Agency or no agency – the age-old question when moving in Bratislava

Whether you’re new to the city or you have lived in Bratislava for a few years, moving can be a stressful and slightly uncomfortable time. You have to pack all your belongings, change to a new flat, hopeful you will get along with your new flatmates and everything will be up to your expectations once you arrive. In order to help you, we have come up with a few tips on how to approach finding accommodation in Bratislava and save yourself some headaches in the process.

First off, you have to decide where you are moving to and whether you want to find a room or flat through an agency or you will venture on your own. Bratislava is not large and the public transportation is fairly reliable, so if you like parks and quiet weekends, then living outside of the city centre is probably a better choice for you. When choosing a new flat, always consider the surrounding area and whether it fits with your hobbies, lifestyle and, of course, distance to work.

And now the big question – should you rent through a real estate agency or should you go on your own. It is generally very common in Bratislava to look for a room on your own because agencies tend to charge quite high commission fees which can be difficult to afford on a local salary. However, they bring certain advantages as opposed to looking on your own. An agency will, for one, save you time by doing the search for you. Additionally, it will safeguard you against difficult landlords and help you register with an internet, phone provider or electricity company if these are not already included in the rent.

For this service, most agencies in the capital charge 100% commission of the value of your rent. It is not ideal if you think you also need to pay a deposit on top and a first month’s rent. We reached out to local agencies inquiring about their services and found EUROPA real estate agency. What makes it different is its personalised service and lower commission fee of 50%, exclusive to Internationals Bratislava group.In exchange, EUROPA will provide you with legal services, rental contracts in Slovak and English language and support throughout the whole process – from searching for an apartment until handover from the landlord.

Mr. Dominik Caco, real estate agent at EUROPA, said: “We understand that foreigners in Bratislava are often living alone here and we want to help them find a new home they would feel comfortable in. We communicate in English and help them with landlords who only speak the local language. The lower fee is an additional benefit because we understand it is difficult to live on your own and moving carries with it a lot of expenses.”

Additionally, EUROPA can help you plan your finances and negotiate how you can afford to move by spacing out your deposit over a couple of months, if the landlord is willing to do this, or when to start searching for an apartment once you’ve decided you want to change.

Of course, you can also look on your own. There are a few websites and Facebook pages where available apartments and rooms are posted regularly. A few examples include: www.spolubyvanie.sk, www.okroommate.com  and Facebook pages such as: Foreigners in Bratislava, Flatmates – Bratislava and Bratislava – apartments / flats for rent. The difference is you have to search on your own, communicate with your landlord directly and ensure the provisions in your contract are followed.

If you would like to make use of this exclusive service contact Dominik Caco directly and simply mention you are part of the Internationals Bratislava group (otherwise you will not get a discount!). You can find his contact details below.

We hope you found our tips helpful and we wish you good luck with your next flat hunt!

Dominik Caco

EUROPA Realitná Kancelária

Dunajská 3, mobile: 0914 777 813e-mail:dominik.caco@rkeuropa.sk

Website: www.rkeuropa.sk

 

Written by Svetlana Gangova