Poor management, negligence and total lack of communication.
I could describe all the problems we had with MoKasa Agenzia & Servizi Immobiliari and the property owner throughout the contract period—it would fill a book. I'll focus on the essentials: We stayed an entire month without water due to an infrastructural problem in the property, both MoKasa and the owner acted as if that were normal. It took 34 days to fix.
At the end of the contract, there were several attempts by the landlord to overcharge for utilities and withhold our security deposit. Right after we gave our two-month notice to vacate, he unilaterally changed the utility calculation method, claiming that since nothing was signed, he could do so. He repeatedly tried to charge for water we didn't use during the month we were left without it.
To make matters worse, they rented out the upper floor without any prior notice. MoKasa simply showed up one day with the new tenants, no prior communication regarding how the utilities would be calculated. When we asked the owner how to handle the pets in the shared yard, he simply replied: "You guys need to figure it out, this is your problem."
After the move-out inspection, MoKasa pointed out a cracked window and demanded that we pay. Even though we weren't at fault since we had reported the defect when we moved in to Mokasa, we offered to pay 50% just to settle quickly and amicably.
The owner refused, demanding 100%, claiming he hadn't been informed. When we showed the notice sent to Mokasa on our first day in, the owner simply shifted his argument, claiming the crack was now bigger.
MoKasa Agenzia & Servizi Immobiliari never mediated, never replied, never tried to resolve anything. They never stepped forward to acknowledge that we had handled communications correctly, never addressed the unannounced changes to utility calculations, never managed the utilities
We sought legal guidance through a specialized tenants' organization. Very cheap, by the way—for expatriates who think they’ll spend a fortune with a lawyer, believe me, it wasn't even 10% of the refund amount I was seeking. They guided us and drafted a formal pre-litigation notice, exposing the agency's serious failures in managing infrastructural issues and the owner's wrongful utilities charges and withholding security deposit.
Only after receiving this legal notice did MoKasa finally respond: "We are tired of being in the middle of this stalemate; we'll draft an agreement”.
Their first proposal was exactly what the owner wanted, with vague clauses, so we rejected it. We made a counteroffer, giving up some amounts just to get part of our security deposit back.
Finally, 45 days after handing over the keys and under legal pressure, we received €2,000 of our security deposit.
My advice to anyone still planning to negotiate a rental through MoKasa Agenzia & Servizi Immobiliari is:
# Refuse houses in the Monte Corona area near Umbertide, where some properties rely on water truck deliveries or private wells.
# Demand that all utilities be meticulously detailed in the contract.
#Make sure your house, apartment, villa or any space you are renting has its own individual meters (water, electricity, gas, heater) dedicated exclusively to your unit. Otherwise, you will definitely get ripped off and end up paying more than you should.
# Preferably, put the bills in your name. Otherwise, if the bill comes solely in the owner's name covering all units, you will definitely get ripped off.
# If a calculation method is suggested for splitting utility costs or any property-related expenses, do not simply take their word for it; insist that it be included in the contract.
# Most importantly: Take photos of everything that happens and communicate only via text or email so you have evidence—because, believe me, you will need it at the end of the lease to get your security deposit back.
If you intend to rent a property through this agency, pay close attention to how obligations are handled during the rental period, especially expats who aren't familiar with how things run here in Italy.
Some landlords and agencies will try to force you to accept certain conditions because they know expatriates are unfamiliar with the law and prefer to avoid conflict, assuming you will simply go along with it.
Rest assured, Italy has various laws protecting tenants, and the burden of proof lies with the landlord or agency regarding any charges they attempt to levy.
