Renting out your Prague flat: first steps for new landlords

Letting a flat looks like the easy kind of income. You advertise, someone pays rent, the flat looks after itself. Then the boiler fails in January, a neighbour phones about noise, and the tax office wants a line on your return.

This is a first-steps guide to how the system works for a private owner. The details of your case belong with an adviser.

Decide what you are renting

Long lease or short stay? A long-term tenant means steadier income and less turnover. Short stays (Airbnb style) bring more work, more rules and more risk; see our host's quick guide and the short-term rental rules. The rest of this page is about the first.

Check who has a say. If there is a mortgage on the flat, read the loan terms. If the building has an owners' association (SVJ), read the house rules. If you live abroad, decide who will deal with problems on the ground.

Price it

Look at what similar flats on your street are asking, and how long they stay listed. A flat that goes in days was probably priced low; one that sits for weeks was probably priced high. Our guide to rent by district explains how to read the market, and the cost guides by size, such as 2+kk flats, help with the layout.

To test whether the numbers work, a rental yield calculator on Hypoteky.com models income against cost, and its ROI and IRR calculator looks at the longer picture. They are tools, not advice.

Prepare the flat and the papers

Fix what is broken, photograph everything and keep a dated inventory of furniture and appliances. Have the energy performance certificate (PENB) ready: the landlord shows it and hands it over, and the energy class appears in the advert (as of 2026; check the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the rental-advert detail). Make sure you know the flat's service charges and meter readings.

Choose a tenant

Meet them. Ask for ID, proof of income and, for foreigners, residence details; do not ask for more than you need. Keep what you ask proportionate, because tenants' personal data is protected by the GDPR. Many landlords prefer a long, stable tenancy to a high rent from a short one.

An agency can find and vet a tenant for a fee. The questions to ask are in our guide to how rental agencies charge.

The lease

Put it in writing. The Civil Code (§ 2235 ff.) governs tenancy, and there are rules you cannot contract out of. The key points:

• Deposit (jistota): at most three months' rent, held for the tenant and returned at the end with at least statutory interest, less justified claims (§ 2254).
• Entry: you may enter after prior notice for inspections and repairs; in the last three months of the lease, to show the flat; without notice only to prevent damage (§ 2219).
• Notice: tenancy notice runs from the first day of the month after delivery (§ 2286). The tenant may end an open-ended lease with three months' notice without giving a reason; the landlord only on statutory grounds, with three months' notice, and must tell the tenant of the right to object to a court within two months (§ 2288).
• Rent rises: the statutory route allows up to 20% over three years (§ 2249). Rules on rent increases are under review from time to time, so check the current text before you rely on it (as of 2026; check the Ministry for Regional Development).

Our 12-month lease explainer walks through the wording from the tenant's side, which is useful for seeing what your tenant will expect.

Tax

For a private owner, rental income is generally reported under section 9 of the Income Tax Act. You can deduct actual expenses or a 30% flat rate capped at CZK 600,000 a year, and private section 9 rental income does not attract social or health insurance (as of 2026; check the Financial Administration). The choice between the two methods depends on your costs, and an adviser can run it for you.

Rental income goes on your annual return; see our guide to filing a Czech tax return and to finding a tax adviser. For the bigger question of whether to let or live in your flat, read renting out versus living in it.

Insurance and the day-to-day

Check your home and building insurance covers a tenant. Agree who pays for utilities and how readings are taken. Decide how the tenant reports problems and how fast you will respond. A written list of contacts for the boiler, the lift and the owners' association saves arguments.

Services, utilities and the yearly settlement

Most tenants pay the rent plus monthly advances for services such as water, heating and building charges, and the landlord settles the account once a year against the actual bills. Decide at the start which items are in the advance, how you will read meters and when the settlement happens. Put the arrangement in the lease and keep the readings and invoices, because an unclear settlement is one of the usual sources of disputes. If your building's owners' association (SVJ) issues its own annual statement, ask for the date so your settlement can follow it.

Repairs and who does what

As a general principle the landlord keeps the flat in a usable state, and the tenant covers small repairs and ordinary upkeep. The line between the two is where arguments start, so describe it in the lease with examples: who replaces a light bulb, who calls the boiler service, who pays for a broken washing machine that you supplied. Answer urgent faults, a leak or no heating in winter, the same day if you can.

Frequently asked questions

How much deposit can I ask?

At most three months' rent under the Civil Code (as of 2026).

Can I enter the flat whenever I want?

No. You need prior notice except to prevent damage.

Do I pay tax on rent?

Generally yes, under section 9 of the Income Tax Act, with actual expenses or a 30% flat rate. Check with the Financial Administration or an adviser.

Can I raise the rent?

The statutory route allows up to 20% over three years, and the lease may have its own method. Check recent changes first.

This is a general explainer, not legal or tax advice.