When moving to a new country, finding a new place to call home is definitely one of the first (and possibly also one of the biggest) challenges.
However, what happens once you have found the perfect place? What matters should you watch out for?
Let’s discover them together!
Review your lease agreement
The first thing we suggest, before signing the lease agreement, is to carefully review it. Especially, always make sure that the property is legally owned by the person stated in the agreement.
To find out, you can try to navigate the information through the cadastre website here. You may find out that the person who signed the contract is not legally entitled to do so or that you are simply signing a sublease without being informed.
This is important to know as sublease agreements do not protect tenants to the same extent of lease agreements.
For example, if the tenant who subleases the room or apartment to you breaches the contract with the landlord, the contract can be immediately terminated and you will be evicted from the property without any rights to a time notice or compensation. Because of this, always make sure to be provided with all legal documents relating to the ownership of the property and evidence between the landlord and the tenant clearly stating that the last has the right to sublease the property.
Moreover, a proper review of the lease agreement may be essential for further dealing with authorities (i.e. when applying for a Residence Permit in the Czech Republic, an extension of a Residence Permit or reporting a change of your address at the Ministry of Interior).
Take pictures of the property
Before moving in, during the handover from the landlord, we advise that you take pictures of the property down to the details. This is to ensure that you take account of any defect present. Make sure to then share with the landlord the pictures you took, so that clear evidence exists of the condition of the apartment when it was handed over to you.
If it is possible to repair any of the present defects, agree with the owner on the steps to take with a specific deadline for completion. Make sure to write it down in the handover protocol and have it signed by the landlord. Otherwise, make a point to keep the pictures to be used, if needed, when you will be leaving the property at the end of your lease.
Report the change of your address
Once you have selected a new property to move into, you are responsible for reporting the change of your address to the authorities:
- Non-EU citizens holding a visa for a stay over 90 days or a Long-term Residence Permit are required to report a change in the place of residence in the Czech Republic within 30 days of it occurring if the change in the place of residence is expected to last longer than 30 days.
- Non-EU citizens holding a Permanent Residence Permit are required to report a change in the place of residence in the Czech Republic within 30 days of it occurring if the change in the place of residence is expected to last longer than 180 days.
- EU citizens or their family members that are holders of Temporary/Permanent Residency are required to report a change in the place of residence within 30 working days of this change occurring. This obligation applies if the change in the place of residence is expected to last longer than 180 days.
If you are not sure how to proceed properly, contact us! We will be happy to help you!
