When you move into a new flat, you often have to take care of a lot of things that might work quite differently in the Czech Republic than in your home country. Below is a list of hints and tips to get you going.
Depending on your rental agreement, you may have a utilities fee included in the rental price. In this case, your landlord will handle payments. Otherwise you will have to register with a local provider yourself. You’ll have to take care of paying the bills and some other details.
If you need to register you should do so before you move into your new home to avoid not having power, water, gas etc. The registration process may take a couple of days. In some rare cases it may take several weeks.
To register with a local electricity supplier you will only have to go to their local office. The country's biggest supplier, CEZ, offers a list of local offices on their website www.cez.cz .
For any new registration, the electricity costs are estimated based on the number of people living in the apartment and on the size of the apartment itself. Your electricity meter is inspected once every three months to determine how much you actually needed. There will be a notice sent to your house a couple of days before the meters are checked. Your bill will also indicate the estimated date of the next inspection. If you paid too much you will receive a refund. Otherwise you will have to pay the outstanding amount with the next bill. The monthly rate will be adjusted in either case.
Just like electricity suppliers, there are many local gas companies. You will have to register with the one that provides services in your district. The price of household gas is set by the Czech government. You pay for your gas usage in advance, every month. A bill is issued annually.
The documents you need to register for electricity and gas are:
There are several ways your electricity and gas bills can be paid.
You can pay using a direct debit. In this case the monthly amount is automatically charged from your bank account. You can set a maximum amount to avoid unexpectedly large payments. Another very common method is paying in cash. You take a form, attached to your bill, to a post office and pay the bill in cash there.
In addition, there is SIPO. This billing method combines your rent, basic utilities and your television fees. You can register for it at your local post office. You may pay your bill in cash there or allow the post office to deduct the amount from your account. The bill is due every month.
Both are included in your rent. The consumption is estimated on the number of people living in the apartment. The meter is checked once a year. If you have used more than estimated you will have to pay for that with the next rent. If you have used less, you will receive a refund.