½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

" we ....... would be doing quite a lot ourselves as I am an electrician and Mel is a joiner. ..."What little I know about the ½ûÂþÌìÌà system - you could have problems doing it yourself.ÌýI know of 1 UK electrician that managed to get his qualifications/experience 'accepted' by ½ûÂþÌìÌà Authorities - it took years - speak to your Comune about what they will accept from a non-italian registered 'expert'

"Is there a direct debit system that can be used to pay regular bills such as electric and water etc?"Yes - I pay Gas, Water and Electric bills by direct debit from my ½ûÂþÌìÌà Bank account - probably the only reason I have an ½ûÂþÌìÌà bank account at all.The ones I cannot pay by DD are the IMU/TASIÌý bill which i used to calculate using an on-line Calculator,Ìýhttp://www.amministrazionicomunali.it/imu/calcolo_imu.php ,ÌýÌýÌýbut for the last couple of years the Comune have sent the bill [F24 Form]Ìýto my English address.Ìý I then sign the F24 Form and scan and email it to my bank for them to pay.Hope this helps

Idon't have contact details for ENEL - but I experienced something similar when the Water people turned up to disconnect my holiday home [for non-payment of a 12 Euro bill 5 years ago]I was 'saved' by local ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs.Ìý One stopped them from cutting me off, by explaining I was not resident at the place, and could they wait for a few days whilst I was contacted - luckily the water people agreedHe then contacted a close friend of mine, as he himself spoke no English.Ìý My english speaking friend contacted me and the water people and sorted everything out - all I had to do was get my ½ûÂþÌìÌà Bank to pay the outstanding bill.Ìý It took about 2 weeks to fully sort out.There was no way I could have done it without an ½ûÂþÌìÌà friend to do it for me [the main thing is that he, as an ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ, knows how to work the system]SO - can you get a local person, who you trust, to mediate for you?Ìý[daft thing was - when they finally read the water meter - I was 120 Euros in credit]

Obviously, your background, [in strictly legal terms], is Austrian - not ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ.However, your ethnicity is ½ûÂþÌìÌà - so why bother telling anyone differently?If you do decide to 'come out' as an Austrian, this may helphttps://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Traditional+Austrian+Clothing+Men&view=detailv2&id=920434AA032FB3F48F63F1CAF977BF9FA019A612&selectedindex=3&ccid=yNVnuB%2F3&simid=607990284500797392&thid=OIP.Mc8d567b81ff7d12685cfc432ff3ed271H0&mode=overlay&first=1

".....I couldn't help being struck by the feeling that the purpose you intended them to serve when you wrote them was about making yourself feel exclusive as one privileged to have a car in Italy...."I wish - I'm non-resident, so no carYou might consider buying one in France or Germany - no problems there

Sorry you thought my comments were poisonous - I thought I was being realistic...These may helphttp://www.understandingitaly.com/living-content/motoring.html/community/post/buying-car-non-residentshttps://www.justlanded.com/english/Italy/Articles/Travel-Leisure/Buying-a-carhttp://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-italy-car-purchasehttp://www.langhe.property/article-buying-a-car-in-piedmont-italy.htmlÌýNote what they all say about 'Residency'ÌýGood Luck

If you are not 'Resident' in Italy, don't bother trying to buy a car - you won't be able to register it, [or insure it].ÌýIts one of the many quirks of the ½ûÂþÌìÌà system that even owning a property in Italy won't make buying a car possible - you have to be Resident[In theory, this ½ûÂþÌìÌà practice is illegal under EU rules, but since when have ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs followed them - unless it suits them to]

Work out the total Value - divide by 2, and sell 1 or 2 houses and do a cash balance - she then hold at least 1 house [possibly 2], and you have some cashÌýI don't think you can force her to sell

Why not give her first choice of Property to own outright - you have second choice, [which you sell] and you share the income from the third.

"So my question is, if i were to buy a kitchen and bathroom here in the uk,and transport it here to do myself, are the plumbing fixings compatable with ½ûÂþÌìÌà plumbing componants."ÌýWhy not buy the kitchen and bathroom in Italy [cheaper than UK] and fit it yourself?