Rentings terms in Bulgaria

Zdraveite, Hello,

Can someone tell me how the landlord / tenant laws are regulated in Bulgaria ? Like how big the initial deposit can be (if any), notice of termination, how frequently can the landlord review the rent and for how much. Who's responsible for the inside & outside repairs, how to give it up..

All infos (even' na bulgarski') would be highly appreciated :)

Patrick

i rent in plovdiv

Great ! maybe you could answers some of my questions then ?

hello ok i rent in plovdiv I had to pay one month in advance and real estate agent 300 leva and agreement is made on paper  and both parties must agree a list of what is in the apartment ext I live in an apartment building and pay 16 leva   per month for cleaning and running electricity in the the hallway and fore lift and they take care of all the maintenance of the apartment if there is anything else I can answer for you then let me know my name is tomas

Tack Thomas ;)  Well if they want kick you out of the appartement, do you have any idea about the delay they have to respect ? Same for you; imagine you want to leave the appartment how long is the legal notice do you think ?

It depends where you are and who you are renting from. The usual lease in Bulgaria (that I have come across) is month to month, meaning you have to say you are leaving 30 days in advance and they have to give you 30 days if they want you out. Of course, our landlord just came and told us she needed us out ASAP for her son to move in, and we are trying to be out at the end of the week. Based on our contract we could fight for the 30 days, but... meh.

However, there are long-term leases that are for 6 months or a year, which the landlord can usually end with a month's notice but you cannot end early without paying the agreed fee. If you have a year long lease, the landlord can raise rent once a year, if you have a month to month they can review the rent whenever they would like. However, in my experience I have lived in an apartment for 2.5 years without a rent increase.

The standard fees: first months rent, an equal deposit, and half a month's rent as an agency fee. If you go directly through the landlord then you don't have to pay that agency fee, which we try to do.

Basically, it all comes back to the contract you make with your landlord. Bulgaria has a very free rental law- meaning the government/court system is pretty much like, "work it out yourselves, but stick to what you agree to."

The first place I rented my landlord was great about repairs. He was also renovating the apartment, though, so every month when I paid rent there would be 1-2 days of them working on the balcony or bathroom. But seriously, he would replace every lightbulb that went out. In my second apartment we have done all of the interior repairs but the landlord handles exterior and communal repairs, like cleaning the chimney.

Hope that helps.

yes thanks this helped I have an apartment now i hope you find the right apartment for you

yes it does... Thanks for all those informations !!  Sounds very balkanic and scary at the same time to rent there :/

Glad it helps. Honestly, it isn't as scary as it sounds. There are plenty of good people to rent from, depending on where you land.

It's true I'm in Plovdiv  wherever you are in bulgaria

We are in Varna, but we are hoping to relocate to Gabrovo next year... Plovdiv is a possibility. I lived near Plovdiv for my first two years in Bulgaria and I loved it, but it is a bit far from my mother-in-law. (She is in varna, where my husband is from)

ok i love plovdiv but I would also like to move to varna in the  summer I have a 12 year old boy and if he comes with me to Bulgaria, I'll go to varna He loves beaches

I actually prefer the beaches down by Bourgas to the ones up here...

ok is there a differences?

In the south, around Bourgas, the beaches are more sandy... up north they are more rocky... with more cliffs.

and it's a bit colder too... don't forget seaside during the winter is by far less "funny" and the weather is grumpy while inside the country it is colder but dry. Also many shops and restaurants are closing during the winter... I witnessed it when i was in the Burgas region (nessebar) late in the season...  not sure your boy will like it :)

I love Gabrovo.. it's a nice city, not too big not to small and the nature around is amazing !!

Yeah, I am a small town girl myself. So even Varna is a bit too big and detached for my liking.