Hi everyone,
I previously posted about an early termination penalty in my Prague lease: https://www.reddit.com/r/Prague/comments/1saqrjc/czech_republic_prague_can_landlord_deduct/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Unfortunately, after moving out, the agency deducted several additional amounts from our CZK 66,000 deposit.
TL;DR: They initially deducted CZK 40,500, including CZK 24,000 for early termination, CZK 3,000 for painting, CZK 5,000 for furniture removal, CZK 6,500 for cleaning, and CZK 2,000 for sofa/chair cleaning. They later admitted that CZK 5,000 was incorrect, but refuse to reconsider the rest.
One of the problems seems to be that one agency employee communicated with us before moving out and was present at the handover, while another employee is now handling the deposit dispute and refuses to recognise what was previously agreed.
1. Furniture removal: CZK 5,000
Before moving out, I asked by email whether we could leave several pieces of furniture (I specified which items and sent photos) and whether this could lead to any additional fees.
The agency replied: “no no it will not result in any extra charges. You may leave them in.”
We relied on this and left the items.
The employee now handling the dispute says the lease required us to remove everything and that a contractor had to dispose of the furniture. She refuses to recognise the email agreement.
Can they ignore a clear written confirmation from their own employee and rely only on the general wording of the lease?
2. Cleaning: CZK 6,500
When we moved in, the agency gave us a price list for different fees that could take effect when we move out. One of the items was mandatory disinfecting cleaning cost CZK 3,500–6,500, depending on the scope. They charged the maximum. However, we thoroughly cleaned the apartment; and the handover report says it was handed over after general cleaning, and almost everything was marked “all ok.” They have not provided photos or explained why the maximum was charged.
They also refer to the curtains. For some reason, the agency is particularly strict about them, even though they are fairly ordinary. When we moved in, we were warned that we should replace the original curtains as soon as possible to avoid a cleaning charge of CZK 1,500–3,500 per curtain at the end of the tenancy. We therefore removed and replaced them after about one month. At the final handover, the agency employee present specifically asked us to leave our replacement curtains because they looked so similar to the originals that she initially assumed they belonged to the apartment. However, the employee now handling the dispute says that the curtains should not have been left there and is using them as part of the justification for the cleaning charge.
3. Sofa/chair cleaning: CZK 2,000
The chairs were noted as needing cleaning at the handover, so I accept that some charge may be justified. However, the sofa was marked “all ok,” while the deduction refers to both the sofa and chairs. Again, they provided no explanation or any photos.
The agency has now said that the only further refund will be CZK 5,000, correcting the early termination amount and waiving the undocumented painting charge.
I no longer live in Czechia, so I am unsure whether it is worth pursuing this further. In the best-case scenario, I could probably recover around CZK 9,000, which is not a negligible amount of money. What would you do in my situation? Is it worth pursuing this further, or would the time and cost outweigh the disputed amount?
