Housing

How to find housing

• Online portals – e.g. nehnutelnosti.sk, reality.sk, byt.sk. Be especially careful on classified-ad sites.
• Estate agency – can help but usually charges a commission. Ask about it in advance and get it in writing.
• Community – recommendations from people you know, but always with a written contract.
• Employer – some companies offer a hostel or flat. See Workers’ hostels and employer housing.
• First weeks – until you find a flat you can stay short-term (hotel, hostel, short-term rental). For a residence application, however, you need accommodation for at least 6 months.

Before signing, ask the landlord whether they will give you a document for your residence application (see the next section). Without it, the foreign police will not process your application.

Housing and your residence permit

With a residence application (including renewals) you submit proof of accommodation for at least 6 months. This can be:

• a rental contract or a title deed – list vlastníctva (original or certified copy),
• a declaration by the owner that they will provide accommodation – with the owner’s officially certified signature and the title deed attached,
• a confirmation from a hostel or hotel of accommodation for at least 6 months, with stamp and signature of the responsible person.

Size of the flat: the flat must match the number of occupants – as a guide, at least 12 m² of living space for the first person and 6 m² for each additional person. This matters especially for family reunification.

Moving? Report your new address to the foreign police and apply for a new residence card – according to available information within 5 working days of the change. Bring proof of the new accommodation. More in Residence.

The address on your residence card must be where you actually live. A fictitious address can lead to a fine or cancellation of your residence.

Viewing a flat – checklist

• Is the landlord really the owner? Check on katasterportal.sk (title deed).
• How much is the rent and the advance payments for utilities? Ask to see the last annual statement.
• Condition: heating, windows, mould, damp, appliances, locks.
• How many people may live there, and can your spouse and children move in?
• Will the owner give you a residence document with a certified signature?
• Is there internet, and who pays the waste fee?
• Take photos of the flat at the viewing and when you move in.

Rental contract

• Rent – the monthly amount and due date.
• Utilities – electricity, gas, water, heating. Often paid as monthly advances with an annual settlement (overpayments are refunded, shortfalls you pay).
• Deposit (kaucia) – usually 1–2 months’ rent. It must be returned at the end of the tenancy if you have not damaged the flat and owe nothing.
• Term and notice – the lease can be fixed-term or indefinite. For an indefinite lease the notice period is at least 3 months, and the landlord may give notice only on legal grounds.
• Residence – the owner’s consent to registering your residence at the address.
• Who may live there – number of occupants and whether you may sublet (only with the landlord’s consent).
• Handover report – inventory, meter readings and the condition of the flat with photos, at move-in and move-out.

Contracts are usually in Slovak. Do not sign anything you do not understand – have it translated or explained. Pay by bank transfer, not in cash without a receipt.

Monthly housing costs

• Rent – highest in Bratislava, lower in smaller towns and in the east.
• Service advances – heating, hot water, water, lift, cleaning of common areas.
• Electricity and gas – if not included in the advances, you pay the supplier directly. You can choose your supplier.
• Internet and mobile – contracts are often for 24 months; beware of early-termination charges. More in Life in Slovakia.
• Municipal waste fee – paid to the municipality by everyone registered there. The amount and deadline vary by town.
• Home insurance – not compulsory but recommended (theft, water, fire, damage to neighbours).

If you have a low income, see support in Family and social support.

Workers’ hostels and employer housing

• Ask for a written contract or accommodation confirmation – you also need it for your residence permit.
• Find out how many people share a room and what the bathroom and kitchen facilities are like.
• Accommodation may be deducted from your wages only if agreed in writing. Check your payslip.
• Ask how long you can stay if your job ends.
• Neither your employer nor an agency may keep your passport or residence card.

When you change hostel or job, remember to report your new address to the foreign police.

Beware of scams

• Fake listings – price too low, beautiful photos, „the owner is abroad“.
• Payment in advance – never pay before viewing the flat and signing the contract.
• Renting without a contract – you have no protection and cannot register your residence.
• Selling an „address for residence“ – buying an accommodation confirmation for a place where you will not live is illegal and puts your residence at risk.
• Copies of documents – do not send a photo of your passport to strangers.

Problems with your landlord

1. Communicate in writing (email, text, letter) and keep the contract, payment receipts and photos.
2. Deposit not returned – send a written demand with a deadline, referring to the handover report.
3. Changing the locks, cutting off utilities or evicting without notice is not legal. If there is a threat of violence, call the police on 158 or 112.
4. Free advice – IOM MIC (legal advice for foreigners) or the Legal Aid Centre (if you are eligible).
5. Court – if you cannot agree, a court decides the dispute.

Buying property

Foreigners can buy a flat or house in Slovakia. Agricultural land is restricted.

• Mortgage – harder to get without permanent residence.
• Land registry – check the owner and encumbrances (debts on the property) on katasterportal.sk.
• Property tax – the owner pays it to the municipality every year. The return is due by 31 January of the year after the purchase.
• Repair fund – flat owners pay monthly into the building’s repair fund.

Have a lawyer check the purchase contract. Send money through a notary’s or lawyer’s escrow account.

Frequently asked questions

Housing vocabulary

• nájomca – tenant · prenajímateľ – landlord
• kaucia / zábezpeka – deposit
• zálohy / vyúčtovanie – monthly advances / annual settlement
• výpoveď, výpovedná lehota – notice, notice period
• list vlastníctva (LV) – title deed from the land registry
• úradne overený podpis – officially certified signature (registry office or notary)
• správca domu – building management company
• odovzdávací protokol – handover report