Czech Lease Agreement

We have all been through this during our first months in a foreign country – searching for a nice apartment, signing the deal with the landlord and happily moving in. However, it is normal to have certain concerns, as we all do, when signing something that we don’t fully understand. For example – a lease agreement in Czech.

Maybe you were lucky enough to find your apartment with a reliable real estate agency, used to dealing with expats. However, even if your lease agreement is in English, it will still be based on the civil code of the Czech Republic. Most of us are not very experienced with legal things, even in our home countries. This article will try to point out the most important information that you should look at in a typical lease agreement.

two people signing contracts

Understanding your lease agreement is very important! (source)

According to the law, the lease must highlight the following aspects:

  1. Description of the apartment and its facilities. This means an exact address, number of the building + number of the apartment, number of rooms in the apartment, facilities (bathroom and WC), other premises which belong to the flat (e.g. balcony, storage room). The apartment should be described in great details leaving no chance to confuse it for an apartment of the same size located on the same floor of the same building. Common facilities should also be described in the agreement – some premises may belong to one apartment, some may be common and meant to be used by inhabitants of the block, like a bike storage room.

1.1         The Lessor declares that he is the rightful owner of the studio / 2-bedroom apartment (1+kk) no. XYZ, situated on the 1st / ground floor in the house no. 123. The house is standing on the plot no. 123456789, cadastral area Praha-město, city Prague, district Prague, at the address Legerova 1234, 120 00 Prague.

1.2         The Apartment consists of an entrance hall, bathroom with tub, sink, toilet and a place for washing machine, residential room with kitchen with two electric cookers and refrigerator. There is a cellar and shared bike room located in the basement. In the apartment, there is a connection to a common antenna and the internet (the price is included in Payment for services).

  1. Monthly rent and utilities and the method of payment. The tenant and the landlord shall agree upon the monthly rent, which relates to living in the apartment and using its facilities (e.g. electricity, heating, hot and cold water, gas, Internet – etc.) and common premises (waste collection, lighting and cleaning of common premises, lift maintenance, etc.). The lease agreement should also determine the method of paying rent. It is also an option to pay the same price for the utilities on a monthly basis and then at the end of the year get extra money back or pay for extra expenses.

3.1         The Lessee is obligated to pay to the Lessor the rent for the use of Apartment in the amount of XXXX CZK (in words: XXXX Czech Crowns) per every calendar month (hereinafter the “Rent”).

3.2         Payment for services connected with the use of the Apartment, (hereinafter the “Payment for Services”) shall be paid by the Lessee monthly as advance payment. They consist of the following items:

  • electricity   XXX CZK
  • gas   XXX CZK
  • water/sewer rates  XXX CZK           
  • heating  XXX CZK
  • services  XXX CZK
  • the lighting of common premises  XXX CZK
  • cleaning of common premises   XXX CZK
  • lift maintenance  XXX CZK
  • waste collection  XXX CZK
  • internet  XXX CZK
  • TV antenna  XXX CZK
  • anything else?  XXX CZK

You can rely on Foreigners to find you an apartment in many cities across the Czech Republic (source)

  1. The length of the lease. A lease agreement can be signed for a definite period of time (6 months, 1 year, etc.) or an indefinite period of time (the date of the termination is not set, the lease continues to be valid until it is terminated by an agreement or a notice). Pay close attention to the conditions of the extension. One option is for it to be automatically extended and the tenant should notify the landlord about his wish to terminate. This should be done 3 months prior to the end date of the lease agreement. Quite the opposite situation occurs when the lease agreement is considered terminated if the tenant hasn’t informed the landlord about his wish to stay in the apartment 3 months prior to the end of the lease agreement. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the agreement. Either way, the best thing is to set a notification through your online calendar or smartphone to get in touch with your landlord 3 months before the end of the contract. Or you can rent an apartment with Foreigners and we will take care of this for you.

5.2         The Agreement is concluded for a definite period from 1 March 2015 till 28 February 2016. Shall both parties not agree otherwise as of the lease termination date, the Lease Agreement is automatically prolonged for another one-year period.

5.3         The Lessor shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement in accordance with the wording of Section 2288 and ff. of the Civil Code, by giving a termination notice with a period of 3 months, as well as Section 2291 without termination period when the conditions set therein are satisfied. The Lessee´s delivery address under this Agreement is the address of the Lessee at the Apartment, the Lessor´s the address in the heading of this Agreement. It has been expressly agreed that the set deadline for notifying the Lessee of missing payment and the consequences thereof is 7 days of the posting.

Lease agreement (nájemní smlouva) by Foreigners

  1. Flat visits for new tenants. Let’s say, you will move to a different location after the 1-year rental period. Therefore, your landlord is going to look for new tenants, while you still live in the apartment. Of course, those future tenants will most definitely want to see the apartment before moving in. According to the law, the landlord has the right to visit the apartment on the date previously agreed on with the tenant (unless there is some life-threatening situation concerned). Normally, the landlord will contact you in advance, saying that a visit needs to be arranged, offering a couple of different dates to make sure that the apartment will be available.
  2. After you leave. According to Czech law, the landlord cannot prohibit smoking in the apartment or keeping pets there. One shouldn’t forget though, that after the end of the lease, the apartment should be handed over in its original state. Which means, that if you smoke in the apartment, you might need to fully repaint it and give all the textiles professional cleaning to eliminate the smell of smoke. Same applies for pets, the apartment might need a bigger renovation if your dog likes biting on the dining table legs, or your kitty loves playing with the curtains. Even though the law is on the tenant’s side on this one, we recommend to discuss things with the landlord first and not do anything behind his/her back. Just remember, it’s all about negotiation and good relationships.
  3. Any other specific arrangement, which the tenant and the landlord may agree upon. For example, it can be a way of paying for repairs in the apartment (usually, small repairs up to 500 CZK are paid by the tenant, everything above 500 CZK is covered by the landlord), cleaning premises outside the flat, etc. However, it is not possible to agree upon anything that is contradictory to the Czech civil code. For example, it is not possible to determine a different notice period than the one regulated by law, inviting visitors to the apartment can not be banned by the landlord etc. However, keep in mind that this applies to the lease agreement. A sublease agreement can have different conditions.

We hope that this information was helpful to you, however, if you found out that you don’t want to concern yourselves with bureaucracies like this, don’t hesitate to contact us at brno@foreigners.cz or find out more at our website

Updated on September 16, 20220

Annie Fed

30 thoughts on “Czech Lease Agreement

  1. Dear Anna.I’m from Srilanka. My daughter likes to do her education in czech republic. She is 15 years old. There are so many international schools in prague and brno. But it is more expensive. Can I find a job in brno? .
    I highly appreciate your coporation in this regard.
    Thank you

    1. Hi, great to hear from you! It’s a big decision to make, I can assure you Czech Republic is the best place to study and definitely the cheapest around Europe. I can recommend you to get in touch with Zuzana who is an expert in terms of education in the Czech Republic, here’s her email info@czechuniversities.com. She will be happy to answer all your questions regarding studies, job search etc. All the best, Anna

  2. Hello
    I had two years contract wih my apartment. 3 months before the end of contract we extended the rental contract 2 more years. Now l would like to terminate my contract, because l need to move bigger apartment. I asked the owner and write that l will send a termination notification 3.5 months before leaving. The owner does not want to accept it and she said my termination notification will not be legal, she said there is no law for me. She did not write anything about the termination in the contract. I m not czech and l do not know that the owner should mention about the termination in contract. Before we sign it, l asked her how it will be if l want to move one day and she said nothing, you can move anytime and she did not put it into contract. The contract will finish in 2 years so l have to stay two years. I do not want to stay anymore. Could you please tell me, my termination letter will not have any autority under the law? Because there s no any paragraph in the contract about the termination? How it is possible to keep a person 2 years more even she does not want to live?is it legal?
    Thanks a lot

    1. Hi Lau, thank you for sharing. In case your contract was signed for a definite period of time of 2 years, unfortunately according to the law it’s valid for 2 years and you’re obliged to stay in the apartment until the contract ends.
      My colleagues from Foreigners.cz can try to sort this situation out for you. Please contact Foreigners.cz at prague@foreigners.cz.
      Regards,
      Anna

      1. In that case why there is a point in the contract where it states that we can cancel the contract by prior notification 3 month before?

  3. Hi,

    Can I ask. Is subleasing the apartment legal?
    I rented the apartment for Czech Point 101 and the are subleasing the apartment.

    Br,
    Marko

  4. How much time i have by the law to leave the apartment? I didn’t pay for 3 months but a few days ago i did pay. I received a notice to leave a place at 22.01.2018. They want me to leave by 31.01.2018
    Can i stay there more time?
    Best regards,
    Alex Brown

  5. i wanted to ask about phone lines, i just rented an apartment here in prague and its a newly renovated apartment. The other day there was a technician who came and wanted to install the internet, the problem was is that the apartment does not have a phone line for the internet. is it not required that every apartment should have a phone line connected to it? for example emergency to call the police etc..

  6. I wish to know – from legal prospective – is it legal from the landlord’s side to deny the registration of permanent residency address for the tenant?

  7. Hi my landlords keep allowing themselves into my room to talk to me about things. We have an adjoining storage space, they don’t speak English and I don’t know what to say to them. They come in if my laptop is too loud, if I have friends over

  8. Hi
    My son took room to share with senior students, one of the previous student or leasse finished so there is an amendment in original leasse to add my sons name in old .
    But there is no paragraph to say 3minths for early terminating the contract.
    But the agent is not answering properly ignoring before signing the contract my son already moved in but the contract is not signed we paid all the money
    What can I do

  9. Hello, I am renting a flat with the owner, and I am about to give them a leave notice yet they are complaining that for two small damages a renovation like one stain of color on the door of 1 cm and the owner claims that whole door’s film needs to be replaced, a small burn invisible circle on the laminate kitchen counter and then owner is asking to renovate the whole kitchen counter of 2 meters,

    I am willing to fix the damage but not to renovate an old used place by them for the two damages just a cover fix would do in my opinion,

    What do you recommend because I read somewhere the following:
    Minor repairs and general maintenance costs of the Subject of the Sublease shall be borne
    and organised for by the Subtenant on his own account. According to the Section 3 and
    Section 4 of the Government Regulation no. 308/2015 Coll., as amended (hereinafter
    “Government Regulation”), minor repairs include repairs of the Subject of the Sublease
    and its internal equipment, if such equipment is part of the Apartment and is the property of
    the Tenant/Landlord based on the material definition or based on the amount of costs
    provided the cost of one repair does not exceed the sum of CZK 1.000 (Section 5 of the
    Government Regulation) and also the sum of the costs for minor repairs does not exceed
    the sum of CZK 100 per square meter of the Apartment’s floor area during one calendar
    year (Section 6 of the Government Regulation).

    1. Hello Alexandra,

      If the law states that, then you can use it to protect yourself from extra overpayments. If you have more questions regarding your issue, do not hesitate to write at info@foreigners.cz and my colleagues will get back to you as soon as possible.

      Kind regards,
      Karina.

  10. One of my flat mates have moved out today and not given me prior notice. The flatmate is now expecting me to cover her rent as there is no one replacing her. Are there any laws or anything to protect me in this situation?

    1. Hello Erin,

      thank you for your question. I believe there must be something to protect your rights. Please write your inquiry at info@foreigners.cz and my colleagues will get back to you as soon as possible.

      Best regards,
      Karina.

  11. do they require proof of income for the application and if yes, what cab be used ?

    1. Hi Frank,

      as far as I know, none of us has been ever asked to produce proof of income in such situation. It is not a part of the procedure and so it should not be required from you.

      Kind regards,

      Anna

  12. Hello, I recently signed a rental contract for a flat online. The agreement is for a fixed time period from the 1st of September (with two month notice in case I want to terminate the agreement early). I did not move in to the flat and as my personal circumstances have unfortunately changed, I have to get out of that contract. Is there a way to cancel the agreement without the notice period as I did not move in the apartment at all?

    1. Hi Sylwia,

      Unfortunately, I cannot answer your question personally, because it’s a complicated legal issue. You can, however, get in touch with my colleagues who specialize in this via info@foreigners.cz or you can schedule a consultation. Fingers crossed for you!

      Kind regards,

      Anna

  13. Hello ,
    I had a contract for 1 year that ended at August . But I’ve continued staying and paying every month since , the landlord is very absent and hard to contact I think he just forgot about renewing the contract..

    Does that mean I could theoretically leave the apartment at any time without the 3 month notice ?

    Many thanks and Kind Regards ,
    Edouard

    1. Hi Edouard,

      this is a very particular issue, however, I don’t think that this is really possible. However, I don’t specialize in this so I recommend you to get in touch with our relocation consultants who will be able to tell you more.

      Kind regards,

      Anna

  14. Hello,

    I have 1year contract with the owner for that flat until July 31. He bought this flat recently and probably wants it for himself. He didn’t inform me about it yet. Do I need to leave the flat until that date or he needs to send me termination?

    1. Hi Maria, if you’re leasing the apartment, your landlord has to give you a 3-months’ notice unless you agree on a shorter one. If you have a sublease agreement, the owner can ask you to leave any time. Double-check your contract, please. If you’re in doubt, you can always talk to your landlord about it and ask them directly so that you can prepare.

      Best,
      Tereza

  15. Isn’t true that based on EU Law, that when you sign a contract in a language you can’t understand, the tenant could in theory “own” the apartment, or better he wouldn’t be able to be evicted?

    1. Hi Ed,
      I don’t think that’s a thing, unfortunately. The tenant shouldn’t sign a contract in a language (s)he can understand in the first place. It’s a tricky situation if that happens.

      Best,
      Tereza

  16. Hello, our lease ends on Sept. 30. We don’t want to renew. Do we have to tell the landlord on June 30 or July 1 that we don’t want to renew the lease?

    1. Hi Katherine,
      Yes, you have to tell the landlord, because if you don’t, the lease renews automatically. I believe you have to tell him on June 30 latest.

      Best,
      Tereza

  17. Hello,

    Is it true that by law, the landlord reserves the right at all times to the first day of the calendar
    month to increase the agreed rent by 3%? And this would be over the rent increase that can be applied, matching the average increase in inflation?
    Thank you

    1. Hi Tefkros,
      We’d love to give you advice, but this is a very confusing question. Would you be able to copy exactly the text from your lease agreement? You can email it to me at tereza.walsbergerova@foreigners.cz if you don’t want to type it in here. My colleague who’s a relocation consultant will take a look at it for you and then we’ll give you advice.

      Thanks,
      Tereza

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