Couple ditch UK for Italy after buying five properties for just £57,500

A couple have swapped life and expensive mortgage payments in the UK for a new start in Italy, after snapping up five properties for a combined £57,500.

Charlie Steele and husband Ben Pearce’s house haul includes a four-bedroom farmhouse they plan to turn into their permanent home.

While three of the properties only cost around £1,000 each - significantly less than their crippling UK monthly mortgage costs.

The couple, who previously lived on a houseboat, initially bought a two-bedroom property in Tavenna for just £12,500 in 2024, intending to use it as a holiday home.

But regular trips to Italy soon convinced them that they wanted to make the move permanent. After Charlie secured an Irish passport, giving him the freedom to live and travel throughout the EU, the pair decided to take the plunge.

They subsequently bought three more properties in the same region for just £1,000 in September 2025, with plans to renovate them and eventually offer them as holiday lets.

Their latest purchase came in August 2026, when they spent £44,000 on a four-bedroom farmhouse in Abruzzo, using money raised from selling their UK houseboat for £115,000.

The couple moved to Italy in October and hope to make the farmhouse their permanent home by March 2027.

Charlie, 38, a former housekeeper and receptionist from Roydon, Essex, said the decision came after years of struggling with expensive mortgage repayments in Britain.

He previously owned two homes with a former partner and was paying between £3,000 and £4,000 a month across three mortgages.

"In 2023 I had three mortgages and was literally drowning," he said.

"I wasn't happy where I was living.

"I sold up and released out equity which meant I could purchase our houseboat and then our home in Italy for £12,500."

After meeting Ben, 28, in February 2022, the pair initially lived together on a narrowboat before upgrading to a houseboat, which they eventually sold to fund their Italian adventure.

Charlie said: "We were coming back to Italy once a month for long weekend holidays.

"I got an Irish passport which gave me the freedom to move throughout the EU.

"The thought came to us of 'why don't we move whilst we're still young and we've got the energy to renovate properties?'"

The couple had originally planned to keep their first Italian purchase as a holiday home. It also came with a one-bedroom property and its own courtyard at no additional cost.

However, the affordable housing market and slower pace of life inspired them to look at buying more properties.

Charlie spotted opportunities on property website Idealista and became interested in restoring neglected homes while bringing more visitors and business into the local area.

He said: "I wanted to get people back into the area and advertise it as a great place to come on holiday and stay."

The couple are now concentrating on their first renovation project, a one-bedroom property they hope to have ready for Airbnb guests in early 2027.

The house had suffered extensive water damage and was missing its roof when they bought it, although the previous owners paid to have the roof replaced.

So far, they have spent £300 on rewiring, while bathroom work has been quoted at £2,093. Charlie estimates the remaining renovation costs will bring the total to around £4,100.

The couple are currently living in their original Italian home while work continues on the farmhouse.

Ben plans to return to Britain once a month for long weekends to see his aesthetics clients, earning an estimated £2,000 to £3,000 during each visit.

Meanwhile, Charlie hopes to generate an income from the holiday rentals once the properties are ready.

For now, however, he has imposed a ban on buying any more homes until the existing projects start making money.