How to rent out a flat — a landlord's guide

Prepare the flat and the paperwork

A tidy-looking flat rents faster and holds a higher price. Before you post a listing, check:

• Small repairs and cleanliness — taps, locks, paint, a clean bathroom and kitchen. First impressions lift the price.
• Proof of ownership — a cadastre extract (property sheet) in your name. If the flat is unregistered or encumbered, sort that out first.
• Settled utilities and debts — electricity, communal charges, property tax. Debt "travels" with the flat and causes trouble.
• Good photos — bright, level, every room. A listing with poor photos goes unseen.
• Inventory — list the furniture and appliances that stay (for the lease and the handover record).

Not sure the property is "clean" in the cadastre? See Checking a property in the cadastre.

How to set the rent

Too high = an empty flat; too low = money left on the table. Three checks:

• Compare similar listings — same district, size, floor, furnishing. That is your market frame.
• Rental yield — gross annual rent is typically around 3.5–5.5% of the flat's value. From the value you get a rough monthly rent.
• Season — in university cities demand rises in summer, ahead of the academic year (see below).

On Kaza.rs valuation you enter the address and size and get a rough rent and value estimate for that exact flat — a good starting point before you price it.

Find and screen the tenant

A good tenant is half the job. You can do it yourself (a listing) or via an agency:

• Yourself — more work showing and vetting, but no commission.
• Via an agency — the agency finds and screens the tenant and prepares the lease; check it is licensed.

Before signing it is sensible to check employment/steady income and, for students, a guarantor (a parent). The deposit is your protection against damage and non-payment — more on that below.

Student rentals — the season and specifics

In Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac demand peaks from July to September, ahead of the academic year. If you target students:

• Furnish the flat — students want it move-in ready; furniture and appliances mean a higher price and a faster let.
• Lease term — often tied to the academic year (10–12 months); state the period clearly and whether it renews.
• Guarantor — since a student rarely has steady income, a parent as guarantor in the lease cuts the risk.
• List early — the content and the listing should be ready before the peak (June–July), not once the season has passed.

Lease, deposit and handover

Always write a lease, even when renting to someone you know — it protects both sides. The essentials:

• Deposit — usually one month's rent; returned at the end if there is no damage.
• Handover record — the state of the flat, the meter readings (electricity, water) and the inventory on move-in day.
• Who pays the utilities — state it clearly (as a rule the tenant pays the running costs).
• Filing and tax — rental income is declared and taxed.

We split the detail on the lease, deposit and rental tax into a separate guide: The lease — deposit, filing and rental tax.

Frequently asked questions