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October 10, 2026 | by Michael Monday
In Milan the contract decides almost everything else: the term, the deposit, who fits out the space, and whether you need a local company to sign. This guide sets the three contract forms side by side and then covers what a company from abroad needs in place before it signs. Flexible space is quoted per postazione (desk) per month; conventional leases are quoted per square metre per year. Both are before VAT (IVA) at 22%.
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A service contract (contratto di servizi), not a lease, monthly or for six to twelve months with one month’s notice. One all-in fee per postazione covers rent, condominium charges, utilities, internet, cleaning, reception and meeting-room credits; a deposit of one to two months is usual. IVA at 22% is added.
Twelve to thirty-six months for a dedicated floor fitted and run by the operator, priced per desk or per month.
Law 392/1978 sets a minimum term of six years for non-residential leases, renewing automatically for a further six unless the landlord gives notice for a reason the law allows, hence the 6+6. Rent is quoted per square metre per year and indexed to the ISTAT index; the tenant pays condominium charges and usually registration tax, and a deposit of three months’ rent (the legal maximum) or a bank guarantee is standard. Fit-out and reinstatement are the tenant’s cost, and the lease must be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate.
| Flexible office | Managed office | Conventional lease | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract | Licence or membership | Operator agreement | Lease |
| Term | 1–12 months, rolling after | 12–36 months | Years, with a break if negotiated |
| Fit-out | Done | Operator, to your spec | Yours to fund and remove |
| Price basis | Per desk per month, all-in | Per desk or per floor per month | Rent plus taxes, service charge, utilities |
| Deposit | 1–2 months | 1–3 months | Several months’ rent or a bank guarantee |
| Time to move in | Days to weeks | Weeks to months | Months |
SquareFoot is adding Milan operators now; live listings for Milan will appear on the markets page as they are collected. Guide written by SquareFoot; last reviewed October 2026.
No. It is a licence or service agreement for a fitted room with one monthly fee, usually one to twelve months and rolling after that. It gives no security of tenure and no fit-out obligation, which is the trade-off against a conventional lease.
Not for flexible space, which a foreign company can take on a service contract. A 6+6 lease usually needs an Italian S.r.l. or a registered branch; foreign directors need a codice fiscale first, and every Italian company needs a PEC certified email address.
The standard Italian commercial lease: a six-year minimum term that renews automatically for six more unless the landlord has one of the reasons the law allows to refuse. The tenant can usually leave with six months’ notice for serious reasons. Flexible contracts sit outside it entirely.
Related: How to find office space in Milan · Where to put an office in Milan · SquareFoot international markets
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