Understanding the laws, regulations and common practices in a foreign country can be quite daunting when it comes to renting a new property.
Here’s a list of ten things that we feel every expat should know when renting a property in the Czech Republic.
- The standard fee for mediation of accommodation: is one month’s rent in the Czech Republic. Sometimes the fee can also include utilities or VAT. It is advisable to check what services are included in the fee beforehand.
- Support local real estate agencies. With franchised agencies, you may not always receive the same quality of service as you would from a local agency. We advise that you follow reliable references and recommendations to receive the best services.
- Unfurnished vs. Furnished: most often, it is cheaper to rent an unfurnished flat for those looking to stay in the Czech Republic long term, as landlords can charge quite a bit more for furnished. While it can be costly to purchase new furniture, you can always sell items you have purchased for your flat when you decide to move.
- Understand what you are paying for. Ask your landlord to include all utilities that are covered in your rental agreement. This will outline where your money goes, what funds are going to rent and what funds are going to utilities, etc. Having this information clearly identified in your rental agreement will ultimately make it easier to calculate taxes and housing spending at the end of the year.
- Save money on utilities: by asking the landlord how many people lived in the flat previously. This can affect your utility price if the price has been calculated based on the previous tenants who may have had more people living in the rental.
- Moving into an old property. There are no laws that stipulate that landlords have to take care of household problems. Therefore, if you are moving into an old flat or house, be sure to add provisions in your rental agreement stating that certain repairs should be covered by the landlord.
- Create a SIPO account: this is an account that allows you to make joint payments for utilities. You can create a SIPO account at a post office which will automatically debit the charges from your bank account each month. This is much easier than having to pay for each utility at separate times.
- Internet service: in order for foreigners to obtain internet services, be prepared to present your residence permit. Sometimes a deposit will be required as well.
- Do your research: check if your landlord is the actual landlord. In the Czech Republic, there are cases where there can be multiple owners of a single property. Renting a property from a co-owned group can cause complications for a tenant. You can look into the ownership of a property by looking the property up on the ‘Katastr nemovitostí ‘= the Real Estate Register: (You will need to use Google Translate for this site).
- Act in time: if you do not move out when the contract expires, notify your landlord that you are leaving the flat at least 3 months in advance.
Just went through an ordeal of trying to rent an apartment in Prague, I first tried to use agencies , either they were using hard sell tactics or being totally lame, I did eventually find a good agent with a long established agency, but the deal came apart at the last moment, then I used bezrealitky.cz and found the perfect house with the perfect landlord. One of the apartments that I thought I had a deal on the owner did not reply to my sms messages for three days by which time I found the place I have moved to, that owner said that I had screwed him, how so I asked, it was not me who took three days to respond. My advice to anyone looking to rent in Prague is keep looking until you get what you really want, there are lots of apartments and houses available that you dont need to pay an agents fee on.
Hi John,
Were can i find those types of appt were i don’t need to pay agency fee. That is one thing that actually is making the first payment very high
Thank you very much for the useful tips. When looking for the apartment, on the websites I find the following in drop down menus:
1+kk
1+1
2+1
4+1
4+kk
What does it mean?
Thanks
Marijana
Hi Marijana, the first number is number of rooms in the apartment. What you’ll find after the + sign is either kk (kuchynsky kout = kitchen is part of one of the rooms) or 1, which means a standalone kitchen (should be divided by walls from the other rooms and have a window).
If I am going to rent my apartment with 11,500 + 2000. How much tax should I pay and Where?
What liability might a land lord face when continuing to rent to tennants whose 90 day tourist visa has expired but submitting new visa application?
as per law, he shall sent notice to police if he rent to someone who have no czech citisenship.
Can the landlord advertise the place I’m living in with real estate agents in the hope of getting a higher rent, and then ask me if I’m prepared to match this cost?
Hi David,
The landlord can raise your rent at the end of your lease agreement before you renew it.
If they decide they no longer want you in the apartment, they can ask you to leave, however, they have to give you a 3-months notice.
If you feel like you’re being treated unfairly or like your landlord is doing something that goes against the Civil code, I recommend you contact a lawyer.
Best,
Tereza