Process & Compliance
Structure is what protects both capital and outcome.

A reference page for owners, counsel and family offices conducting due diligence on the model. The page documents how we operate — explicitly, so that the relevant parties can verify before engagement.

Client Onboarding & KYC

We apply full anti-money-laundering due diligence on every engagement, in line with Italian D.Lgs. 231/2007 and subsequent updates, and applicable Swiss and EU frameworks. This includes identity verification, beneficial-ownership disclosure for corporate vehicles, source-of-funds documentation, and sanctions screening against EU, OFAC, UK HMT and Swiss SECO lists.

Standard onboarding takes 7–15 working days for individual owners. Trust structures, multi-jurisdictional vehicles and layered source-of-funds documentation extend the timeline proportionately. The notary's own AML obligations are coordinated with ours to avoid duplication, not to overlap.

Mandate and Fees

Engagement is governed by a written mandate with defined scope per phase. The economic structure is documented and transparent:

  • Pre-engagement (Phase 0): fixed fee, non-refundable, paid in full at engagement. Funds the feasibility work performed by coordinator, architect and construction company.
  • Coordination & Governance (Phases 1–4): fixed fee, set at engagement in writing, released across five further milestones (M2 to M6) tied to verifiable project events.
  • No commission on works. The coordinator fee is not a percentage of construction value, nor a percentage of property price.
  • No hidden compensation. Any rebate or trade discount obtained during execution is returned to the owner. This is contractual, not aspirational.

Where a commercial partner has introduced the owner to the model, the existence and amount of any compensation paid by the coordinator to that partner is disclosed to the owner at engagement, in writing.

Professional Qualifications and Insurance

The architect is registered with the Italian Ordine degli Architetti and carries professional indemnity insurance as required by Italian law for the practice of the profession. Registration number and insurance certificate are disclosed at engagement, under mutual confidentiality.

The construction company is an Italian registered firm with technical qualifications appropriate to heritage restoration work. Both architect and construction company carry the statutory polizza decennale postuma required under Article 1669 of the Italian Civil Code for structural works upon completion.

The coordinator's role is governance only and does not engage statutory technical responsibility. The coordinator does not sign design documents, does not direct works, and does not assume liabilities reserved to regulated professions.

Notarial and Legal Coordination

Every property acquisition passes through an Italian notaio. The notary is a public officer, independent from us, with statutory liability for the regularity of the transaction. The owner may choose their own notary, or be introduced to one from our vetted network — the choice is the owner's.

The coordinator does not act as legal counsel and does not provide legal advice. We recommend independent legal review of any draft compromesso (preliminary contract) and notarial deed prior to signature, particularly where cross-border structures, trusts, or non-individual ownership are involved.

Tax Structuring

We do not provide tax advice. We coordinate with the international tax counsel appointed by the owner. Where the owner does not have such counsel, we can introduce specialists familiar with Italian property taxation for non-residents across various jurisdictions (United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, the Gulf states, and others).

Structuring decisions — personal ownership versus SRL or holding vehicle, succession provisions, residency planning — are taken before acquisition, never after. Retrofitting a structure post-purchase is expensive, sometimes impossible, and almost always inferior to a structure designed from the start.

Reporting and Governance during Execution

Once a project moves to active coordination (Phase 1 onward), the owner receives a structured reporting cadence:

  • A locked baseline scope, schedule and budget at the start of execution.
  • Monthly written reports during execution, with cost tracking, schedule status, variance log, and decision record.
  • Bimonthly written reports during design phases.
  • A formal change-management protocol: no variation order above an agreed threshold proceeds without written owner approval. Sub-threshold variances are tracked and reported, not pre-approved one by one.
  • Every meaningful decision is documented in a Decision Document, presented to the owner with options, impacts on budget and timeline, and a written recommendation.
  • Documentation is archived for the duration of the project and for the ten years required by Italian fiscal conservation rules.
Confidentiality

All information shared with us is treated under written confidentiality from first contact, regardless of whether engagement proceeds. We do not publish owner names. Reference calls with prior owners are offered after mutual non-disclosure agreement, on request, once an engagement is being seriously considered.

The same standard of confidentiality is contractually required of the architect, the construction company, and any commercial partner involved in the model.

Dispute Resolution

The coordination mandate is governed by Swiss law. The Pre-engagement and Coordination & Governance contracts contain optional arbitration clauses under the Swiss Rules of International Arbitration, with subordinate jurisdiction of the competent Swiss court.

Construction and architectural disputes are governed by Italian law, with the standard mechanisms under the Italian Civil Code. Technical arbitration (arbitrato tecnico) is available for execution disagreements before escalation to ordinary courts. Multi-party disputes involving all three operators of the model are governed by the Framework Agreement signed between coordinator, architect and construction company.