Registration for Electric Energy Consumption
Registration for Gas Consumption
Other Services

Registration for Energy Consumption and for other services in the flat

Prior to moving into a flat, it is necessary to arrange registration for energy consumption. Sorting out the issue of gas and electricity consumption can last several days and in some cases weeks. Therefore, before moving, it is necessary to deal with everything well in advance or you have to take into account that for some days you will be in the flat without electricity and gas.

Registration for Electric Energy Consumption

Registration for electricity consumption can be arranged in the service office of regional distributors of electricity (they usually cover the area of a certain region, or sometimes more regions - Energy Company of Prague, of Central Bohemia, North Moravia and so on) depending on the address of your flat. When registering for consumption, you will pay an administrative fee and arrange the amount of advance payments for electric energy. After this a technician will call round to connect an electrometer. Periods for connecting electricity vary in different energy supply companies.

For the registration you will need: a completed electric energy consumption registration application, the occupational lease (or a document proving the owner ship of the flat), the approval of the owner of the real estate, validated by his signature. Furthermore, for a new flat or a flat, where the electrometer was disconnected for more than 6 months, the technical overhaul of the power supply must be carried out before the actual connection of the electrometer. For other flats, firstly the former consumer has to be de-registered. If your type of residence is other than permanent residence or asylum, you will also need a guarantor, i.e. a person, who will guarantee that if there were outstanding electricity bills left behind after your departure from the country, he himself would pay the sums owed. The guarantor must be of Czech citizenship and must be personally present when you sign your contract with the local energy company.

Prices of electricity for households are set by the government of the CZ. You can choose from several price bands, which vary depending on the volume of electricity consumption, some are intended only for households where all of the equipment runs on electricity. Workers of the energy company will advise you. Electric energy is paid for by advance payments every month (sometimes once in two months). Accounting of your consumption takes place 3 times a year, when the energy company sends you a balance of your account with particulars concerning the electricity used along with a paying-in slip to reimburse any possible remaining balance and the new amount of the advance payment required for the following 4 months.

Registration for Gas Consumption

For gas consumption you will need to register with the gas company, in each region there is a separate company (e.g. Central Bohemia Gas Company - etc.). In order to register you will need the occupational lease for the flat and you will also pay a fee for connection to a gas meter.

Prices of gas for households are set by the government of the CZ. Gas is paid for by advance payments every month and accounting of the gas consumption usually takes place once a year.

Other Services

Registration for water consumption:

Registration for water consumption needs to be arranged only for habitation in one's own family house. The registration is arranged at the Water and Sewerage Company (these exist in each region).

Refuse collection:

Refuse collection (dustbins, sacks) also needs to be arranged only by those living in their own family house and may be arranged at the municipal authority. Currently, each municipality sets a certain annual amount per person for refuse collection and depending on the practice in your block of . ats this sum is either paid by you or it is paid on your behalf by the landlord. From 2003 a return to the previous system may occur, when payments for refuse collection were counted on the basis of the amount of emptied dustbins and number of people in the building. In the case of living in rented or co-operative . ats, payments for water and refuse collection are usually a part of services supplied and charged for by the landlord.

Telephone Line:

You can get a telephone line installed from Czech Telecom at a fee of CZK 3,500. When submitting an application, it is necessary to present the occupational lease. If you are a tenant or subtenant in a flat, where a telephone line has already been installed, you can transfer it to yourself with the approval of the owner (a fee of CZK 170). Then the line will be in your name, bills will be sent to you and you will be listed in the telephone directory. If the landlord does not agree to transfer the telephone line (even if only temporarily) to your name, it is possible to agree at least on requesting a service called “a change of payer”, i.e. a service, where the telephone line is still registered in the name of the telephone line owner, but bills are in your name. This has an advantage, particularly when you carry out your business activities directly in the flat, which you rent.

If a telephone line was at some point installed in the flat and if there is any debt tied to it, then Czech Telecom, prior to its re-connection, will demand the settling of this debt regardless of the fact of who caused it. This is a situation that owners fear when renting a flat to anybody. Therefore, always discuss the usage of the telephone line and the method of payment with the owner in advance!

Other telecommunication companies operate in the market (e.g. Contactel, Etel or GTS), and currently install telephone lines only for legal entities. It is expected that from 2003 they will also be allowed to install telephone lines for households.