The most common rental scams in Prague involve demanding prepayment or a reservation deposit (rezervace) before you've even seen the flat, a fake owner who "is abroad and will mail you the keys," and phishing links to fraudulent payment pages. The defence is simple: never pay before you've personally viewed the flat and signed a contract, and always verify the owner's name in the land registry (katastr nemovitostí) — it's free.
Rental fraud in Prague runs on an industrial scale. According to Policie ČR, in a single week in mid-January three victims lost nearly 150,000 Kč between them, and one scammer swindled over 3.7 million Kč out of almost 40 people. Fraud of this kind (podvod) carries a sentence of up to five years in prison in Czechia — but recovering money once it's been transferred is nearly impossible, which is why the golden rule is: never pay upfront.
A classic. The listing is priced noticeably below market, and the messages create artificial urgency: "the flat is in huge demand, lots of interested people, transfer the deposit right now to reserve it." Once the deposit (záloha) is sent, all contact stops. A genuine landlord never asks for money before you've seen the flat in person and signed a contract.
The scammer poses as the owner or a letting agent and shows you "ownership documents" complete with fake stamps and signatures. Sometimes the meeting takes place in a café or restaurant, they show a video of the flat on their phone, and you're asked to sign a "contract" — but viewing the flat itself is supposedly impossible because "the current tenants are still living there."
A related variant: the "owner" claims to be Czech or a foreigner working overseas. Since they can't show the flat in person, they ask for a "show of serious intent" — a few hundred euros or a few thousand crowns — after which they promise to mail the keys. The keys never arrive.
The same flat is "rented out" to several people at once, with each one paying a deposit. In another variant, the flat genuinely exists but isn't actually available — it may already be rented, held as loan collateral (zástavní právo), or under enforcement proceedings (exekuce). Scammers often pass off short-term rental apartments (from Airbnb, for instance) as their own.
On portals like Sreality, Bezrealitky, and iDnes Reality, you'll sometimes find bait listings that lead to fake "reservation payment" or "card verification" pages. Such links mimic a bank or payment provider and steal your card details. Never enter card details to "confirm" a rental, and never click payment links sent to you in chat.
Bogus agencies charge a "reservation fee" or a "tenant screening fee" (background check) before you've even seen the flat. A legitimate agent earns their commission after the contract is signed, not upfront for access to the listing.
| Signal | What should worry you |
|---|---|
| Below-market price | Rent 20–40% cheaper than comparable flats in the same area |
| Urgency and pressure | "Lots of interest, pay now or it'll be gone" |
| Money upfront | A deposit is demanded before viewing and before signing anything |
| No in-person viewing | "I'm abroad," "tenants are still there," only a phone video |
| Throwaway contact | Email with a name plus random numbers on a free domain, phone never answered |
| Poor language | Awkward Czech — a sign of machine translation and a scammer operating from abroad |
| Keys by mail | They promise to mail the keys after you've paid |
One red flag is enough to be cautious; two or more is almost a guarantee of fraud. Before paying anything, take a look at how a proper flat search should work in our guide on where to look for a flat in Prague, and get familiar with listing terminology in our guide on what 2+kk and 3+1 mean.
The most reliable way to confirm that someone actually owns a flat is to check their name against the land registry. The online service Nahlížení do katastru nemovitostí, run by ČÚZK, is free and requires no registration, available at nahlizenidokn.cuzk.gov.cz.
If the names don't match, you're not dealing with the actual owner. If there's an exekuce or a lien registered, it's not worth the risk. For an official transaction you can order a formal extract (výpis z katastru) through Czech POINT for a small fee (check the current rate on site), but for a pre-rental check, the free lookup is more than enough.
The sequence that makes it almost impossible to get scammed is simple:
Be especially careful with reservation deposits on listing portals: never pay a "reservation" fee before viewing, and never enter card details on pages you've been sent via chat.
If the amount is significant or the contract situation is unclear, don't wait — contact lawyers: they can help draft your report and assess your chances of recovering the money.
No. Any request for money before you've personally viewed the flat and signed a lease is a red flag. A legitimate landlord only collects the deposit and first month's rent once the contract is in place.
Look up the flat in the free Nahlížení do katastru nemovitostí service and compare the registered owner's name with the person renting it to you. If the names don't match, it's a scam.
Don't click it and don't enter your card details. Payment links sent via chat on Sreality or Bezrealitky are a classic phishing tactic. Genuine portals don't collect deposits on the owner's behalf through personal links.
The odds are low, which is why prevention matters most. But you need to act fast: bank, police, portal. Sometimes a bank manages to stop the transfer if you contact them within the first few hours.
Not always, but a price noticeably below market is the main sign of bait. Check the owner through the land registry, insist on an in-person viewing, and never pay upfront.
Under §2254 of the Občanský zákoník, the deposit (kauce/jistota) cannot exceed three months' rent — this applies only to the rent itself, not to any service charge deposits. A demand for more than that is a warning sign.
A reservation fee can be legitimate, but only after an in-person viewing and through an agreement with a verified agency or owner. Being asked to transfer a "reservation" fee before you've seen the flat is almost always a scam.
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