Good to know about the Hungarian real estate market!

Who is a trustworthy real estate agent in Hungary? What should you be aware of if you sign a lease agreement? What about the deposit?

If you are a non-EEA citizen, you need to have an accommodation (eg. a lease agreement or contract with a hostel, a dormitory) for your visa and residence permit.
If you want to find a flat by yourself, you can visit several webpages. You might have luck and find an owner, who is nice, fair and trustworthy. But it can happen also, that the lease agreement won't be translated into English, the owner can not speak English and you will be forced to sign a Hungarian contract.
The role of a good real estate agent is to represent both parties, to draw attention to certain topics in the lease, to inform the tenant of these, and to ensure that both the landlord and the tenant leave satisfied. Currently in Hungary, in order to be a real estate agent, you have to complete a training in Hungarian.
So to carry on a real estate activity-based business, the permission of the real estate company supervisory authority is required.
The prerequisite of a permit is the professional qualification: the completion of the real estate agent training.
The renting fee is not higher if someone rents the apartment through a real estate agent.
The advantage to rent an apartment through an agent is, that (s)he is very familiar with the rental market, prices and lease agreements.
If you would like to obtain a licensed, professional, trustworthy real estate agency, fill out our Apartament renting form. If you prefer, our partner can provide you online video-presentation of the aparatment. This way you can find your home before arriving to Hungary.
If you prefer to find a flat by yourself a flat, be aware of the following: always ask for the translated version of the lease agreement; read it carefully; settle from the beginning for how long are you renting the flat; which are the consequences, if you have to move out from the flat; register in the agreement the different meters' position (gas, electricity, water, internet – if the flat has these); settle with the owner to send you the invoices of your consumption monthly; ask if the flat already has internet connection; ap. the amount of monthly costs; settle with the owner to inform you in advance, if (s)he wants to visit the apartment; the last but not least important: take some pictures of the flat, and keep those pictures till the end of the agreement to be able to prove the initial conditions of the apartment, and not to end up paying for the renovation and for a very expensive cleaning (settle the price of the cleaning ahead) when you move out.
If you know exactly when do you plan to move out from the apartament, use the deposit as rental fee in the last 2 months, because there are several cases, when the owner comes up with something just so (s)he doesn’t have to pay you back the deposit.
If you need Title deed to prove your accommodation, or you want to check the owner structure of a property, check the online services of the Land Office: http://www.foldhivatal.hu/content/view/140/144/

More in Housing

Back to the main topics

Next read

Find classmates, tutors and mentors as a member of our community! Find scholarship and internship programs and job opportunities for international students in Hungary and abroad! Because your educational and personal development matters to us.

Find all the info about studying in Hungary. Find all our services you need as an international student living in Hungary in our online one stop shop! Manage everything online whenever you want, wherever you are. Because your safety and comfort matters to us.