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How to rent out your apartment step by step — a beginner's guide

Renting out a flat for the first time? We'll walk you through the whole process — from preparing the flat and setting the rent, through screening the tenant and the lease, to tax and day-to-day management.

16 June 2026
How to rent out your apartment step by step — a beginner's guide
In this article
  1. Step 1: Prepare the flat
  2. Step 2: Set the rent
  3. Step 3: Write the listing and find a tenant
  4. Step 4: Screen the tenant
  5. Step 5: Sign the lease
  6. Step 6: Deposit and handover report
  7. Step 7: Settle the tax
  8. Step 8: Manage day to day
  9. Easier with SmartRentier
  10. Frequently asked questions

Step 1: Prepare the flat

Make sure it's clean, the installations work and it has basic furnishings. Take a full set of well-lit photos — useful for both the listing and the handover report. Note the meter readings.

Step 2: Set the rent

Check prices of similar flats nearby and add up your costs so you don't price too low.

Step 3: Write the listing and find a tenant

A good listing has a concrete description, a full photo set, the floor area, the rent and charges, and the rules (deposit, pets, number of occupants). The more you answer up front, the fewer random calls.

Step 4: Screen the tenant

Before signing, verify the candidate — identity, income and optionally debtor registers. See the full process in How to screen a tenant before signing.

Step 5: Sign the lease

Prepare a lease with all the essentials — see Residential lease agreement — what it must contain. For extra safety, consider an occasional lease.

Step 6: Deposit and handover report

Take a deposit (usually 1–3 months' rent) and, when handing over the keys, prepare a handover report with photos.

Once the tenant moves in, they have 30 days to fulfil the address registration obligation — your role is to confirm the fact of residence, not to grant permission. Details in the article on registering a tenant.

Step 7: Settle the tax

Rental income must be taxed — usually via a lump-sum. See our guides for the practical side of managing arrears, and check your local rules for filing deadlines.

Step 8: Manage day to day

Renting out isn't the end of the work: track payments, settle utilities, handle repairs and never miss a deadline (lease end, inspections, indexation). This is where chaos creeps in — and where a system helps most.

Easier with SmartRentier

SmartRentier guides you through the start with an onboarding wizard, then keeps tenants, documents, payments and meters in one place — with automatic deadline reminders. Ideal when you're renting out your first flat and don't want to miss a thing.

Start for free — the Kawalerka plan is free forever, no card required. You only pay when you need more properties.

Frequently asked questions

Is an energy performance certificate required to let a flat?

Yes. Since 28 April 2023 the owner must obtain a certificate when letting the property and hand the tenant a copy on signing, recording that fact in the agreement. The certificate is issued by a qualified assessor and is valid for 10 years. Failing to provide it carries a fine, and the tenant may demand the document.

Can a flat with a mortgage be let?

Usually yes, but check the loan agreement: many banks require notice of letting or their consent, and some require the insurance assignment to be updated. Ignoring such a clause breaches the loan agreement and, in an extreme case, gives the bank grounds to terminate it.

Is the consent of a spouse or co-owner needed to let a property?

Where the property belongs to the marital joint estate, giving it over for use requires the other spouse consent (Art. 37(1)(1) of the Family and Guardianship Code). With fractional co-ownership, letting normally goes beyond ordinary management, so it is safest to have every co-owner sign, or hold a power of attorney from them.

Can a flat be let room by room?

Yes, but each room needs a separate agreement with its own tenant and a clear key for splitting common-area charges and utilities — otherwise the settlement ends in an argument between occupants. Check the waste charge too: most municipalities calculate it per person, so the declaration has to be updated.

Your first tenancy without sticky notes

A first rental means a dozen things to remember at once. SmartRentier keeps them from day one — tenant details, deadlines, payments and meter readings in one dashboard.

Start for free

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Handover report — what must it contain?

The handover report is the statutory basis for settlement when the flat is returned. See which items you cannot skip, how to describe wear so the description means something, and what to do if the tenant refuses to sign.

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How to screen a tenant before signing the lease

A few minutes of screening can save you months of chasing unpaid rent. See what you can legally check — from identity and income to debtor registers — without breaching GDPR.

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