locazione

Locazione is an Italian term with two principal meanings. The most common use refers to a rental contract by which a person, the locatore, grants another person, the conduttore, the right to use a property or other asset for a defined period in exchange for a rent. This sense is central to real estate transactions and management. A second meaning denotes the act of locating or placing something in a specific place, or the position of an object, and is used in contexts such as surveying, logistics, or event planning. In everyday language, the sense of “locazione” as placing is less common than terms like ubicazione or posizione.

In the field of law, a locazione can involve real estate or movable property. For real estate, the parties are the locatore and the conduttore; essential obligations typically include the landlord’s duty to deliver and maintain the property in usable condition and the tenant’s duty to pay rent and carry out ordinary maintenance. Contracts may be categorized by use: locazione ad uso abitativo (residential), locazione ad uso diverso (non-residential), or locazione commerciale (commercial lease). Italian law distinguishes residential leases, which are often subject to specific statutory protections and formal rules regarding duration and renewal, from commercial leases, which follow general civil-law principles and may vary in notice and termination terms.

The term locazione is also used in finance to denote leasing arrangements (locazione finanziaria), where the lessee uses an asset and pays over time, with the option to purchase. The concept is distinct from mere generic placement and from other forms of rental or lending, such as comodato or rent-to-own agreements.