Most rental scams in Czechia follow the same script: a nice flat at a price well below what similar flats ask, a landlord who can't show it to you, and a request to send money before you've seen it or signed anything. The defence is just as simple. Never pay before you've seen the flat in person and signed a lease, check on the land register that the person letting it has the right to, and pay only by bank transfer to an account in their name. If you're searching from abroad, take extra care: it's the very situation these scams rely on. This guide shows the usual tricks, the checks that catch them and what to do if you've already paid.
What does a rental scam look like?
The Czech police have warned about the same pattern for years.1 A flat is advertised at a rent well below the area's. The "owner" answers by email, in English or broken Czech, and explains they're abroad: they inherited the flat, or work in another country. They can't show it, but once you send the deposit and the first month's rent, a courier will bring you the keys. The money goes by a money-transfer service or to a foreign account, and the keys never come.
| Warning sign | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The rent is far below what similar flats nearby ask | It's the bait. Real landlords rarely leave that much money on the table |
| The landlord is abroad and can't show the flat | You can't check the flat exists, or that it's theirs |
| You're asked to pay before a viewing or a signed lease | Once the money's gone, there's nothing to hold on to |
| Keys sent by courier or post after payment | No real landlord hands over a flat this way |
| Payment by a money-transfer service, crypto or to a foreign account | It's hard to trace and almost impossible to recover |
| Contact only by email or a messaging app, no phone call | It keeps you from asking awkward questions |
| Pressure: other people want it, pay today to secure it | It's there to stop you checking |
| Emails that look like they come from a big booking site or company | Scammers borrow their names to look trustworthy |
None of these proves a scam on its own, but two or three together almost always do. Real landlords and agencies are happy to show a flat, give you a call and send you the lease to read before you pay.
Why is a cheap flat a warning?
Scams need bait, and the bait is the price. A flat in a good area at a fraction of what its neighbours ask draws plenty of messages, and the scammer needs only one person to pay. So the first check is what similar flats ask. Here's Prague's market today, from every listing Bytky tracks:
On Bytky, a flat to rent that asks far less than similar flats nearby carries a caution beside its fair price, telling you to check the condition and the terms. If its rent is so far from the rest that it can't be compared at all, Bytky says so and gives no verdict. A low rent can have honest reasons, such as a flat that needs work, a long commute or a landlord in a hurry, but it's the moment to slow down, not to hurry.
You can check any address yourself. The price check shows what similar flats around it ask:
Eine typische Größe für diese Aufteilung. Ändere sie auf deine.
0 ist das Erdgeschoss.
Karte. Klick, um die Immobilie zu platzieren; die ähnlichen Immobilien sind nummeriert.
Such eine Adresse oder klick auf die Karte, um die Immobilie zu platzieren.
Such eine Adresse oder klick auf die Karte, um die Immobilie zu platzieren.
How do you check who owns the flat?
The land register (katastr nemovitostí) is public, and you can look up any flat for free on the cadastre's viewer, Nahlížení do katastru nemovitostí (nahlizenidokn.cuzk.gov.cz), without registering.2
- Ask the landlord for the building number (číslo popisné) and the flat's unit number (číslo jednotky). In Prague the building number is the one on the red plate; the blue one is the street number.
- In the viewer, choose to search for a unit (jednotka), pick the town and the cadastral area (katastrální území), and enter both numbers. If the flat isn't a separate unit, search for the building instead.
- Open the record and its title sheet (list vlastnictví). It names the owner. You may be asked to type a check code or sign in to see the name.
- Compare the name with the person you're dealing with.
If the names don't match, it isn't necessarily a scam: the flat may be let by a tenant, a relative or a company. Then ask for the papers that give them the right: the tenant's own lease and the owner's written consent to sublet, or a power of attorney. A real landlord has them. A scammer stops answering.
How do you check an agency?
Real-estate brokerage (realitní zprostředkování) is a licensed trade in Czechia, so an agency must hold the trade licence for it.3 You can look a company up for free in the trade register (rzp.gov.cz) by its name or its company number (IČO).
A real agency also has compulsory liability insurance and shows you the policy if you ask.4 If it charges you a fee, it signs a written brokerage contract with you, and on the day you sign, it must hand you an extract from the land register for the flat, no more than three working days old.5 An agency may hold your money only if you ask in writing, and only in a separate bank account in its name.6
Watch for fake agencies, too: a name and logo copied from a real one, with a different phone number or email. Contact the agency through the details in the trade register or on its own website, not the ones in the message.
How should you pay?
- Only after the viewing and the signed lease. Read the lease before you sign: The Czech lease, clause by clause goes through it.
- By bank transfer, to an account in the name of the landlord or the agency you've checked. Never in cash without a receipt, and never by a money-transfer service, crypto or gift cards.
- No more than the law allows. The deposit and any penalties together can't exceed three months' rent, and the landlord may not ask for other payments besides the rent and the charges.7
- Keep everything: the listing, the messages, the lease and the receipts.
What if you've already paid?
Act at once. The sooner you report it, the better the chance of stopping the money.
- Call your bank and ask it to stop or recall the payment.
- Report it to the police, on 158 or at any police station. Fraud is a crime under the Criminal Code.8 Bring the listing, the messages and the payment details.
- Report the listing to the site you found it on, so it comes down before someone else pays.
Be wary of anyone who then contacts you offering to get your money back for a fee.
How Bytky helps you avoid one
Bytky shows every flat beside the similar flats nearby, so a rent that's too good stands out. Each listing also shows how long it's been on the market and how its price has moved, and a free account shows every earlier listing of the same flat. Bytky matches listings of the same flat by location, size, layout and photos, so you can see whether it's listed elsewhere now, and at what price.
Is a flat below the fair price always a scam?
No. A low rent can have honest reasons, such as the flat's condition, the terms or a landlord in a hurry. It's a reason to check the flat and the landlord, not to pay quickly.
The owner is abroad and will send the keys by courier. Is that a scam?
Treat it as one. It's the pattern the Czech police warn about. Don't pay anything until you or someone you trust has seen the flat and met the landlord.
Can I check who owns a flat for free?
Yes. The cadastre's viewer, Nahlížení do katastru nemovitostí, is free and needs no registration. Search with the building number and the flat's unit number.
Is it normal to pay a reservation fee to an agency?
Some agencies ask for one to hold a flat, under a written reservation agreement. Pay it only to an agency you've checked in the trade register, after a viewing, by bank transfer, and read what happens to it if no lease is signed.
Can I get my money back?
Sometimes, if you act fast. Call your bank at once and report the fraud to the police. The longer you wait, the less likely it is.
Sources
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Police of the Czech Republic, "Varování před podvodnými pronájmy bytů" (2017) and "Pozor při podezřele nízkých cenách pronájmu" (2019), archiv.policie.gov.cz. ↩
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Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre (ČÚZK), Nahlížení do katastru nemovitostí. ↩
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Trade Licensing Act (Act 455/1991 Coll.), Annex 2, as amended by the Real Estate Brokerage Act (Act 39/2020 Coll.), §24. ↩
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Real Estate Brokerage Act (Act 39/2020 Coll.), §7 and §8. ↩
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Real Estate Brokerage Act (Act 39/2020 Coll.), §9 and §11. ↩
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Real Estate Brokerage Act (Act 39/2020 Coll.), §4. ↩
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Civil Code (Act 89/2012 Coll.), §2251(2) and §2254. ↩
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Criminal Code (Act 40/2009 Coll.), §209. ↩
