What You Need to Know​

When you’re renting an apartment in Romania, it’s essential to understand that certain rules, customs, and expectations may differ from those you are used to in your home country.

This article addresses some specific aspects of renting an apartment in Romania, and more specifically in Bucharest, based on our experience as a real estate agency operating in the city.

At IdealMaison Vert

We’re committed to making this process easier for our Erasmus and foreign student clients and to clarifying expectations from the start. However, it’s important to note that some practices may vary between real estate agencies in Romania.

Here’s an overview of common practices at IdealMaisonVert and what to generally expect in Bucharest.

1. Who manages the apartment: IdealMaison Vert Agency or the owner?​

At IdealMaisonVert, our main mission is to support you throughout the apartment search process, as well as to carry out check-in and check-out inspections, and also to help you have the most pleasant stay in Romania .

The first thing we do at check-in or check-out is to photograph the apartment and the gas, electricity and water index, to be sure that you have no problems upon arrival or departure and that you pay exactly what you have consumed.

You should know that some apartments are managed by us, and others directly by the owner, however, if we can help you, we do it even when it is not our responsibility, with the owner’s consent of course.

In general, we try to support you all over your stay: we show you how to pay the bills, we help you with the Internet connection and all kinds of other misunderstandings or things that differ from your home country and you don’t know how to do them.

2. The handover process of the apartment.​

When handing over the apartment, both we and the owner carry out an inspection of the apartment to know exactly under what conditions it was handed over.

We as an agency have found a solution that will help you: photos. What do we mean by this you ask?

Both at check-in and at check-out we take pictures of how the apartment was handed over in both situations (clean, dirty, without damage, etc.). This will help you in the end when you need to recover your deposit. So, if something was damaged or scratched in the apartment when it was handed over, no one can say that you did it, so you will not be responsible for it. But there is also the other side: in which no one can say that they did not do something, if the pictures taken when handing over the apartment show otherwise.

Photos will also be taken of the gas, electricity and water indices, so that you don’t pay for what you haven’t consumed.

Also, if you arrive in Bucharest at night, in general, we try to leave your key somewhere, then we make a video and pictures of how you can take it and enter the apartment. This will help you not to pay extra for one night’s accommodation at a hotel.

3. How to avoid loss of Security Deposit​

When renting an apartment, it’s essential to follow certain rules to ensure the return of your security deposit at the end of the contract.

Here are some important points to remember:

– The Amount of the Deposit :

Each owner sets their own deposit amount. Often this equates to one or two months of rent. However, sometimes landlords ask for additional conditions, such as paying the last month’s rent in advance. Again, this varies from owner to owner and we will inform you of the terms requested by the owner right from the start.

– Avoid Damages :

Be careful not to damage the furniture or infrastructure of the apartment. Any repairs required after your departure, which are proven to have been made by you, will be deducted from the deposit. However, during the tenancy, if any damage occurs, whether it is your fault or not, you must notify the landlord so that they can make the necessary repairs, which may or may not be your responsibility, depending on the situation.

– Leaving the Apartment Clean:

Before leaving the apartment, make sure you return it in a clean condition and as you received it. If the apartment is left dirty or neglected, the landlord may retain part of the deposit to cover cleaning costs.

– Respecting the Lease Agreement :

If you do not honor the rental period, leaving the apartment before the conclusion of the contract, you will automatically lose the entire deposit.

4. Home insurance and water, gas and electricity meters

In many countries you are obliged to take a home insurance, but in Romania it’s not mandatory for the tenant. It’s strictly your choice if you want to do it or not.

Regarding water, gas and electricity in Romania, all this is in the owner’s name. As a tenant, you are not obliged to make contracts or manage them.

5. Utility and Bill Payment: How Does It Work?​

Regarding utilities such as electricity, water, gas, and other apartment-related expenses, several scenarios are possible : 

–  Payment by the Owner :

In many cases, the owner pays the electricity, gas, water, and other shared costs directly. Once the bills are received, they will pass them on to you, and you will simply reimburse the corresponding amount. This ensures simplified management and avoids the tenant having to deal with multiple accounts in their name. 

 – Direct Payment to the Building Administration :

In some buildings, you may be required to pay certain charges directly to the building administration, while others are paid to the owner. This often applies to common charges (maintenance of common areas, elevator, etc.), but sometimes it can also include gas. If this is the case, you will be informed from the outset and provided with clear instructions on how to proceed.

– Direct payment to water, gas and electricity suppliers: 

The owners can send you the payment invoices and you can pay them yourself directly to the suppliers. The easiest method is online. On the invoice you can find the owner of the bank account (supplier), the IBAN required for the payment and also don’t forget to write the invoice number and the customer number, which you can also find on the invoice, in the payment details. 

6. How does the internet work?​

You should know that in Romania the tenant takes care of the internet contract.

Indeed, there are exceptions where the owner has a contract in his name, he sends you the monthly invoice and you reimburse him when you pay the rent. But there are few cases like this.
In general, after you have a rental contract, you can also make a contract online. You need an ID card, an email address, the rental contract and a Romanian phone number.

There are quite a few internet providers in Romania that you can choose from (Digi, Vodafone etc.)
One thing that we think you should know in Romania is that the internet is very fast and very cheap. Besides the low price, sometimes some companies also offer discounts for students. So the price per month can vary between 7-12 euros per month

A different service that we as an agency do for you is that we help you with the internet contract. You only send us the data we need, and we take care of the rest, so you don’t have to buy a Romanian number if it’s not necessary.

7. Apartment equipment: furniture, electronics.​

When renting an apartment in Bucharest, it’s important to know that furnished apartments generally include essential furniture (bed, chairs, table, sofa). Also, the electronics are only the basic ones or may even vary from apartment to apartment, depending on the owner (fridge, washing machine, sometimes dishwasher, microwave, TV, AC).

Crockery, kitchen utensils or other household accessories are not always provided. Unlike other countries, in Bucharest, dishes are not considered part of the furniture included in the rental. If you find dishes in the apartment, they were most likely left by the previous tenant. This gesture is often seen as a form of solidarity or mutual aid between successive tenants. Also, many times we as an agency try to help you as much as we can and to have as few costs as possible. Many times we try to offer you tableware or bed linen.

Don’t expect your apartment to be like AirBnb, bring towels, bed linen and everything you think is necessary to make your stay more comfortable.

You will definitely be informed from the start what is and what is not in the apartment, but it is good to ask yourself to be sure that nothing has been forgotten.

IdealMaison Vert – transparency and seriousness.​

We’re happy to see that our different approach is being considered by you and that it allows us to expand thanks to the recommendations you make to our agency.

The main thing for which we are recognized and appreciated is the fact that we are transparent and we show you all the positives and negatives of the desired property, in order to know all the details from the beginning, in this way to avoid misunderstandings during your stay.

You know us for so many years on the market, for our seriousness, as well as for the support we try to offer you throughout your stay.

And we certainly thank you for your trust!