Milan - find apartments, documents required?

Hi ~

I'm relocating to Milan from the US in a few months & need to arrange accommodations for myself & my husband (and cat, in a perfect world). I'm looking for a furnished apartment. My work is in the city center (Corso Vittorio Emanuele) and I will not have a car, so I need to be within walking distance or with easy access to public transportation.

I've looked on Secondo Mano, but I truly don't know where to begin. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

Welcome on Expat-blog Jenergy13! I have moved the thread on the Milan forum. You should have a look at the Milan classifieds > accommodation section.

Good luck
Christine

Hi!

I'm in a similar situation and my friend already in Milan gave me these websites; Bakeka Milano, Easy Milano and Kijiji Milano. Some are in Italian but you might be able to translate them.

Good luck! (we're trying to get an apartment that takes pets too!)

God, it would be ideal if I could find one that took cats!

Thanks for the site info; I really appreciate it!

As an aside, perhaps your friend can answer another question for me. Is 2300 Euro per month (net, not gross) a live-able wage in Milan?

Best of luck to you too!

I should think so as my husband and I are going to be on that combined.  It just depends on the kind of apartment you want and where? If you go away from the centre a bit then you get better value for money.  My friend pays 815 euros for a 1 bedroom apt (known as a 'bilocale'). Also, once you get to know Milan I'm sure you'll find the cheaper, non tourist places to go.

When do you arrive?

Sept 1 I'm in London for 2-4 weeks (depending) and Milan immediately after -- not too long after you, it seems. Do you start teaching immediately after you arrive? It's great that you already have a friend in Milan; surely that will make your transition a bit easier! So, why'd you choose Milan of all the beautiful Italian cities to relocate?

~Jen

I start Sept 1st and school starts on the 6th so pretty busy straight away as I arrive at the end of August! I stayed in Milan as an Au Pair 8 years ago and have always loved Italy, and then the school in Milan is specialised in Reggio education which I'm really interested in so it all just fell into place.  My husband doesn't speak Italian but he's learning! We're looking forward to the adventure!  So is it your job that brings you to Milan or will your husband work too?

Natasha

Well, that's great!

It's my work that brings us to Milan. I'm a store manager with Gap and we're opening our flagship store mid November. I put in for the position because I, like you, fell in love with Italy years ago. I studied Italian at university and studied abroad in Florence -- so any excuse to be back in Italy is a good one for me! Although I'm super excited, I'm also a bit anxious about the transition logistics and my language skills in a fast paced work environment. I'm hoping it'll be fine once I settle in!

As for my husband, we're currently trying to figure out what he'll be doing:) He is a chef & we're hoping for a chef exchange program, so that his VISA is sponsored immediately (rather than waiting and hoping for a spousal VISA). Otherwise, he may be taking some classes and getting the lay of the land for a while. He doesn't speak Italian, either, but he's learning some now!

Jen

It sounds like you're in a very similar situation to us! My husband hasn't got work yet but hopefully we'll find him something.  He works in sports coaching but also has a small business that he just started so we'll just have to see.  We just couldn't pass up this teaching opportunity for me and plus it's Italy - how fantastic! Can't wait to experience the language and culture again, not to mention the food!

I wonder if your husband could try some of the expat bars and restaurants for work? I downloaded the Easymilano magazine online and there's some good ads in there too.

I hope your apartment hunting is going ok - let me know if you find any good websites!

Natasha