How to rent out an apartment in Prague in 2026: contract, taxes

Renting out a flat in Prague is not as complicated as it sounds, but between “post an ad” and “earn steady income without headaches” lie several important steps: choosing the right listing platforms, screening a prospective tenant, drafting a solid lease agreement, and understanding how to pay tax on the rental income. This guide is written for owners — people leaving Czechia who don’t want to sell their property, or anyone who simply has a spare flat. We’ll walk through the whole process in plain terms, with real services and rules current for 2026.

Where to start: assess your flat and the market

Before publishing a listing, it’s worth working out realistically how much your flat can actually fetch in rent. The rate depends on the neighbourhood (Prague 1–3 and 5–7 are traditionally pricier than the outer districts), floor area, floor level, the state of the renovation, whether it’s furnished, and whether utilities and energy are included in the price. The simplest way to gauge the market is to open Sreality.cz and see what similar flats on your street and in neighbouring buildings are renting for. It’s the largest real-estate portal in Czechia, and it’s where most tenants start their search.

Decide the key questions in advance: will you rent furnished or unfurnished, will you allow pets, what lease term you’re prepared to offer (usually a year with the option to renew), and who pays for what. The clearer the terms, the fewer odd inquiries you’ll get and the faster you’ll find a suitable tenant.

Where to place your listing

Czechia has several channels that actually work, and it makes sense to use two or three at once rather than rely on just one.

Sreality.cz is the number one portal by reach. It lists both private owners and agencies, and it’s where people actively hunting for housing tend to look first. UlovDomov.cz is the second most popular rental aggregator, gathering offers from private landlords and agencies in one place; it’s useful because it duplicates your reach and pulls in a separate audience. Bezrealitky.cz focuses on direct deals between owner and tenant with no agency commission, something tenants who don’t want to pay a middleman’s cut appreciate.

A separate channel worth using is Facebook groups. For Prague’s Russian-speaking and international community, dedicated rental groups and expat communities work well — listings there spread quickly and often lead straight to a deal with no commission. The downside is more “junk” responses, so you’ll need to filter candidates yourself. Finally, if you don’t have time to deal with viewings and screening — say, you’re already abroad — it’s worth considering a service like Ideální nájemce or a traditional real-estate agency, which will handle finding and vetting a tenant for a fee.

How to write a good listing

The listing sells the flat for you, so don’t skimp on it. Take 8–15 good-quality daylight photos showing every room, the kitchen, the bathroom and the view from the window. Always include: the exact neighbourhood and nearest metro or tram stop, the floor area and layout (in the Czech format — 2+kk, 3+1 and so on), the floor and whether there’s a lift, whether it comes furnished and with appliances, the rent amount listed separately from utilities and energy, the deposit amount, and the desired move-in date.

An honest listing that doesn’t oversell saves time: people the terms don’t suit simply won’t get in touch, while those who do respond will arrive at the viewing with realistic expectations.

Screening a tenant: don’t skip this step

A bad tenant costs you more than a month of vacancy. That’s why it’s worth checking a prospective tenant — which is legal with their written consent. What to look at:

• Solvency. Ask for proof of income or an employment contract — it’s sensible for rent not to exceed roughly a third to half of the household’s income.
• Debts and bankruptcy. Czechia has public registers: the insolvenční rejstřík (insolvency register) and the central register of enforcement proceedings, Centrální evidence exekucí. Checking them shows whether the person has any outstanding debt-collection cases.
• Automated services. There are tools that run a quick check on a candidate across several Czech and Slovak registers at once in a couple of minutes — offered, among others, by Ideální nájemce. Handy if you don’t have time to check everything manually.

A simple human rule also applies: a calm conversation, questions about work and plans, and a willingness to show documents are all good signs. Evasiveness and rushing you to “sign quickly” are bad ones.

The lease agreement (nájemní smlouva)

A residential lease in Czechia is governed by the Civil Code and must be concluded in writing. It should clearly state: the parties, the exact identification of the flat, the rent amount and how it’s to be paid, the amount of utility and energy charges (or how they’re calculated), the lease term, the deposit amount and the conditions for its return.

An important nuance of Czech law works in the tenant’s favour: any clause that puts the tenant in a worse position than the law provides is invalid, even if you write it into the contract. For example, you can’t forbid a tenant from keeping a pet or registering their address there. So don’t blindly grab the first template you find online — either use an up-to-date, vetted sample or have a lawyer review the contract. Set out separately how the flat will be handed over, and draw up a handover protocol (předávací protokol) describing its condition and recording the meter readings — this is your main protection in any dispute over damage.

The deposit (kauce)

The deposit is your insurance against unpaid rent or damage to the property. Under Czech law, the deposit amount, together with any contractual penalties, cannot exceed three months’ rent. In practice, landlords most often take one to two months’ rent. After the tenancy ends, the deposit must generally be returned within a month, with any justified amounts withheld for debts or damage (normal wear and tear cannot be deducted).

Tax on rental income

Income an individual earns from renting out a flat is subject to personal income tax (DPFO). The base rate is 15% of the tax base; a higher 23% rate applies to the portion of very high annual income above the set threshold. The tax base is your annual rental income minus expenses, and there are two ways to account for expenses:

• Flat-rate (lump-sum) expenses of 30%. The simplest option: you simply deduct 30% of the rent received, without documenting anything. There’s a cap — the deduction is limited to roughly 600,000 Kč a year. For most private landlords, that’s more than enough.
• Actual expenses. You deduct your real, documented costs (repairs, insurance, mortgage interest, depreciation and so on). Worthwhile if your real costs noticeably exceed 30%.

An example to illustrate the mechanics: with annual rent of 240,000 Kč and the 30% flat-rate deduction (72,000 Kč), the tax base comes to 168,000 Kč, and the 15% tax works out to roughly 25,200 Kč a year. The tax return (daňové přiznání) is usually filed by the start of April for the previous year; you can check the current deadlines and forms on the website of the Ministerstvo financí and in the Finanční správa sections.

This is not tax or legal advice. Rates, limits and deadlines change, and your specific situation may have nuances — check official sources for your case or consult a Czech tax advisor (daňový poradce).

If you’re leaving Czechia

Renting out a flat while living abroad is entirely doable, but plan the logistics in advance. First, someone on the ground needs to respond to everyday emergencies (a leak, a broken boiler) — that could be a management service, a realtor or a trusted person. Second, work out a convenient way to receive rent into an account in another country without losing money on conversion: multicurrency services like Wise or Revolut are handy here, letting you keep a Czech account and transfer money abroad at a good exchange rate. Third, it’s worth taking out landlord’s property insurance and, just in case, getting an inexpensive eSIM (for example, Airalo) for a Czech number, so you can stay reachable on local matters during visits.

Even living abroad, you remain liable for tax on your Czech rental income, so the question of filing a return doesn’t go away — build it into your plan in advance.

The key points

To rent out a flat in Prague smoothly and profitably: check the market rate on Sreality, list your flat on several platforms at once (Sreality, UlovDomov, Bezrealitky, Facebook groups), be sure to screen prospective tenants against the debt registers, sign a properly drafted written lease with a handover protocol and a deposit no larger than three months’ rent, and honestly declare the income — the 30% flat-rate deduction is usually the more convenient option. Spending a bit of time preparing at the outset will spare you most problems down the line.

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