Something breaks. You message the landlord. The landlord says "that's a tenant repair." Is it, though, or is that just the easier thing for them to say?
Czech law actually answers this question, in detail, with specific CZK amounts. The problem is that the answer lives in a Civil Code paragraph and a government regulation, not in your lease, and most leases don't spell it out clearly, especially once translated. This guide breaks down the legal split so you know before you pay.
Key Takeaways
- Czech law (Civil Code §2205 and §2257, with limits set by Government Regulation 308/2015 Sb.) splits apartment repairs into two legal buckets: tenant minor repairs and landlord duties
- As of 2026, tenant-paid minor repairs are capped at 1,500 CZK per repair and 150 CZK per m² of floor area per year, up from 1,000 CZK and 100 CZK/m²
- Everything outside that defined list, structural issues, major appliance failures, building systems, is the landlord's responsibility
- If a landlord doesn't fix a notified defect "without undue delay," a tenant may claim a rent reduction or arrange the repair themselves
What is the legal basis for splitting repairs in Czech rentals?
The Czech Civil Code (zákon č. 89/2012 Sb.) sets this out directly. Section 2205 obliges the landlord to keep the flat in a condition fit for the purpose it was rented for. Section 2257 obliges the tenant to carry out and pay for "běžná údržba" (ordinary maintenance) and "drobné opravy" (minor repairs) connected with using the flat.
What counts as "minor" isn't left to interpretation. Government Regulation (Nařízení vlády) č. 308/2015 Sb. defines the exact list and the exact CZK limits. This matters because it means the split isn't a matter of custom, or what your landlord feels like agreeing to.
It also means a lease can't simply override it. Residential tenants are treated as the weaker party under Czech law, so a clause shifting a landlord's legal repair duties onto the tenant, say, making you responsible for a building's riser pipes, is void even if you signed it.
What counts as a "minor repair" you have to pay for?
As of 1 January 2026, tenant-paid minor repairs are capped at 1,500 CZK per repair, up from 1,000 CZK, and 150 CZK per m² of the flat's floor area per year, up from 100 CZK/m² (Government Regulation č. 308/2015 Sb.). Once your total minor repairs for the year cross that per-m² ceiling, anything further in that calendar year stops counting as "minor," even if each individual item is small.
The regulation lists concrete examples: light switches, door and window handles, seals, tap and mixer fittings, sockets, doorbells, circuit breakers, unblocking drains, and small kitchen or bathroom fixture repairs. As of the 2026 update, tenants also have to arrange and pay for periodic inspection and cleaning of solid-fuel, gas, and electric heaters, flues, and etážové topení boiler units, not just the appliance repairs themselves.
What is the landlord legally required to fix?
Anything outside that defined list falls to the landlord, under the general standard in Section 2205 that the flat must stay in a condition fit for habitation. That covers structural issues, building systems, and any single repair or appliance failure whose cost sits above the 1,500 CZK minor-repair threshold.
Concretely: a failing washing machine or dishwasher above that cost, a leaking riser pipe (stoupačka), damp or structural damage, and wiring problems beyond a single socket or switch are the landlord's responsibility, not yours. The boiler's own failure is typically the landlord's cost too, separate from the routine cleaning and inspection duty that now sits with the tenant.
Quick lookup: who pays for what?
Here's a scannable version of the split, built from the Government Regulation 308/2015 Sb. list. When in doubt, the underlying rule is simple: small, everyday items under the CZK threshold are yours; anything structural, major, or above that threshold is the landlord's.
| Repair | Who pays | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Light switch or socket | Tenant | Listed minor repair, low cost |
| Door or window handle | Tenant | Listed minor repair |
| Dripping tap, worn seal | Tenant | Listed minor repair |
| Doorbell | Tenant | Listed minor repair |
| Blocked drain | Tenant | Listed minor repair, routine use |
| Routine boiler/flue cleaning and inspection | Tenant | New 2026 tenant duty |
| Circuit breaker replacement | Tenant | Listed minor repair |
| Washing machine or dishwasher repair over 1,500 CZK | Landlord | Above the minor-repair threshold |
| Boiler unit failure (not routine cleaning) | Landlord | Major appliance, not on the minor-repair list |
| Riser pipe (stoupačka) leak | Landlord | Building system, not tenant-controlled |
| Structural damp or damage | Landlord | Outside minor-repair scope, habitability duty |
| Wiring beyond a single socket | Landlord | Beyond minor electrical repairs |
A lease clause that tries to shift any of the landlord's items above onto you isn't enforceable. Czech tenancy law protects the tenant as the weaker party, so that kind of clause is void regardless of what you signed.
What if the landlord won't fix something?
Once you've properly notified the landlord of a defect that falls on their side, and they don't act "bez zbytečného odkladu" (without undue delay), you have real leverage: a reasonable rent reduction, or arranging the repair yourself and deducting a reasonable cost.
The law doesn't define "undue delay" as a fixed number of days, it's judged case by case. In practice, a documented non-response over one to two weeks on something non-urgent, or any delay at all on something urgent like no heat or no water, is generally enough to act on. Notify in writing, email or WhatsApp both count as a written record, and keep photos and dated messages before you arrange anything yourself. That paper trail is what protects you if the cost is later disputed.
When it genuinely is your repair to arrange, or the landlord has stalled and you're handling it yourself, Tool Connect removes the language barrier. You describe the problem in English, the provider receives it in Czech, and their reply comes back to you in English, translated automatically in both directions. Neither side needs the other's language.
FAQ
Who pays for a broken washing machine in a Czech rental?
It depends on the repair cost. If the fix falls under 1,500 CZK and is on the defined minor-repair list, it's the tenant's. In practice, most washing machine and dishwasher repairs exceed that threshold or fall outside the list entirely, which makes them the landlord's cost (Government Regulation 308/2015 Sb.).
What's the CZK limit for tenant-paid repairs in 2026?
1,500 CZK per repair and 150 CZK per m² of floor area per year, both raised from 1,000 CZK and 100 CZK/m² as of 1 January 2026 (Government Regulation 308/2015 Sb.). Above either limit, the cost is no longer treated as a tenant "minor repair."
Can my lease say I have to pay for everything?
No. A clause shifting the landlord's legal repair duties, like riser pipes or major system repairs, onto the tenant is void. Czech law protects residential tenants as the weaker party, so this kind of clause doesn't hold even if it's written into a signed lease.
What does "without undue delay" mean in practice?
The Civil Code doesn't set a fixed number of days. It's judged on the circumstances: a non-urgent issue left unaddressed for one to two weeks after written notice, or any delay on an urgent issue like heating or water, generally counts as undue delay and gives you grounds to act.
Do I need Czech to get a repair done?
No. On a platform like Tool Connect, you write in English, the provider reads your message in Czech, and their reply is translated back to English automatically. The translation runs in both directions, so neither you nor the provider needs the other's language.
Sources and Data
| Data point | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Landlord's duty to maintain habitable condition | Civil Code §2205 | zákon č. 89/2012 Sb. |
| Tenant's duty to pay ordinary maintenance and minor repairs | Civil Code §2257 | zákon č. 89/2012 Sb. |
| Tenant minor-repair cap per repair, 2026 | 1,500 CZK (up from 1,000 CZK) | Government Regulation č. 308/2015 Sb. |
| Tenant minor-repair annual cap per m² | 150 CZK/m² (up from 100 CZK/m²) | Government Regulation č. 308/2015 Sb. |
| New 2026 tenant duty | Periodic inspection and cleaning of heaters, flues, boiler units | Government Regulation č. 308/2015 Sb. |
| Landlord must remedy notified defects | "Without undue delay" (bez zbytečného odkladu) | Civil Code tenant-protection provisions |
| Foreign nationals living in Czechia | Over 1 million | Czech Statistical Office |