New UK member awaiting retirement

The UK is completely different to the Italian way. So I recommend that you research it vastly if you plan to be doing the work yourself.

In Italy, the Notaio is a neutral government official who validates the property transfer and collects taxes. They do not protect your interests. You must hire an independent, bilingual lawyer (avvocato) to check for hidden debts, structural illegalities (abusi edilizi), and true ownership before you sign a preliminary contract.

There are lots of hoops to jump through. Even minor structural changes require local council (Comune) approval via a surveyor (Geometra).

Now depending on which visa you have, might also cause some troubles for you, as you will not be allowed to do the work yourself.

interesting, thank you, so i take it that internal work (plastering, general upgrades like shower room kitchens can be done by myself, structural, like walls, roof etc have to be by a local contractor.

Im happy to go with this, if available for me, but like most things, the house we choose, may well be a simple fixer upper, rather than a full renovation (retirement funding restricts this)

Yes, so if you want, you can paint your own house in Italy while on a Elective Residency visa, provided you are doing the work yourself on a property you own or lawfully occupy, as painting is classified as free building work (edilizia libera) that requires no special permits or contractor licenses.

Before you buy a fixer-upper, have a bilingual lawyer check for illegal works (abusi edilizi) and get a real geometra quote for anything structural. The purchase price is often the small part. A smaller place already legal and livable usually costs less in the end than a bargain that needs a new roof and permits. Good luck with the search.