Renting in Czechia: the rules

A lease of a flat (nájem bytu) must be in writing, but the landlord cannot rely on a missing written contract against the tenant (Civil Code § 2237). If a tenant has lived in a flat for three years in good faith that the lease is valid, it counts as properly concluded (§ 2238). The protective rules apply whenever a flat or house is let to meet the tenant's housing needs: contract terms that cut the tenant's rights under these rules are disregarded, and so is any duty that is clearly disproportionate (§§ 2235, 2239). They do not apply to letting for recreation or another obviously short-term purpose (§ 2235.2). There is no registration of leases with any authority and no stamp duty. Rules as of 2026-10.

A lease is either fixed-term (na dobu určitou) or open-ended (na dobu neurčitou); if the contract states no end date, it is open-ended (§ 2204). The law sets no minimum length and no limit on how often a short lease can be renewed, so chains of one-year contracts are legal and common. A fixed-term lease simply ends on its end date, and the landlord needs no reason not to renew it. If the tenant stays on for at least three months after the end date and the landlord does not ask them in writing to leave in that time, the lease is renewed for the same term, at most two years (§ 2285). A 2023 government proposal to allow short leases only twice in a row was never enacted, and we found no tenancy-law amendment pending (as of 2026-10).

Some landlords offer a podnájemní smlouva (sublease) from a tenant or a smlouva o ubytování (accommodation contract) instead of a lease. An accommodation contract is meant for temporary stays in a facility designed for it (§ 2326) and carries none of the flat-lease protection. A subtenant has much weaker protection than a tenant (see Subletting). If what you are offered is in fact a flat let as your home, the label does not by itself remove the protection of the flat-lease rules (§ 2235), but a dispute over the label would have to be settled in court.

The landlord may ask for a jistota (security deposit, still often called kauce). The deposit and any contractual penalties agreed for breaches may together not exceed three times the monthly rent (Civil Code § 2254.1, in this form since Act 163/2020, in force 1 July 2020). Apart from rent and service charges, the landlord may not demand other payments from the tenant, 'whether as a deposit or otherwise' (§ 2251.2). Rent is paid monthly in advance, by the fifth day of the month unless a later day is agreed (§ 2251.1). Rules as of 2026-10.

There is no public deposit scheme; the landlord holds the money. When the lease ends, the landlord returns the deposit minus what the tenant owes from the lease (§ 2254.2). The tenant is also entitled to interest on the deposit from the day it was paid, at least at the 'legal rate' (zákonná sazba). No regulation defines that rate. At least one appeal court, the Prague Municipal Court (16 Co 107/2022, 24 May 2022), has used § 1802, the usual interest banks charge on unsecured consumer loans, and whether a contract may lower or exclude the interest is unsettled (as reported in an epravo.cz legal commentary).

Typical disputes are deductions for wear and tear, which the tenant does not have to pay for (§ 2293.1), and slow refunds that wait for the yearly service-charge statement. A written handover record (předávací protokol) with photos and meter readings at the start and end helps. If the tenant and landlord disagree about how much rent is owed, the tenant can pay the disputed amount into a notary's custody and inform the landlord; the landlord then cannot give notice for non-payment (§ 2253).

There is no rent control and no cap on the rent for a new lease: the parties agree a fixed amount, presumed to be monthly (Civil Code § 2246). The parties may agree on a yearly increase, typically an inflation clause tied to the consumer price index published by the Czech Statistical Office (§ 2248). Rules as of 2026-10.

If the contract neither sets an increase method nor expressly excludes increases, the landlord can propose in writing to raise the rent up to the comparable local rent (srovnatelné nájemné obvyklé v daném místě), but the increase together with any increases in the previous three years may not exceed 20%. A proposal made less than 12 months after the last increase, or one that does not state the new rent and show how the conditions are met, is disregarded (§ 2249.1). The comparable rent is shown by an expert's valuation or by documented rents of at least three comparable flats (Government Regulation 453/2013 Sb.). If the tenant agrees, the new rent applies from the third month after the proposal arrived. If the tenant does not agree in writing within two months, the landlord has three more months to ask a court to set the rent, with effect from the date of the court application (§ 2249.3). A tenant can ask for a reduction in the same way (§ 2249.4).

After works that permanently improve the flat or the building or save energy or water, the landlord can agree an increase of up to 10% of the costs a year; if tenants of two thirds of the flats agree, it binds all of them. Without agreement, the landlord can propose 3.5% of the costs a year (§ 2250).

Notice must be in writing and reach the other side. The notice period runs from the first day of the calendar month after it arrives (Civil Code § 2286.1). A landlord's notice must tell the tenant of their right to object and to ask a court to review whether the notice is justified, or it is invalid (§ 2286.2). The tenant can file that court application within two months of receiving the notice (§ 2290). Rules as of 2026-10.

Tenant: an open-ended lease can be ended without giving a reason, with three months' notice (§ 2231). A fixed-term lease can be ended early only if circumstances have changed so much that the tenant cannot reasonably be asked to continue (§ 2287), or by agreement. Landlord: the landlord can end a fixed-term or open-ended lease with three months' notice, stating the reason, only if the tenant grossly breaches their duties, is convicted of a deliberate crime against the landlord or people in the building, the flat must be cleared for a public-interest reason, or there is another similarly serious reason (§ 2288.1). An open-ended lease can also be ended with three months' notice if the landlord, a divorcing spouse or a close relative needs the flat (§ 2288.2); if the flat is not used for that purpose within a month of the tenant leaving, the landlord must let it to the tenant again or pay damages (§ 2289). A fixed-term lease needs no notice at all: it ends on its end date.

For a particularly serious breach, the landlord can end the lease without a notice period and ask the tenant to leave within a month at most. This includes not paying rent and service charges for at least three months, serious damage to the flat or serious nuisance; the landlord must first ask the tenant to put things right within a reasonable time and must say what the breach is (§ 2291). If a tenant stays after the lease has ended, since 1 January 2026 a landlord who sent a written demand to leave at least 14 days before going to court can obtain a rozkaz k vyklizení (eviction order): the court orders the occupant to leave within 15 days unless they file an objection (odpor) within that time. It cannot be issued while a court review of the notice is pending (Civil Procedure Code § 175a, Act 176/2025 Sb.). Tenancy-ending cases should generally be decided within six months (§ 196).

The landlord must keep the flat and the building fit for use (Civil Code § 2257.1). The tenant pays only for routine maintenance and drobné opravy (minor repairs) (§ 2257.2). Government Regulation 308/2015 Sb. lists them: for example floor coverings, door and window parts, locks, switches, sockets, taps and light bulbs, plus any other repair costing up to 1 500 Kč each, with a yearly cap of 150 Kč per square metre of floor area; above that the landlord pays. The tenant must report defects promptly. If the landlord does not fix them within a reasonable time, the tenant can have them fixed and claim the cost, or claim a rent reduction (§§ 2264–2265). Pets are allowed unless they cause the landlord or neighbours unreasonable trouble (§ 2258). Rules as of 2026-10.

Service charges are paid with the rent as monthly advances (zálohy) for services the landlord provides, such as water, heating, lifts, cleaning and lighting of common areas and waste collection (§§ 2247, 2251). Under Act 67/2013 Sb. on services, the landlord must send a yearly statement (vyúčtování) of actual costs within four months of the end of the accounting period, and any overpayment or shortfall must be settled within four months of delivery. The tenant can ask for the supporting documents and raise objections within 30 days, and a party who misses these duties owes a penalty of 50 Kč for each day of delay (Act 67/2013 §§ 7, 8, 13). Electricity and often gas are usually contracted by the tenant directly with a supplier.

Agency fees: an estate agent acts for whoever signed a written brokerage contract with it, and that contract must state the commission (Act 39/2020 Sb. on estate brokerage, §§ 9–10). A tenant owes commission only under a contract they signed. The agent must tell the tenant what commission it agreed with the landlord for the same flat (§ 12.3), must hand over a land-registry extract no more than three working days old for the property (§ 11), and an advance on commission from a consumer may not exceed two thirds (§ 19.3). The landlord must show the energy performance certificate (PENB) before signing and give a copy at signing, and adverts must state the energy class (Act 406/2000 Sb., § 7a). Contents insurance is not required by law.

Czech citizens register a trvalý pobyt (permanent address) at the ohlašovna (registration office, usually the town or district office). To register at a rented flat, the tenant shows the lease as proof of the right to use the flat. The landlord's consent is needed only if you have no such document; it is then given on the form at the office or in writing with an officially verified signature (Act 133/2000 Sb. § 10.6). The office later tells the owner how many people are registered (§ 10.7). Registration gives no rights to the flat (§ 10.2), so a landlord's ban on registering in the contract has no legal basis in this act. Rules as of 2026-10.

Foreigners: an EU citizen staying more than 30 days must report their place of residence to the foreign police within 30 days of arrival. A non-EU national must report within three working days of entry. Neither has to do so if the accommodation provider has already reported them (Act 326/1999 Sb. on the residence of foreigners, § 93). Holders of long-term visas or permits must report a change of address within 30 days (§ 98). A landlord who lets a flat to a foreigner for payment counts as an ubytovatel (accommodation provider), even under an ordinary lease or sublease. They must report the foreigner to the police within three working days, keep a house book and, on request, issue a confirmation of accommodation (§§ 99–102, 107.2; Interior Ministry foreigners' portal).

Applications for visas and residence permits need a doklad o zajištění ubytování (proof of accommodation). This is the lease itself, a document proving ownership, or a written consent from the owner or tenant with an officially verified signature (úředně ověřený podpis, done at a Czech POINT office or a notary). This last option is the form landlords are often asked to sign (§ 31.5). The accommodation must be in a building with a registered address that is approved for living.

A tenant who lives in the flat permanently may sublet part of it, such as a room, without the landlord's consent (Civil Code § 2274). Subletting the whole flat, or part of it when the tenant does not live there, needs the landlord's consent. The request and the consent must be in writing, and if the landlord does not reply within a month, consent counts as given, unless the contract bans subletting (§ 2275). Subletting in breach of these rules is a gross breach of the tenant's duties (§ 2276), a ground for three months' notice (§ 2288.1). The law sets no cap on the rent a sublettor may charge. Rules as of 2026-10.

A tenant may take anyone into their household but must tell the landlord without undue delay, and failing to do so within two months counts as a serious breach (§ 2272.1). The contract may require the landlord's written consent for new household members who are not close relatives (§ 2272.2), and the landlord can insist that the number of people suits the size of the flat (§ 2272.3).

A sublease ends with the main lease at the latest (§ 2278). The Supreme Court has held that the flat-lease protection, including the rule that a landlord needs a legal ground for notice, does not apply between tenant and subtenant (26 Cdo 1002/2023, 13 March 2024). An open-ended sublease can therefore be ended without a reason under the general lease rules, unless the contract limits the grounds. Before paying a sublettor, ask to see the main lease and, for a whole flat, the landlord's written consent.

To let a flat, a landlord needs no licence or registration and pays no stamp duty, but must give the tenant the energy performance certificate (PENB) and state the energy class in adverts (Act 406/2000 Sb., § 7a). A landlord letting to a foreigner must report them to the foreign police within three working days (Act 326/1999 Sb., § 102). Rules as of 2026-10.

Tax: income from letting a flat is taxed as rental income under § 9 of the Income Tax Act (Act 586/1992 Sb.). The landlord deducts either actual, documented costs (including depreciation) or flat-rate expenses of 30% of the rental income, capped at 600 000 Kč a year (§ 9.4), and must keep records of income in either case. The result is added to the person's other income and taxed at 15%, and 23% on the part of the total tax base above 36 times the average wage, an amount that changes every year (§ 16). As of 2026-10.

Short-term letting: anyone providing paid stays collects the municipality's poplatek z pobytu (local stay fee) of up to 50 Kč per person per night for stays of up to 60 days and keeps a guest register (Act 565/1990 Sb., §§ 3a–3g), and must report foreign guests to the police. Letting with hotel-type services is usually a trade (živnost) taxed as business income. The EU short-term rental regulation (2024/1028) has applied since 20 May 2026, but the Czech law that would implement it, with the eTurista register and registration numbers, is not in force (as of 2026-10). The earlier bill lapsed with the October 2025 election. According to a private tracker site and law-firm articles, a new bill was awaiting debate in the Chamber of Deputies on 19 September 2026, proposing a start on 1 January 2028. Some commercial websites say registration became mandatory on 20 May 2026, but in July 2026 the ministry told a newspaper that no framework was final. Check the status before letting short-term.

There is no rent tribunal: tenancy disputes go to the okresní soud (district court; in Prague the obvodní soud for the district). The court fee is 1 000 Kč for a money claim up to 20 000 Kč, such as an unpaid deposit, 5% above that, and, by our reading of the fee schedule, 2 000 Kč for a non-money claim such as a review of a notice (Act 549/1991 Sb., fee schedule items 1 and 4). A tenant who has received notice has two months to apply for a review (Civil Code § 2290). As of 2026-10.

Free and low-cost advice: the Sdružení nájemníků ČR (Czech Tenants' Association, SON) has advised tenants since 1991. After losing its Ministry for Regional Development grant for 2026, it appealed for public donations in July 2026 and announced limited advice services in August 2026. The občanské poradny (citizens' advice bureaux, about 98 locations) give free advice including on housing. dTest's consumer advice line is free. Under the Housing Support Act (Act 175/2025 Sb., in force since 1 January 2026 and reorganised by Act 129/2026 Sb. from 1 September 2026), the municipal offices of larger towns, and in Prague the city-district offices, run housing contact points that give free advice to anyone who asks. A register of people in housing need under the act started on 1 July 2026. Landlords can join the OSMD owners' association for advice and contract templates.

We can never guarantee that an agency, listing or landlord is legitimate. Never pay a deposit before seeing the flat and checking in the land registry (nahlížení do katastru, free online) that the person is the owner or has the owner's written authority, and see our scam guide.