Renting in Bulgaria: one month's notice, the small repairs for you, and the contract as proof of address

Can you, as a Dutch citizen, simply rent a home in Bulgaria? Yes. According to EURES there is plenty on offer, furnished and unfurnished, and a room in the owner's home is possible too. Tenancy law sits in a few sections of the Bulgarian Obligations and Contracts Act, and they are short. The pitfall is in one sentence: until proven otherwise, you are assumed to have received the home in good condition. Anyone who doesn't record defects when signing pays for them on leaving.

What does renting in Bulgaria cost?

EURES gives, based on property websites, these average rents per square metre for a two-bedroom apartment:

City	Rent per m² per month
Sofia	9 to 10 euro
Varna	8 to 9 euro
Plovdiv	8 euro
Burgas	6 to 7 euro

In Sofia and the big cities rent is, according to EURES, up to ten times higher than in small towns. Water, electricity and heating are usually not included in the rent; you pay those yourself as a tenant. You pay rent in cash or by transfer, on a set day of the month. If you rent through an agent, you usually pay them a fee.

What does the law say about the contract?

The Act regulates tenancy in a handful of sections. The main points:

Subject	Rule	Section
Maximum term	10 years; a longer contract counts as 10 years	229
Condition at handover	suitable for the use you rent it for, unless agreed otherwise	230
Small repairs from normal use	for the tenant	231
Other repairs	for the landlord, unless you caused the damage	231
Costs of use	for the tenant, on top of the rent	232
Fixed-term contract ends, you stay on	counts as extended for an indefinite term	236
Notice for an indefinite term	1 month in advance, for both parties	238

By small repairs the law explicitly means dirty walls, worn taps and locks and blocked chimneys. If the landlord doesn't repair another defect, you may demand repair, a lower rent or termination, and you may have it done yourself and set the costs off against the rent. What you knew when signing, or could have seen with ordinary care, you can't later shift to the landlord, unless it is dangerous to your health.

Why you record everything at the handover

The law assumes the home was in order. At the end of the tenancy you must return the home, and you pay for damage that arose during your tenancy. Until proven otherwise, you are assumed to have received the home in good condition. So at the handover make a list with photos of what is broken or worn, have the landlord sign it, and attach it to the contract.

A deposit is not mentioned in the tenancy sections of the Act. What you agree about it applies; so put in the contract how much it is and when you get it back.

What if the home is sold?

If the home is sold while you live in it, your protection depends on the paperwork. If the contract is entered in the property register, it simply continues to apply to the new owner. If it has a certified date, the buyer must respect it until the end of the agreed term, but not longer than one year after the sale. Without such a date it counts for the buyer as an open-ended contract, which he can end with a month's notice. If you have to leave early because of the sale, the landlord owes you compensation.

The contract as proof of address

For the residence certificate the Ministry of Interior asks for a tenancy agreement or other proof of your address. Documents not in Bulgarian are submitted with a translation. A contract in Bulgarian therefore saves work. With that proof you also get your personal number, and the rest waits on that.

You may sublet parts of the home without the landlord's consent, unless the contract rules it out. If you live in an apartment building, you must follow the rules of the owners' association.

When renting comes up in the rest of your move is in the step-by-step plan for Bulgaria.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 3 of 5 of the journey, step 3.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Bulgaria or go straight to step 3.4 in the open plan.