If you are buying a holiday home in Italy today, you just may want to think about the prospect of renting it out. In these troubled financial times a bit of extra cash never goes astray – but how will this change the purchase dynamic?

When making a decision about renting, you would be wise to obey that age old mantra; location, location, location. For instance, your property needs be within an hour’s drive of an airport, preferably with a pool, close to local shops, and in a well established area with something to offer, i.e. beach, mountains, ski resort, lake resort or local towns of cultural or historical interest.

Need some ideas? If you want slow but steady and year-round returns, the città d’arte (City of the Arts) like Florence, Venice, Rome, and Milan are a certain investment. Their appeal is ongoing – and has been for centuries – and there are always fewer properties in these city centres than can meet demand. Plus of course Rome and Milan have the best flight connections in Italy and so anything nearby would be conveniently placed.

Ski resorts are a good bet too, but you need to bear in mind that there is an enormous difference in rental income in and out of season – rent can sometimes drop by as much as 50% out of season. In terms of cost, the rule of thumb is that the further south you go the cheaper property is, and rents fluctuate less between seasons too.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Italy, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Italy Property Buying Guide’