Why the tenant pays the commission in Czechia
The logic most newcomers arrive with — "the owner is renting the flat out, so the owner pays the agent" — does not always hold in Czechia. The local practice usually runs the other way: the agency takes its fee from the person moving in.
Formally this is legal on one condition: the agency actually provides a service to the tenant. It shows properties, finds options that match your brief, drafts the contract, attends the handover. In that case you are paying for work done for you.
The practice becomes questionable in the opposite situation — when the agency represents the owner only and gives the tenant nothing beyond an unlocked door. Fees like that get challenged. So the first question worth asking a makléř (estate agent) on the phone is simple: "Whose interests do you represent, and what exactly am I paying for?"
One thing to keep in mind: no law obliges you to pay a commission when renting. It is market practice, not a rule. A share of flats is let with no intermediary at all.
What it costs in money
The standard rate is one month's rent plus 21% VAT. VAT is added if the agency is registered for DPH (Czech VAT) — you can see this from the DIČ (VAT number) on the contract and the invoice. It is easier to work through with real figures. According to the Deloitte Rent Index for the second quarter of 2026, the rate in Prague 7 was 493 Kč per m², and in Prague 9 468 Kč per m². These are figures for specific districts, not a citywide average.
| Item | Prague 7, 60 m² | Prague 9, 45 m² |
|---|
| Rate per m² | 493 Kč | 468 Kč |
| Monthly rent | 29 580 Kč | 21 060 Kč |
| Commission (1 month's rent) | 29 580 Kč | 21 060 Kč |
| 21% VAT on the commission | 6 212 Kč | 4 423 Kč |
| Commission including VAT | 35 792 Kč | 25 483 Kč |
VAT is the part people forget most often. You are told "the commission is one month's rent", you have 29 580 Kč in your head, and then 35 792 Kč shows up on the invoice. Ask straight away whether the figure quoted includes VAT or not.
On top of the rent come the service charges — water, heating, waste collection, shared building costs. How much they run to depends on the building and the number of occupants, and they are not included in the figures above.
When the commission is justified and when it isn't
You are paying for actual work
- The agent puts together options that fit your budget and preferred district, instead of showing you the one flat that is already listed online anyway.
- He checks that the person letting the flat really is the owner, and shows you the extract from the katastr nemovitostí (the land and property register).
- He prepares a written contract and explains every clause — in English, if your Czech is not up to it yet.
- He attends the handover, records the meter readings and the condition of the flat in the handover protocol.
- You are left holding a separate contract with the agency that lists these services.
You are paying for an unlocked door
- The agency says outright that it works under a contract with the owner — but wants the commission from you.
- There is no written document between you and the agency at all, and the money is asked for in cash.
- The tenancy agreement is sent to you an hour before signing, with pressure to hurry.
- You are asked to pay a "reservation fee" before you have even seen the text of the contract or the owner's details.
The second case does not automatically make the commission unlawful — but it is exactly the situation in which the practice gets challenged, and where you should either negotiate or walk away.
The deposit: the law does set a ceiling
Here the law speaks plainly. Under §2254 of the občanský zákoník (the Civil Code), the jistota (security deposit, commonly called kauce) together with any smluvní pokuta (contractual penalty) may not exceed three months' rent.
That is a ceiling on everything combined. If the contract contains both a deposit of two months' rent and a penalty of two months' rent for leaving early, the total is already outside the limit.
| Rent | Maximum for deposit and penalty combined |
|---|
| 21 060 Kč (Prague 9, 45 m²) | 63 180 Kč |
| 29 580 Kč (Prague 7, 60 m²) | 88 740 Kč |
In practice you will more often see a deposit of one to two months' rent. A demand for three months' rent plus a penalty on top is a reason to stop and reread the contract: the total is what counts.
Where to look without an agent
The most honest way not to pay a commission is not to use an intermediary where you do not need one.
- Renting directly from the owner. The upfront sum is lower, but all the checking falls on you: the katastr, the contract, the handover protocol.
- No-agent services such as Bezrealitky — the platform connects you with the owner directly, with no agent's commission. The platform itself may have paid plans, so check its terms before registering.
- Mid-term rental platforms — an option for your first few months, while you still do not know the city. More expensive per month, but the contract is short and there are fewer formalities at the start. Deposit amounts differ from platform to platform, so check before booking.
The difference at the start is obvious: with the direct route you save one month's rent plus VAT, but you take on the lawyer's role yourself. Going through an agency, you pay for someone else to play that role. For your first year in the country, with no Czech and no feel for the districts, the second option can genuinely pay for itself. For your second flat — almost never.
The full move-in cost: both scenarios
A 60 m² flat in Prague 7, rent 29 580 Kč, deposit of two months' rent.
| Item | Through an agency | Direct |
|---|
| First month's rent | 29 580 Kč | 29 580 Kč |
| Deposit (2 months' rent) | 59 160 Kč | 59 160 Kč |
| Commission including VAT | 35 792 Kč | 0 Kč |
| Total to move in | 124 532 Kč | 88 740 Kč |
The difference is 35 792 Kč. For a 45 m² flat in Prague 9 the total comes to 88 663 Kč against 63 180 Kč, a difference of 25 483 Kč. On top of that, in both cases, comes the first service-charge payment, which depends on the building.
The commission is the one line that is gone for good. The deposit comes back when the tenancy ends — minus any justified claims by the landlord if the flat is not in order.
What to check in the agency contract before you pay
- There is a contract at all, and it is in writing. A verbal understanding and a note scribbled on a napkin are not documents.
- Specific services are listed. Not "intermediary services", but what exactly the agency does for you.
- The amount including VAT. The text should make clear whether the 21% is inside the quoted figure, and it should state the agency's DIČ.
- When the right to the commission arises. The normal arrangement is that the fee is payable for a signed tenancy agreement. If money is being asked for a viewing or a "reservation" before signing, read that clause especially closely and do not settle for verbal promises.
- What happens if the deal falls through. The owner changes his mind, the katastr shows a different owner — the text should spell out what is refunded and within what period. A right to a refund does not follow from the law by itself; it comes from the contract.
- Payment details and proof of payment. A transfer to the agency's account with a payment reference is safer than cash with no paperwork.
- Language. If you are signing a Czech text, ask for a translation. A signed document is binding whether or not you understood it.
And while you're at it — what to look for in the tenancy agreement itself
- Written form — §2237 of the občanský zákoník. Verbal arrangements leave you with no evidence, so insist on a text.
- §2238 offers a backstop: if you use the flat in good faith for three years, the contract is deemed properly concluded even if the form was flawed.
- Vyúčtování služeb (the annual statement of service charges). The landlord is obliged to provide the service-charge statement within 4 months of the end of the accounting period. Late delivery carries a penalty of up to 50 Kč per day.
- Minor repairs (drobné opravy). Since 1 January 2026 NV 493/2025 Sb. applies: the ceiling is 1 500 Kč per single case and 150 Kč per m² per year, and both limits apply at once. For a 60 m² flat the annual limit is 9 000 Kč, for 45 m² it is 6 750 Kč. A clause saying "the tenant bears all repair costs" does not comply with this.
In short
- In Czechia the rental commission is usually paid by the tenant — one month's rent plus 21% VAT. That is practice, not a legal requirement.
- The commission is justified when the agency works for you. If it represents the owner only, the payment is questionable.
- The deposit and the contractual penalty together may not exceed three months' rent (§2254).
- On a flat renting for 29 580 Kč, the difference between moving in through an agency and directly is 35 792 Kč.
- Direct options do exist: private owners, Bezrealitky, mid-term platforms.
If you are looking at buying as well as renting, our property section has a mortgage calculator and a consultation request form — you can run the numbers and send an enquiry.