ACCOMODATION
BUT dormitories
BUT has dormitories available for short-terms stays, which you can also use after your arrival before you find some other accommodation. For more information, see: http://www.kam.vutbr.cz/english/
Rental
Most foreigners opt for renting a flat or house. If you decide to do so too, there are a few things you should be aware of.
Who to deal with
It’s best to deal with a reputable agency. While individuals also can and do offer flats and houses to rent, problems may arise if you decide to rent from a private individual, particularly when it comes to obtaining proof of ownership (needed for official purposes – see below). Good agencies will make sure that the person leasing the flat is legally entitled to do so, and that the lease contract contains all the necessary and standard provisions. The usual fee (commission) charged by an agency is equivalent to one month’s rent.
Lease contract
You should, of course, be in a position to understand exactly what you are signing. Any agency accustomed to dealing with foreigners should be able to provide you with a lease contract in both English and Czech (the latter having legal force should there be any question as to interpretation). Many can also supply versions in other major languages.
Ownership of the property
Ownership of the property you wish to rent must be proven through an extract from the property register. This document is important for two reasons.
1. Only the owner (or an individual with power of attorney to represent the owner) can lease a flat or house. However, many flats in the Czech Republic are in fact owned by local authorities, and it is illegal to sublet these flats. Only an extract from the property register can give you the confidence that you are renting the flat legally.
2. In order to register for a long-term stay with the police, you will need to show them your lease (in Czech), an extract from the property register indicating the owner of the flat, and a declaration by the owner (“čestné prohlášení”) – signed before a notary public – that states s/he is indeed renting the property to you.
Rent and security deposit
Rent is usually paid monthly, in advance. Rents may be quoted in one of two ways. The first is the basic rent for the flat/house alone plus the cost of the utilities (electricity, water, gas), which come separately. The second is an overall rent inclusive of the utilities. When a particular rent is quoted, you should make sure which of these two systems it works with. If the utilities are calculated separately, their approximate cost per month is then added to this basic rent to make up the rent you will actually pay each month. (This will be stated in the lease contract.) Once a year the landlord will calculate your real consumption of electricity, water and gas; depending on the results, you will either receive a refund or be required to pay an additional sum to make up the difference. Usually the lease also includes a security deposit, in most cases equal to one month’s rent. This is paid at the beginning of the lease and kept by the landlord to be returned at the end of the lease, unless damage has been caused to the property. In this case, the landlord can retain part or all of the security deposit to cover the damage.
Hand-over record
The lease, or (more often) a record attached to it, may contain a description of the condition of the flat, its equipment, readings of the utility metres, etc. The latter in particular is important. You should check that the figures listed for the metres correspond to the actual readings; otherwise, you might be in for a big surprise when the annual statement of your consumption of electricity, water and gas comes in. The same is true of the description of the flat; you do not want to be held responsible for damage that was actually caused before you started renting the place, or be accused of having made off with something that was not there in the first place.
Duration of the lease
Most leases are signed for a period of one year. They may have a clause allowing the lease to be terminated early, in which case the notice period can vary from one to three months. Otherwise, Czech law states that in cases where you wish to terminate the lease early (or where no termination date has been specified, though this is uncommon, especially in leases for foreigners), you must give three months’ notice.
Watch out
A new Civil Code has been introduced allowing verbal contracts, which you can make use of to deal with certain matters faster (in case your landlord is away and you need to make some changes). Usually, this part of your contract should be added to the written one as soon as possible. But it has not to be the case. A verbal contract is binding in same way as a written one.