Seek and you shall find…
Cheap phone calls. Where to live for the first days…. How not to waste your time? Checking apartments with phone? The basic requirements…Prices, the real estate law…
What is important in apartments? Where might be a future problem? What is vital to negotiate? Meet with the Landlord .Bills .Utilities. Moving cheap from place to place in Prague. When you will understand that you have found the right one. more…
1. What you need to start, where to stay temporarily, how to organise it…
»In Prague there are a many solutions for staying somewhere temporarily till you find a good apartment.
Remember you will stay in the flat for a year of your life or more… so it is wise not to hurry to find something fast and furious. Looking for a flat that way is not a bad approach though but it is not the best.
See links for a complete list of Hostels, pensions, share rooms, cheap solutions but also if you can afford it to stay for 10 to 15 days, hotels and small apartments and also some places for share a couch.
You must have with you all the time while looking
a.Map of Prague (a map with all the names of the streets and roads in Prague vicinity)
Go to an Information centre (TIC) there is one in MUSTEK metro station TIC Můstek, subway of Můstek station, Line B, beneath the Jungmannovo Square
Open: Monday - Friday: 07.00 a.m. - 06.00 p.m. Phone: (00420) 222 646 350
You can find there for free in English:
timetables of tram and bus services (from any stop you like)
map of Prague with PT network
information chart of PT network
timetables of night tram and bus services
You can get free of charge e.g.:
leaflets with information on impending and current service interruptions, rerouting and some other current information materials.
In addition to ordinary single tickets available on the spot from installed ticket vending machines these centres sell also short-term season tickets valid for 24 hours or 3, 7 and 15 days.
The offer of paid services includes also xerographic copying as required by the customer.
Some information about public transport is also available on vehicles, at surface transport stops, at Metro stations and at ticket agents of the Šoch company
b.Mobile phone, it is better when you come to Prague to buy a local number because it will come cheaper in the end. Don’t close a contract for a year because 10.000CZK needed for deposit. Just buy a number and then buy credits, of course if you buy for a year you will be in a better calling program and than means better prices.
Very good signal coverage for Czech Republic has T -mobile, O2 and Vodafone.
c. Digital Camera. It can be useful but is not needed so much. If your mobile has a built in digital camera, even better.
d.Notepad or printed copies of check list like the one we have prepared in PDF.
NOW LET’S START
CALL REAL ESTATE AGENTS as many as you can find in the Links-Real estate agents or from other sources…
Write down their names to your mobile phone like:
Name of the Agency - Name of agent
For example: Keres-Pavel so you can remember them easily where is from and not confuse yourself.
Tell them as we talked in BEFORE SEARCH, what kind of flat you want …
Go for a coffee and wait for the phone calls…
When they will tell you that they found some, start asking them about the flats and if it is what you discussed about. You will notice then who the good one is and start erasing names from your note pad.
A.While looking for a flat you are going to hear many things, about the market, the flats, the weather and of course prices…The word price must always wake up every alert system left in your organism. The word
PRICE EQUALS TO THE WORD NEGOTIATE
Remember when you hear a price …it is just the first price… you can negotiate always for a better, tell them something about a friend that stayed there before and paid less by 15% or improvise.
B.You can find small apartments to stay from Real Estate Agents that also have long term rentals.
C.Don’t waste your time and money. There are some Real Estate Agents that will support you with tons of flats but most of them out of what you told them in the first meeting. Check by phone before you visit the flats. Ask the REA: "Has Gas, has this has that e.g."
D.Don’t go somewhere without checking by phone first.
E.When you have to go to some place to see a flat ask the Real Estate Agent if he/she will go with a car and tell him if he/she can pick you up from somewhere. Usually the REA move by Public Transportation but who knows you may have a free tour in Prague.
2. Moving from place to place fast and cheap, communication problems and where to find information…
»Moving
Moving in Prague with the public transportation system is the best solution. The public transportation system is easy to use, safe and efficient. It is always on time and is spread all over the city; with many stops so there is no place that you can’t go with out a tram, bus or metro.
Taking a cab is unnecessary and not a smart way to travel even when in a hurry.
Take a look at this link www.dpp.cz, there you can find a lot of information about Prices, Tickets ,routes of tram , metro, bus that you will need.
These links are in English, German and Czech and has the routes and times of everything and you can choose where to go and with what. It is a very helpful site.
Go to MUSTEK metro Station to the ticket office and buy a travel pass for one month or a year .You will need just a couple of passport photographs. Don’t worry about the language gap for filling the form the process for foreigners is done directly on a computer.
If you are a student, or under 26 years old you can go to Charles University to
To make a student pass so it will come even cheaper.
Refer to www.dpp.cz for prices.
Communicating
Go to T-mobile, Vodafone or O2 and take a local number. Not with a connection for a year because they will ask you for a deposit. Just a number and you will buy credits.
There is a very good shop for mobile phones, cheap call cards for all over the world and internet connection in….
Databases with apartments
If you plan to search alone and without the help of a Real Estate Agent have mercy on your soul, you must be really a tough guy. In addition if you don’t speak the Czech Language you are going to pass thrilling adventures and you would wish that you have taken this pantomime lessons in school.
Eat most of the day vegetables and food that don’t raise your blood pressure.
Most of the Czech people don’t speak English. Again I repeat that the older people speak German and Russian and the younger English most of them only Czech…
A database for apartments that you can refer to is www.czech-properties.cz
This link has info about renting apartments and is free for everyone to see. It is in Czech and in English.
It is a database the real estate agents use often among others…So hard work ….
Another source is the newspaper Annonce, announcement in English that has in the hobby section apartments to rent…in Czech of course…
Download this PDF for some Basic Czech Words when looking at an apartment alone…
Gives me the creeps….!!!!
A.Looking for apartments alone and when there is a language gap there are possible problems of misunderstandings. Trustworthiness is a serious matter for both parties because you don’t know who they are and vice versa.
Before you give money to someone try to find a translator or a Czech friend that can help you in this. The contract must be translated and in English too.
Because is something occurs the Czech written contract prevails.
›Check that the person you are talking to is the Landlord. He must show you a paper that he owns this property. You can be easily ripped off otherwise.
3. Looking at apartments, asking the right questions, what is important
»Viewing
Don’t view accommodation alone it is better with a friend or family for some out of the box thinking.
Check, standard, disrepair, furniture in all rooms if you chosen the furniture apartment scenario. If the scenario is unfurnished apartment then look for moisture in the floor or in the ceilings…
Heating, what type? In all rooms? & estimated costs
Furniture – What is included – check hand over protocol
Security – Front door locks & bolts / window locks
Speak – to existing tenants of the building or if it is possible to previews tenants of the flat.
Hand over protocol
You should compile an inventory (hand over protocol) that the landlord agrees with you with all the things, even the smallest in the apartment, listing all fixtures and fittings including carpets & curtains.
The inventory should be signed by the landlord and the tenant and the Real Estate Agent as the middle company.
An agreement in writing should accompany the tenant from the landlord that gives a reasonable timescale when repairs are to be rectified, but that will discuss them in the TIME TO SIGN section thoroughly...
Additions to the property should be noted in the inventory throughout your tenancy.
Having an inventory saves problems when items go missing or are damaged at the end of the contract.
Locations
Close to – shops / pubs / takeaways, supermarkets.
Easily accessible – by walking, cycling, bus service, metro.
Is it in a very busy road, because you might have problem with noise if it is in a major highway or a 24 hour traffic road.
Facilities
Bedroom – Sufficient for all your belongings
Facilities – Sitting room, Microwave, Washing Machine, Telephone, Shower, Television, Heating, Gas/Electricity/Oil
Check them all if there are in working condition and if some of them have guarantee and check when the guarantee finishes. Look especially the boiler, refrigerator, electrical equipment, TV, cd/dvd etc.
Condition of Property
Disrepair problems e.g. damp, mould, leaks, bare wires etc
Any redecoration or improvements needed
Furniture replacements
Any sign of fleas, bed bugs, mouse droppings etc
Safety
Check the Landlords Gas Safety & Electrical Safety Certificates are up to date!
Window locks
A.All the problems you find in the flat, it is not only for your future convenience but there also for negotiating. If there are small solvable problems and you like the flat it is even better because you can negotiate a better price….
REMEMBER NEGOTIATE, NEGOTIATE, NEGOTIATE.
B.Use the Real Estate Agent. Make him work for you. The bad, unprofessional real Estate Agent here in Prague always take the side of the landlord, because there is a long term relationship.
Remind him the responsibilities, that his in the middle, and where there is a problem he must call the landlord to solve it.
He knows the language, you don’t. When you pay him the money for the finder’s fee in the receipt he will give you make him write that this money is paid for finding a flat service and for solving communication problems or other problems throughout the tenancy between you and the Landlord
C.It is very important thing the inventory of the flat. So afterwards the Landlords won’t dare to ask you extra money or keeping the double deposit for items lost or damaged. Remember if it is out of the inventory it doesn’t exist….and that means you don’t have a problem.
When you look the flat, look carefully what is the condition of the walls. See if it newly painted or not. If not then in the inventory write the condition of the walls, which are not painted or partial, painted, or not fully painted.
Sometimes ‘clever’ landlords keep the deposit with the excuse that the flat needs to be painted again…
D.Some streets of Prague, especially those out of the old town have too much traffic …Noise.
›Don’t exaggerate looking for problems. Be serious.