Giving the home to your children does not shield it from debts that already exist. A gift made when there are creditors can be hit by direct attachment within one year of registration and by clawback action within five years. There then remains the question of the other heirs’ reserved share, on which Law 182/2025 changed the rules from December 18, 2025.
In 30 seconds
Giving the home to your children while debts are outstanding exposes the property to attachment within one year and to clawback action. Law 182/2025 makes the circulation of gifted properties more stable, but does not protect the donor from their creditors. Each choice must be assessed on the documents.
To remember
December 18, 2025
Attachment within one year (art. 2929-bis c.c.)
Ordinary clawback action (art. 2901 c.c.)
June 18, 2026
Legal and case-law references
The risk of creditors
Attachment within one year (art. 2929-bis c.c.)
Ordinary clawback action (art. 2901 c.c.)
What has changed with Law 182/2025?
Article 44 of the Law of December 2, 2025, No. 182 amended artt. 561 and 563 c.c.:
- as a rule the injured forced heir can no longer request the return of the property from third-party purchasers of the gifted asset, subject to what is provided in art. 2652, first paragraph, no. 1, c.c.;
- the donee remains obliged to compensate the forced heir in money, within the limits necessary to restore the reserved share;
- mortgages and encumbrances registered by the donee remain effective.
For successions opened before December 18, 2025 a transitional regime was provided: forced heirs could keep the old protections by serving and registering the application for reduction or the notice of opposition by June 18, 2026. That deadline has passed.
Do you have a similar case? You can submit your documents to the Firm for an assessment.
Request a consultationDoes the reform make gifts safer?
For the circulation of the property, as a rule, yes: whoever buys or finances a home of gifted origin runs fewer risks. For a donor with debts, however, nothing changes: the reform concerns relations between heirs, not the protection of creditors. And the other children keep the right to bring an action for reduction against the sibling who is the donee, obtaining a sum of money.
Alternatives to consider
Tax aspects
A gift is subject to gift tax and to mortgage and cadastral taxes. From January 1, 2027 the rules will be incorporated into the Consolidated Act on indirect taxes (Legislative Decree 123/2025), whose operation has been postponed to that date.
Frequently asked questions
QWhat has changed with Law 182/2025?
AArticle 44 of the Law of December 2, 2025, No. 182 amended artt. 561 and 563 c.c.: as a rule the injured forced heir can no longer request the return of the property from third-party purchasers of the gifted asset, subject to what is provided in art. 2652, first paragraph, no. 1, c.c.; the donee remains obliged to compensate the forced heir in money, within the limits necessary to restore the reserved share; mortgages and encumbrances registered by the donee remain effective.
QDoes the reform make gifts safer?
AFor the circulation of the property, as a rule, yes: whoever buys or finances a home of gifted origin runs fewer risks. For a donor with debts, however, nothing changes: the reform concerns relations between heirs, not the protection of creditors.
Related guides
Division of an inheritance: the complete guide →All guides: Inheritance and gifts →
In summary
Giving the home to your children while debts are outstanding exposes the property to attachment within one year and to clawback action. Law 182/2025 makes the circulation of gifted properties more stable, but does not protect the donor from their creditors. Each choice must be assessed on the documents.
Do you have a similar issue?
Every situation must be assessed on the documents of the specific case. You can contact the Firm from anywhere in Italy, even without coming to the office: the consultation takes place remotely, with documents sent online, by phone, on WhatsApp or by video call from your computer. Offices in Naples, Rome and Bari.
Official sources
Informational content updated on October 4, 2026. It does not constitute legal advice.
Clarification on art. 44 of Law 182/2025
The text of art. 44 provides that reduction of the gift does not prejudice third-party purchasers of the gifted properties “subject to the provision of number 1) of the first paragraph of article 2652” of the Civil Code: in concrete cases it is therefore advisable to check the registrations in the property registers.
The new rules (artt. 561, 562, 563, 2652 and 2690 c.c.) apply to successions opened after December 18, 2025, the date on which the law entered into force. For successions opened earlier the previous text continues to apply, and an action for return of the properties may be brought even against the successors in title of the donees if the application for reduction has already been served and registered, or was so within six months of the law’s entry into force, or if the forced heirs served and registered within the same period an extrajudicial notice of opposition to the gift. Failing that, the new rules also apply to earlier successions, once the six months have elapsed.
Source: Normattiva, Law of December 2, 2025, No. 182, art. 44 (https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:legge:2025;182~art44). Update of October 4, 2026.
Read also: Giving the home to a child in Caserta: what risks for the other children?.
Main page for this subject: Inheritance and gifts in Naples: all the guides and how to contact the Firm →
The route that usually makes sense
The possible routes
- A gift with reservation of usufruct, if there are no debts.
- Dealing with debts through instalment plans, agreements or over-indebtedness procedures, if there are any.
- A destination restriction or trust, to protect a vulnerable child, established in the absence of debts.
Which one usually makes sense and why
It depends on the case. If you have debts, giving the home does not shield it: attachment within one year or clawback action may follow. In that case deal with the debts first. If you have none, a gift with reservation of usufruct can be considered, looking at the balance between the children and the taxation.
What to do right away
- List existing debts and creditors before moving any asset.
- Check whether you have other children, because they keep the right to bring an action for reduction.
- Have the documents assessed before signing the deed.
Every situation must be assessed on the documents of the specific case: this indication is not a promise of any outcome.
How Avv. Fiorentino can assist you
- Do not count on a reserved usufruct to avoid creditors: even the gifted bare ownership can be clawed back.
- If you buy or finance a home of gifted origin, check the registrations in the property registers.
- If the succession opened before December 18, 2025, check which rules apply to your case.
The Firm offers consultations remotely as well, with documents sent online, and gives you a written quote before the engagement. I see clients by appointment in Naples, Rome and Bari.
Read also: Gifts in Naples: advice on the deed, risks and revocation · Home received as a gift: sale and mortgage after the 2025 reform
(Read also): Legal guides from Studio Legale Fiorentino · Gift to children with usufruct in Piano di Sorrento: what happens next · Gift of an apartment in Chiaia: when it can infringe the other children’s reserved share
Translated from the Italian original; updated on October 18, 2026.