300–500
Substitute tax on first-home mortgage: 0.25% of the principal
Notary fees (purchase deed + mortgage contract): €1,500–3,000
Compulsory fire and explosion insurance: €200–500/year

As a rough reference: on a €200,000 mortgage over 25 years at a fixed rate of around 3.5%, the monthly repayment is approximately €1,000–1,100.

The CONSAP mortgage is compatible with the IRPEF (Italian personal income tax) deduction of 19% on mortgage interest (up to €4,000/year in deductible interest, giving a maximum tax saving of €760/year), and with renovation bonuses if you're buying a property to refurbish.

Mistakes to avoid

Never pay anyone to "activate" the CONSAP guarantee. The bank handles everything automatically. Consultants who charge separate fees for managing the CONSAP application are not providing any real service.
Don't sign the preliminary sale contract without a preliminary bank assessment. If the mortgage is declined afterwards, you lose your deposit. Always ask for a pre-approval first.
Don't forget to transfer your residence within 18 months. Many buyers miss this deadline and lose their tax reliefs. Set a reminder on your phone from the day you sign the deed.

Special cases

Unmarried couples: cohabiting (more uxorio) couples are fully eligible — a self-declaration and a shared household registration certificate are enough. To qualify for the "young couple" priority category, you need documented cohabitation of at least two years.

Self-employed or holding a Partita IVA (Italian VAT number — required to invoice as a self-employed worker)? You can still apply, but the bank will want three years of stable tax returns. The CONSAP guarantee does not improve your creditworthiness: if the bank doesn't consider you financially reliable, the mortgage will still be refused.

Already have a CONSAP mortgage and want to switch banks? You can do a surroga (mortgage transfer to another bank) while keeping the state guarantee, as long as you don't increase the outstanding capital.

Co-buying with a parent? The CONSAP guarantee only applies to the under-36 applicant's share, provided that person meets the ISEE requirement.

Post-purchase restrictions: you cannot sell the property within 5 years (unless you buy another one within 12 months), and you cannot use it for anything other than your primary residence. Breaching these conditions means losing the tax reliefs and paying a 30% penalty plus interest.

Official sources

Legal references: L 147/2013 art. 1 c.48 lett. c, DM 31/7/2014, DL 73/2021 art. 64 (Decreto Sostegni-bis), L 197/2022 cc. 74-75, DM MEF 22/12/2023, DPR 131/1986, DPR 633/1972, DPR 917/1986 art. 15.

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