Renting a property in Slovenia

WHAT

To rent a property, you can contact the owner of the property directly or find a property through real estate agencies. Before moving-in you will be required to sign a written contract that typically includes the following information:

your personal information, personal information of other tenants over 18 years of age and personal information of the owner of the property,
description of the apartment (the condition that apartment is in and if it is furnished)
specification of all costs of renting, including tax and utility costs (electricity, water, gas, etc.)
amount of the deposit,
the duration of renting,
rights and responsibilities of the tenant and the owner.

The tenant has the right:

to habitable home,
to use the property in accordance with the rental agreement,
to make necessary repairs at his own expense and then deduct the repair costs from the rent payment.

The tenant has the responsibility to:

to notify the landlord of the defect or the disturbance (material or legal) for which the landlord is liable to address,
to enable the landlord to enter the dwelling at least two times a year after advance notice in order to make inspections, make necessary repairs, supply necessary services,
to obtain the landlord’s consent, if the dwelling is to be used by the guest for more than sixty days in the three-month period,
cover the costs of damages caused by neglect of the dwelling.

The tenant is not allowed:

to alternate and improve the dwelling its equipment and devices without a written consent of the landlord,
to re-rent the apartment without a written consent of the landlord.

WHO

Anyone over 18 years of age.

WHEN

It can take time to find suitable accommodation. Start looking for accommodation early, especially in cities. Moreover, the prices might go up at the end of summer when a lot of students are searching for apartments, so might want to search for apartment before or after that period.

Good to know

Real estate agencies will charge a fee for their services.

STEPS

STEP 1 – Finding accommodation: In finding the accommodation you can be assisted by private agencies dealing in purchase, sale or rent of real estate, or you can look up advertisements in printed media and the internet. The price of property depends on the location, size, age and fittings of the property concerned and changes constantly in accordance with supply and demand. Property prices are highest in the capital Ljubljana and at the coast.

STEP 2 – Renting: You will need only a valid identity document in order to rent a property and sign a rental agreement. Registration of the rental agreement and tax payments are performed by the landlord. If you decide to rent a flat, an agreement with its owner – which needs to be authenticated by a notary – is usually signed. Slovenian citizenship is a condition for renting a non-profit accommodation by the municipality.

STEP 3 – Registration of temporary address: After you sign the rental agreement, you have to register a temporary residence within 3 days. The registration is compulsory and free of charge. You can register in person at any administrative unit in the Republic of Slovenia or at the online portal E-uprava, if you have a digital certificate. To register you need to provide a valid identity document and a document which proves that you can reside at the given address (a rental agreement, written agreement from the property owner). Registration of temporary address is valid for one year. After that period you need to prolong the registration within 8 days.