Living in Rome: Setting Up Essential Services

So it wasn’t easy, but you’ve finally found your dream apartment. Now you can sit back,
relax, and enjoy la dolce vita. Well, almost – there are just a few essential services you need
to set up first…

Electricity & Gas
In most cases, it should be possible to take over the previous occupant’s contracts and have
them changed to your name (voltura). This is by far the easiest option, as there will be no
interruption of service. If you wish, once they’re in your name, you can shop around to see if
you can find a better deal.

If you’re unlucky, you’ll have to reactivate the service yourself (subentro): this will generally
take 1-2 weeks from the time your request is received, so be sure to get on it promptly.
In both cases you will need:

  • Codice fiscale, valid ID/passport, proof of residence or rental contract
  • POD code (electricity) and PDR code (gas): you can find these on the meters.
  • If you have it, the name and client code of the previous occupant – this is essential for
    a voltura, but is also useful for a subentro.

    Most providers offer both electricity and gas, so it’s probably most convenient (even if not
    necessarily most cost-effective) to use the same provider for both. The main suppliers are
    Enel, Acea, Edison, Illumia, Engie, A2A. Various deals are on offer, including variable/fixed
    pricing, nighttime/weekend discounts, and renewable energy and carbon offset plans. You can
    compare the different plans (in Italian) at segugio.it or Facile.it.

    Power is capped at 3 kW as standard, meaning that if you draw more than that at any
    moment, your trip switch will trip. In practice this means you need to manage your use of
    power-hungry appliances (microwave, oven, dishwasher, washing machine, kettle, aircon,
    etc.) carefully: it’s a pain, but you do get used to it. You can pay extra for more power if you
    think you’ll need it – each extra kW will cost around €80 extra a year, on top of the one-off
    activation fee.

    Utilities in a nutshell
  • Generally payable bimonthly.
  • Payment by direct debit (domiciliazione) usually attracts a small discount and means
    your bills will be sent by email instead of snail mail.
  • Most providers also have their own app, enabling an easy overview of your situation.
  • Pretty much all meters are now “smart”, meaning you’ll be paying for exactly what
    you’ve used rather than a (possibly exaggerated) estimated use.
  • Costs (especially for electricity) have recently risen sharply: for the average two-
    bedroom apartment, expect to pay around €200-250 per bimonthly period for
    electricity (excluding aircon) and €50-60 for gas (excluding heating) in winter months
  • Your codice cliente (client code) and the meter’s POD/PDR are reported on the bill
  • Costs are broken down into spesa per l’energia/per la materia gas (electricity /gas
    costs), spesa per il trasporto del gas/energia elettrica (gas/electricity transport and
    meter management fee), spesa per gli oneri di sistema (system management fees) and
    IVA (VAT).
    Internet & Mobile

Rome generally has good mobile coverage – 5G is the norm, although there are some cold
spots, especially indoors in heavily built-up areas. TIM, Vodafone and WindTre all have their
own networks, while some cheaper providers (such as Iliad) offer coverage through
agreements with the main providers. You may opt for a contract or a pre-paid SIM (SIM
ricaricabile), which each have their own pros and cons:

Pros Cons

Contract – New phone often included,
leading to a lower upfront cost

  • Larger data allowances
  • Possible freebies and rewards
  • Long contractual period – typically
    12-24 months
  • Penalties for early cancellation
  • Hidden fees – activation, data
    roaming, overage charges

Prepaid – Complete control over costs

  • Codice fiscale not always
    necessary (although you will
    still need to provide ID)
  • Need to be topped up regularly
  • May prove more expensive

Another possibility is an eSIM – especially useful if you travel home regularly and don’t
want the hassle of having to keep changing your SIM card.
For home internet, the main providers are TIM, Vodafone and Sky Powered By Fastweb.
Aruba, which has no activation fee and a cancellation fee of just €20, may also be a good
option for anyone here for a relatively short time.
Here too, you can check out the various offers through Facile.it or segugio.it.
Connectivity in a nutshell

  • Choose between a contract, prepaid SIM or eSIM according to your own needs
  • Under EU law, there are no additional costs for roaming and phone calls when travelling
    in the EU
  • For calls outside the EU, check your provider’s tariffs and consider using an app such as
    mytello or WhatsApp to reduce costs
  • For both home internet and mobile plans, be wary of overage charges – it might prove
    more cost-effective to go for unlimited coverage.

    TARI
    TARI, which stands for tassa sui rifiuti, is the municipal waste tax. It’s payable per household
    and calculated on the size (surface area) of the dwelling, the number of occupants, the type of
    property (residential, commercial or industrial), and whether or not it’s your prima casa. It’s
    not included in your rent – you’ll have to register for and pay it yourself.
    You can register online at https://www.tariroma.it/ : you’ll need to provide valid ID, your
    codice fiscale, proof of residence (e.g. rental contract) and the property details. The cost for a
    100 m 2 apartment with two occupants is currently (2025) around €385 a year.
    It’s payable in three instalments: 31 May (first instalment or full payment), 31 August
    (second instalment) and 30 November (final instalment): you can pay online through
    PagoPA, direct debit, bank transfer, or at the post office or authorised tobacconists.
    As well as household waste collection (which may be door to door or in communal bins,
    depending on your area), the TARI also includes free collection (which can be booked online)
    of items that cannot be disposed of in the municipal bins (bulky items, electronics, etc.) as
    well as access to the municipal tips (centri di raccolta), where you can dispose of these and

other types of waste yourself. You will need to bring your latest TARI bill and a form of ID
(both bearing the same name) with you to be allowed access.
TARI in a nutshell

  • Mandatory rubbish tax
  • Register at Tariroma https://www.tariroma.it/
  • Payable online, by direct debit or through authorised payment points

If you’re struggling to set up any of these services, don’t despair! I can do it on your behalf:
contact me here to discuss your needs.