Terms of service

1. Who we are

glashaus is operated by glashaus, e-mail hello@glashaus.me. These terms apply to glashaus.me and to the glashaus app for Android when you look for a home in Italy.

Owners who publish a home accept separate owner terms when we verify them. If something in these terms is unclear, ask our support in the chat before you use the service.

2. What glashaus is, and what it is not

glashaus is an online catalogue of homes let directly by private owners. We publish a listing only after checking the owner’s identity and proof of ownership.

glashaus is not a real estate agency and does not act as a mediator under Law 39/1989: we do not negotiate on anyone’s behalf, we do not charge tenants any commission and we are not a party to the lease. The lease is signed directly between you and the owner.

3. Using glashaus

Looking at homes is free and needs no account. The homes and searches you save stay in your browser or on your phone.

To book a viewing or write to an owner you sign in to the app with your phone number. You must be at least 18 years old.

• Do not give false information about yourself or your plans.
• Do not copy listings or collect data from the site with automated tools.
• Do not use an owner’s contact details for anything other than renting the home.
• Treat owners and our support team with respect.

4. Listings and owner verification

Before a listing goes live we check the owner’s identity document and proof of ownership, such as a visura catastale or the deed, and that the address matches the listing. The “Verified” badge and the date on the listing refer to this check.

We do not inspect every home. The owner is responsible for the description, the photos, the price and the condition of the home. If the home you see does not match the listing, tell us.

Italian listings show the energy performance class (APE), as required by Legislative Decree 192/2005, and short lets show the national identification code (CIN).

5. Reporting a listing

Use “Report this listing” or the chat to tell us about a listing that is false, illegal or misleading. Explain why and include the listing code.

We review every report without delay and tell you what we decided. If we remove or limit a listing, we give the owner a statement of the reasons, as required by the EU Digital Services Act (Regulation 2022/2065). Both of you can contest our decision by writing to hello@glashaus.me.

6. How listings are ordered, and what “Featured” means

By default (“Recommended”) a city’s listings show Featured listings first, then the others from the most recent. You can also sort by date, price, price per m² and size.

“Featured” is a paid placement: a verified owner pays to show a listing at the top for a limited period. Featured listings always carry the badge. Paying does not change the price of the home or the checks we make.

7. Viewings

Viewings are booked in the app, in the time slots the owner offers, in person or by video call. You can move or cancel a viewing in the app up to two hours before it. Repeated no-shows may limit your bookings for 30 days.

Short stays work differently: you send your dates in the app and the owner confirms them. Your dates are held without prepayment until you confirm before arrival.

8. Leases in Italy, in short

This summary helps you prepare; it is not legal advice.

• Common leases: 4+4 at open-market rent, 3+2 at the rent of the local agreement (canone concordato), transitorio from 1 to 18 months for a documented temporary need, for university students from 6 to 36 months, and company leases (uso foresteria). Short lets run up to 30 days.
• The owner registers the lease with the Agenzia delle Entrate within 30 days of signing. Under the cedolare secca there is no registration tax; otherwise the 2% registration tax is split equally between owner and tenant.
• The deposit can be at most 3 months of rent (Law 392/1978, art. 11) and is returned at the end of the lease with the legal interest.
• If the tenant is not an EU citizen, the owner must notify the police (Questura) within 48 hours of handing over the home (Legislative Decree 286/1998, art. 7).

9. Documents

glashaus never asks tenants for documents. After the viewing, the owner usually asks for an ID, the codice fiscale and proof of income; students add their enrolment and often a guarantor. Show the originals at the meeting, give copies when you sign, and write on each copy that it is for that rental only.

10. Payments

Nothing is paid on the website or in the app, and glashaus never asks tenants for money.

Rent and deposit are paid to the owner after the lease is signed, as agreed in the lease. A bank transfer leaves a record and is required for the tenant tax deductions. Cash is allowed under €5,000 per payment, against a signed receipt showing the date, the amount and the period paid.

Never pay a deposit or a “reservation fee” before you have seen the home and signed the lease, and never send money through money-transfer services to someone you have not met.

11. Liability

We run glashaus with care and fix problems quickly, but we cannot guarantee that the service is always available or that every listing is accurate.

We are not responsible for what owners do, for the condition of a home or for disputes about a lease, because we are not a party to it. Nothing in these terms limits our liability for fraud or gross negligence (Civil Code, art. 1229) or your rights as a consumer under the Consumer Code (Legislative Decree 206/2005).

12. Content and intellectual property

The design, texts and software of glashaus belong to glashaus. Owners keep the rights to their photos and descriptions and allow us to publish them for their listing.

13. Suspending access

We may limit or close access for anyone who breaks these terms, publishes false listings or tries to defraud others. We tell you why and how to contest the decision.

14. Changes

We may update these terms. For important changes we tell you in the app before they take effect. The date at the top shows the current version.

15. Complaints, law and courts

Write to hello@glashaus.me or use the chat: we answer within 14 days, often much sooner. You can also turn to an alternative dispute resolution body.

These terms are governed by Italian law. As a consumer you can bring a case before the court of the place where you live (Consumer Code, art. 66-bis).