Selling your flat in Prague: a quick start for owners

The flat has been home for years. The listing photos make it look like a stranger's. Selling is partly an emotional job, but it runs on a fixed sequence of documents, and most delays come from a missing one. Below is the order, with the questions that decide how much you keep.

Before you list: the tax test

For an individual, income from selling a home can be exempt from income tax. The tests, as the Financial Administration describes them: you have owned the flat for 10 years (if acquired from 1 January 2021) or 5 years (if acquired earlier); or you lived in it for the two years immediately before the sale; or you lived there for less time and use the proceeds for your own housing by the end of the tax year following the year you received the money, with notice to the tax office (as of 2026; check the Financial Administration). The last route has conditions of its own, so ask a tax adviser before you rely on it.

If the sale is not exempt, it is taxable and goes on the tax return. Exempt proceeds above CZK 5 million in a year still have to be reported to the tax office (as of 2026; check the Financial Administration). Our guide to filing a Czech tax return explains the process, and the piece on finding a tax adviser helps you choose one.

Valuation

Price is the first fight. An agent's opinion, an online estimate and a buyer's idea can sit far apart. Collect two or three opinions and compare them with what similar flats in your building and street actually sold for. Asking prices are hopes, not outcomes.

A free estimate is a start, not a verdict. The valuation service at odhad.homerealestate.cz (in Czech) gives an indicative figure, and the property sale calculator on Hypoteky.com shows what you might keep after costs and any mortgage. Both are tools, not advice.

Agent or on your own?

An agent brings buyers, handles viewings, helps with the paperwork and takes a fee. Selling on your own saves the fee and costs you time. Agents are subject to anti-money-laundering rules (real estate brokers are obliged persons under Czech law), so expect questions about who you are and where the buyer's money comes from.

If you hire one, ask about the contract: exclusive or not, for how long, what the fee covers and when it falls due. Our guide to how agencies charge is written for rentals, but the questions about written agreements and fees carry over.

The paperwork in detail

The energy certificate. The seller must show the energy performance certificate (PENB) and hand it over, and the energy class appears in the advert. For a flat in a block, three years of energy bills can replace it (as of 2026; check the Ministry of Industry and Trade).

The SVJ. Ask the owners' association (společenství vlastníků) for a statement that you owe nothing to the repair fund or services. The buyer will want it, and the association may need a few days.

The mortgage. If the flat is mortgaged, the bank has a lien recorded in the cadastre. The money from the buyer pays it off at closing, and the lien is removed. If the loan was agreed or refixed since 1 September 2024 and you sell at least two years after buying, early repayment can be free of charge (as of 2026; check the Czech National Bank and your contract). Older contracts may be capped by a different rule, so read yours. Our piece on mortgages for expats covers other borrower questions.

Money and timing

Ownership transfers when the cadastre registers it, effective back to the day you filed, but registration cannot take place before a 20-day period after owners are notified (as of 2026; check ČÚZK). That gap is why buyers rarely pay the whole sum on the day of signing. Escrow with a notary, lawyer or bank holds the money until the cadastre confirms.

Cash is not a shortcut. Payments over CZK 270,000 must be made by bank transfer, and payments between the same two people on one day are added up (as of 2026; check the Financial Administration).

Staying or leaving the country

If you are moving abroad, you stay the owner until the sale is registered, and your tax position can depend on your residence as well as your ownership dates. Our guide to Czech tax residency explains the tests. If you will rent the flat out instead of selling, see renting out your Prague flat and the money-side view in renting out versus living in it.

Showing the flat well

Clear the surfaces, fix the small faults, open the curtains. Photograph in daylight and keep the wide lens honest: buyers notice when a room is smaller than the picture. A short advert with the layout, area, floor, energy class and monthly charges beats a long one full of adjectives.

Expect viewings at awkward hours and questions about the building, so have answers ready on the repair fund, recent works and the neighbours. A defect you knew about and kept quiet is the kind that comes back as a claim.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a flat sale take?

It varies. The cadastre step alone includes a 20-day protective period, so plan for weeks, not days.

Do I pay tax when I sell my flat?

Often not, if you meet the time or residence tests. Check the Financial Administration or a tax adviser for your case.

Who pays the cadastre fee?

The contract says. The fee itself is CZK 2,000 per application (as of 2026; check ČÚZK).

Can I accept cash?

Not above CZK 270,000. Larger payments must go through a bank account.

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