House rental contract in Slovakia and Czechia

Relocating and the need of a place to stay

In the last few years I’ve relocated quite a bit and I had a few experiences with respect to the house rental contract. There are many similarities between the Slovak rental contract and the Czech one.

I am not an expert, neither can I claim to be fluent in either of the languages. However I can share my notes and hopefully somebody will use them and will end up a content tenant. 🙂

House rental contract and the fear of unknown

I can safely say that many of the expats, including myself, didn’t possess much information with respect to house rental contract when they first moved. And it is a bit challenging if you do not have any grasp of the Czech respectively Slovak language.

Which again happens in most of the cases. If you are lucky you can count on a relocation company that can help you settle down. However not many can afford that and not in many cases the future employer will take care of the expenses.

If you want to rent your own place it is normal to feel a bit apprehensive because your decision will have quite a financial impact. That without taking in consideration your personal comfort which is equally important.

Important details in the house rental contract

As I mentioned at the beginning based on my experience there are a few things that both Czech and Slovak rental contract have in common and I will mention a few here that in my opinion you need to pay extra attention to. That aside from the monthly payments and the upfront deposit.

Minor repairs and current maintenance

As per the law in both countries minor repairs and current maintenance need to be paid by the tenant! In both countries the law states a minimum however in the contract can be mentioned a higher amount. For example in Czechia it is 500 CZK. And our Slovak rental contract stated amount of 100 EUR. You will need to inform the landlord when you need to make the reparation and the best is in writing.

Material changes

In our contracts – and I believe that this is standard approach – any material changes must not be made by the tenant without a written approval. Even if the tenant wants to pay for those changes. They can later be considered damage to the property and the tenant is liable to pay. Of course if you made some material changes unintentionally you are also liable to pay. It might be a good idea to take a few pictures of the flat at the beginning. Just to make sure that there are no misunderstandings and nobody suffers sudden memory losses at the end of the contract term 🙂

We were once in a hilarious situation where the landlord asked us to ensure that all the electrical bulbs in the chandelier were in place and working at the end of the contract. 🙂 The chandelier had like 10 bulbs and we never used more than 3 and that included the time we got it. We could argue but we just lacked the energy. So now I make sure that I document everything. In Czechia it is easier because most of the houses are empty when they are rented.

 

Utilities bills in the house rental contract

This part of the contract can create a few issues if you are not prepared. Basically you sign a house rental contract and in most cases the utilities are mentioned separately. The amount is in fact an ESTIMATION based on the previous consumption. However you should not be overly happy if your utilities amount is low. Because you must pay any difference when the final amount is calculated based on your consumption.

This particular point can affect the return of the deposit when you decide to leave. In order for the landlord to ensure that he will have money to pay the difference in many cases he keeps part of the deposit. You can maybe ask when you sign the contract when he usually receives the final true-up of the utilities.

On average it takes a good few months after the end of calendar year to get the final invoice regarding gas.

My philosophy is that if you are informed in advance you will not be upset at the end. 🙂

You should double-check with the former landlord to get the rest of your deposit back when you know that the he should have the final invoice. Please make sure that when you leave part of the deposit behind you document the action.

And on the same topic when you do rent the flat make sure that you have a document stating the current measurements of the utilities: electricity, gas, water etc.

House rental contract and notice period

Read or ask somebody to read for you any details with respect to notice period. And please inform the agency of the changes you want to make, if any, before you sign the contract.

Usually there is at least one month notice period and it starts counting from the first day of the month following after the month during which the notice was delivered. But each landlord can adjust the notice period as per his preferences. And have in mind that the notice should be in written as well.

In case one of the parties would like to terminate the contract sooner than what the notice period stipulates in the contract some penalties might apply.

These are a few things that you should have in mind when you decide to rent your own flat. And I hope that by reading this post you will have a easier life as an expat tenant.

Enjoy the house hunting!

 

Please note that all the comments are based on my personal experience and they are to be considered as a guidance. You can always refer to the law to be sure that everything is covered. 

 

 

 

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