Guides and free tools
Renting and buying in Czechia as a foreigner
You can rent or buy a home here whatever your passport says. What changes is the paperwork, the words in the listings and the traps. Read the guides in this order, then check any flat against live prices.
Renting: start here
From the documents and the layouts to signing the lease and getting your deposit back.
- Step 1Renting a flat in Czechia as a foreignerWhat a newcomer needs to rent a flat in Czechia, which lease works for a visa or residence permit, when to report your address and what an agency may charge.8 min read
- Step 2What 2+kk, 3+1 and the other Czech flat layouts meanHow to read a Czech flat's layout code, what the number counts, what kk and +1 mean, what a garsoniéra is and how to compare floor areas between listings.6 min read
- Step 3Panel or brick? Czech building types and the energy label explainedWhat panelák, cihla and skelet mean on a Czech listing, what living in each is like, what the energy label (PENB) measures and why so many flats show a G.9 min read
- Step 4The Czech lease, clause by clauseWhat each clause of a Czech flat lease means, what the Civil Code allows and what changed in 2026, with a checklist of what to check before you sign.10 min read
- Step 5Electricity, gas and internet in a Czech flatWho supplies a Czech flat's electricity, gas and internet, how to take over or open a contract when you move in, switch supplier, read the yearly bill and leave an internet contract, with the law behind each step.9 min read
- Step 6How to spot a rental scam in CzechiaThe rental scams Czech police warn about, how to check who owns a flat on the land register, how to check an agency and what to do if you've already paid.7 min read
- Step 7Prague's neighbourhoods: a guide for newcomersTen Prague neighbourhoods, from Vinohrady and Karlín to Dejvice and Břevnov. What each is like, how it's connected, and its market live from today's listings.7 min read
Buying: start here
Whether you can buy, how a purchase goes from offer to the land register, and how a Czech mortgage works for a foreigner.
- Step 1Can foreigners buy property in Czechia?Yes, on the same terms as Czechs. What you can own, how to check a flat in the land register, what you need as a buyer from abroad and which taxes you pay.8 min read
- Step 2Buying a flat in Czechia, step by stepFrom the first viewing to your name in the land register. The checks, the reservation, the contract, the escrow and the cadastre, and what to do once the flat is yours.8 min read
- Step 3Getting a mortgage in Czechia as a foreignerWhat Czech banks ask of foreign buyers, how much ČNB lets them lend, how the fixed rate works and when you can deduct the interest from your tax.8 min read
- Step 4Buying a new build off-plan in CzechiaHow buying a flat that isn't built yet works in Czechia. The reservation, the future purchase contract, how your payments are protected, VAT, the handover and defects, and the mortgage.12 min read
- Step 5Buying a cooperative flat in CzechiaWhat you buy with a Czech cooperative flat (družstevní byt), how the share is transferred, what to check in the cooperative before you pay, how to pay without a usual mortgage, and escrow.9 min read
- Step 6What 2+kk, 3+1 and the other Czech flat layouts meanHow to read a Czech flat's layout code, what the number counts, what kk and +1 mean, what a garsoniéra is and how to compare floor areas between listings.6 min read
- Step 7Panel or brick? Czech building types and the energy label explainedWhat panelák, cihla and skelet mean on a Czech listing, what living in each is like, what the energy label (PENB) measures and why so many flats show a G.9 min read
- Step 8Prague's neighbourhoods: a guide for newcomersTen Prague neighbourhoods, from Vinohrady and Karlín to Dejvice and Břevnov. What each is like, how it's connected, and its market live from today's listings.7 min read
Guides by city
Where to live and what renting costs, city by city, with each city’s neighbourhoods ranked by the finder.
Prague
- Prague's neighbourhoods: a guide for newcomers7 min read
- What renting a flat in Prague really costs5 min read
Brno
- Where to live in Brno: a neighbourhood guide for newcomers8 min read
- Renting a flat in Brno: what it costs and how the market works6 min read
Work out the numbers
Free, with no account, on today's asking prices and rents.
- Neighbourhood finderNewWhere in Prague or Brno should I live, for my budget, my commute and what matters to me?You need: a budget, and what matters to youOpen
- Compare two areasNewWhich of two areas is cheaper, quieter, greener or better connected?You need: two area namesOpen
- Rents and prices by cityNewWhat does a flat ask to rent or to buy in each Czech city?You need: nothingOpen
- Salary to rentNewWhat is my Czech salary net, and what rent fits it?You need: your gross payOpen
- Moving checklistNewWhat do I do, and by when, when I move to Czechia?You need: your citizenshipOpen
- Viewing checklistNewWhat should I check and ask at a flat viewing, and how do I ask it in Czech?You need: renting or buyingOpen
- Proof of accommodationNewHow do I prove where I live for a visa or residence permit, and what does my landlord sign?You need: the owner’s and your detailsOpen
- Expat paperworkNewWhat do I report to the foreign police or the Interior Ministry, and by when?You need: your residence statusOpen
- Move-in costsNewHow much cash do I need to move into a rented flat, and is the deposit legal?You need: the rent, or a flat to rentOpen
- Rent increase checkNewCan my landlord raise the rent this much, and what happens if I say no?You need: your lease’s rents and the proposalOpen
- End of leaseNewWhen does my lease end, does my landlord’s notice hold, and when do I get my deposit back?You need: a few dates from your leaseOpen
- Service-charge settlementNewDid my landlord’s yearly settlement come on time, and what can I object to?You need: the settlement’s dates and its itemsOpen
- Who pays for a repairNewIs this repair mine or my landlord’s, and how much of my yearly cap is left?You need: what broke, its cost and your flat’s sizeOpen
- Handover recordNewWhat goes in the handover record when I move in or out, and how do I fill it in?You need: the flat’s rooms, meters and keysOpen
- Rent or buyNewWould buying leave me better off than renting, and from which year?You need: a price and a rent, or an areaOpen
- Mortgage calculatorNewHow much could I borrow, what would it cost a month, and which flats does it buy?You need: your income and savings, or a priceOpen
- The map of every listingWhat's on the market now, with the total monthly cost and a fair price on each?You need: nothingOpen
- Price checkWhat do homes like mine ask to buy and to rent nearby?You need: an address or a pin on the mapOpen
- Property glossaryNewWhat do 2+kk, kauce, SVJ and the other words on Czech listings and contracts mean?You need: nothingOpen
Also worth reading
Every guide for newcomers
RentingWhat renting a flat in Prague really costs
The rent, the monthly charges, the deposit and the yearly settlement. What a flat in Prague costs to rent, with live figures from every listing.
17 October 2026 · 5 min read
BuyingWhat buying a flat in Czechia costs on top of the price
The cadastre fee, the lawyer and escrow, the deposit a bank wants and the costs of owning. What buying a flat in Czechia costs beyond its price.
17 October 2026 · 4 min read
MarketIs the asking price fair? How to check a flat's price
How to tell whether a flat's asking price or rent is fair. Compare it with similar homes nearby, read its price history and check any address in Czechia.
17 October 2026 · 4 min read
Know what a flat is worth before you call.
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