What you’ll learn in this article
– How to proceed from the very first day of arrears
– When to send a payment reminder
– When you can terminate the lease
– How to prepare for a possible court case
– How to avoid lengthy debt recovery

Expert explanation
Under the Czech Civil Code, you have the right to terminate the lease without notice if the tenant is in arrears with rent or service payments for at least three months. However, this doesn’t mean you can change the locks immediately after the third unpaid month – quite the opposite. The correct approach starts from the first arrears. It is advisable to first send the tenant a written reminder with a reasonable deadline for payment (usually 10–15 days). This builds a documentary basis that will help you later in court.

If the debt remains, you can serve a written notice of termination – it must be in writing and must state the reason for termination. In the case of unpaid rent, the reason is clear, but beware: if the tenant pays the debt before the notice is delivered, the reason for immediate termination no longer applies. If the tenant refuses to leave and does not vacate the property, you will have to file an eviction lawsuit. Court proceedings can drag on, especially if the tenant files objections or requests a postponement of enforcement. That’s why it’s wise to also file a lawsuit for payment of the arrears in parallel.

Case study
A client rented out an apartment to a young couple. After two months without payment, she decided to act – she sent a registered payment reminder with a 15-day deadline. When the tenants didn’t respond, she served an immediate termination notice and filed both an eviction and a payment lawsuit. This way, the court dealt with everything at once, and the time to eviction was cut almost in half.

Lawyer’s recommendation
React immediately at the first sign of arrears, even if it’s just a few days late. Don’t ignore the problem hoping the tenant will “sort it out” – it’s often a sign of financial trouble. A properly drafted reminder and termination notice are key to success. I do not recommend using generic templates from the internet – each case is different, and a wrong step can mean months of unnecessary delay.