Paying the rent and rent raise

You can agree with the landlord on the rental term and payment date. Unless you have agreed otherwise, you must pay the rent on the second day of each month.

You have to keep paying the rent until the end of your lease. You start paying rent when the apartment is available to you, even if you actually move in later. The rent must be paid until the end of the notice period, even if the tenant moves out of the apartment earlier.

You can pay the rent using a bank or some other payment service provider. If you pay the rent through a payment service provider, it is regarded as having been paid on the date on which your account is debited, or you pay it in cash at the payment service provider’s office.

Prepaid rent

Prepaid rent means rent you pay in advance. It is different from the security deposit.

If the landlord asks for pre-paid rent, this must be agreed when the lease is made, not later during the lease. The landlord can only demand prepaid rent for a special reason, and even in this case for at most three months. An example of a special reason is using the prepaid rent to make repairs in the flat. If the landlord demands prepaid rent, you should also agree on how this payment will be taken into account in payments during the lease.

Read more about security deposit 

Rent raise

The amount of rent is determined by what the parties have agreed. At the same time, the parties should agree on any separate charges, such as water charges, and the basis on which those charges are determined.

The landlord does not have the right to increase the rent unilaterally during the tenancy. The parties may agree on rent adjustments in the tenancy agreement or separately during the tenancy.

Rent raise clause in the tenancy agreement

The landlord may increase the rent during the tenancy only if this has been agreed in the tenancy agreement.

The rent adjustment clause must specify the basis on which the rent may be increased. The basis for the increase must be precise and unambiguous, such as an index-linked adjustment, a percentage increase or an increase by a specified amount in euros.

If the tenancy agreement does not specify a precise and clearly defined basis for the increase, the rent increase clause is void and the rent may not be increased. For example an increase in the general cost level or any other unspecified reason does not justify raising the rent.

Tenancy agreements concluded on or after 1 October 2026

The landlord must always notify the tenant in writing of

• the rent increase
• the amount of the new rent
• the date on which the increased rent takes effect.

The increased rent may take effect no earlier than one month after the tenant has been notified of the rent increase and only from the beginning of a new rent payment period. If rent is paid monthly and the landlord gives notice of the rent increase on 15 March, the increased rent may take effect no earlier than 1 May.

At the tenant’s request, the tenant has the right to receive information free of charge about the basis for the increase and how the new rent was calculated. The landlord must provide the information without delay.

A rent increase may not be charged retroactively. However, increases that were not made previously may be taken into account when determining the rent payable in the future:

• If the rent has been increased less frequently than the rent increase clause in the tenancy agreement would have allowed, the landlord may take the previously omitted increases into account when determining the future rent.
• For example, if the rent has not been increased in accordance with the rent increase clause in the tenancy agreement, the new rent may be calculated as if the increases had been made in previous years. However, rent payments that have already fallen due may not be increased retrospectively.
• Even in this situation, the rent increase must not result in the rent rising to an unreasonable level.

Tenancy agreements concluded before 1 October 2026

The landlord does not need to give written notice of a rent increase in all situations.

• If the tenancy agreement specifies when the rent will increase and how the increased rent is determined, the tenant must pay the increased rent in accordance with the agreement.
• A rent increase must be notified in writing even in lease agreements made before October 1, 2026, if the rent increase is based even partly on the landlord’s decision or information not evident from the agreement.
• It is in accordance with good rental practice that the landlord informs the tenant of the rent increase also when the increase clause specifies the timing and calculation basis of the increase.

Agreeing on a rent increase

If the tenancy agreement does not contain a rent increase clause, the amount of rent may be changed during the tenancy only by mutual agreement between the tenant and the landlord.

• If the parties cannot agree on a new amount of rent during the tenancy, the landlord may terminate the tenancy agreement. The new rent demanded by the landlord must be reasonable.
• If the landlord attempts to use termination to increase the rent to an unreasonable level, the tenant may take the matter to court. The tenant may request that the termination be declared ineffective or claim compensation for the unjustified termination of the agreement.

Both the tenant and the landlord may ask a court to assess whether the rent or a term governing how the rent is determined is reasonable. Consumers and private individuals acting as landlords may also refer the matter to the Consumer Disputes Board for assessment. The claim must be made while the tenancy is in force.

Water, electricity and other utility charges

The tenant is required to pay only the charges agreed in the tenancy agreement or otherwise agreed between the parties. If the parties have agreed only on the rent, the tenant may not be charged separately for other costs related to the use of the dwelling, such as water and electricity charges or other utility charges.
The tenancy agreement may, however, provide that, in addition to the rent, the tenant is to pay separately for services or benefits related to the use of the dwelling, such as electricity, water or a parking space.

In this case, the agreement must specify

• which charges the tenant is responsible for
• how the amounts of the charges are calculated
• the grounds on which the charges may be increased.

Charges based on consumption or use

If a utility charge is based on actual consumption or use, the landlord must provide the tenant with information about that consumption or use. For example, if the monthly electricity charge is determined on the basis of actual consumption, the landlord must provide information about the electricity consumed with each charge.

Fixed charges and charges determined on another basis

The landlord does not need to provide a separate statement of the amount of a utility charge with each charge if

• the parties have agreed on the basis for determining the charge
• the charge is not based on actual consumption or use.

For example, the landlord may collect a fixed water charge based on the number of occupants together with the rent, without providing a monthly statement, if this has been agreed with the tenant.
If the basis for determining a utility charge changes, for example because the housing company changes its rates, the landlord must notify the tenant of the change without delay.

However, a change in the basis for determining the charge does not automatically entitle the landlord to increase the amount charged to the tenant. The right to increase the charge and the grounds for doing so must have been agreed. For example:

• If the tenancy agreement provides that the water charge is determined according to the housing company’s rates in force at the relevant time and the number of occupants, and the housing company decides to increase the water charge, the tenant must pay the increased water charge. The landlord must notify the tenant of the change without delay.
• If the water charge has been agreed as a fixed amount and the agreement does not provide for an increase, the landlord cannot increase the charge solely because the housing company increases its own water rate. The tenant must be informed of the housing company’s decision to increase the rate even if the charge payable by the tenant may not be increased.

If the building has apartment-specific water meters, the charge collected from the tenant for water must be based on reliably measured actual consumption. The tenant must be provided with monthly information on water consumption in the dwelling. This obligation applies to buildings for which a building permit was applied for on or after 24 October 2020.

The landlord’s statutory obligation to provide information about other consumption and about changes to the basis for determining utility charges applies only to tenancy agreements concluded on or after 1 October 2026.