Croatia's New Rental Housing Act 2026: What Foreign Landlords Need to Know

Croatia's New Rental Housing Act 2026: What Foreign Landlords Need to Know

If you own a rental apartment on the Croatian coast or in Zagreb, a major legal change is on its way. On 31 July 2026, Croatia's Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets (MPGI) presented a draft new Rental Housing Act (Zakon o najmu stanova) and opened it for public consultation. The stated goal is to give both landlords and tenants more legal certainty and to formalize a rental market that has long operated partly off the books.

It's worth being precise about where things stand: this is a draft law in public consultation, not yet adopted by the Croatian Parliament (Sabor). The final wording may still change in detail. Even so, the direction of the reform is already clear, and it introduces obligations landlords who rent out property in Croatia — whether they live there or abroad — should start preparing for now.

Rent increase cap tied to Croatia's property-price index

Under the draft, rent on an existing lease could be raised at most once every 12 months. The increase would be capped at the percentage growth in residential property prices over the previous year, according to data from Croatia's national statistics office (Državni zavod za statistiku, DZS) — not a general inflation figure, but specifically the property-price index. A contract clause allowing more frequent or larger increases would be void, meaning a landlord could not rely on it even if the tenant had signed it.

30-day written notice before any increase

Any rent increase would have to be announced to the tenant in writing at least 30 days before it takes effect. The published materials don't specify a particular legal form for the notice, but a written trail — an email with a delivery confirmation, or a registered letter — is the safest way to later prove the deadline was respected. It's worth starting now to log the date of every rent-increase notice you send and the resulting new rent.

Mandatory notarization of rental contracts

One of the most significant changes is that new lease agreements would have to be drawn up as a notarial deed and certified (solemnized) by a public notary. For landlords, the benefit is that such a contract becomes directly enforceable: if a tenant stops paying or needs to be evicted, the process can start without a lengthy court case. The draft doesn't yet specify how the notary's fee would be split between landlord and tenant — worth clarifying once the final text is published, or agreeing on upfront in the lease.

Termination rules and other announced provisions

The draft also tightens the rules around ending a tenancy. A tenant could terminate without giving a reason, with 60 days' notice. A landlord terminating for a tenant's breach (such as non-payment) would first have to issue a written warning with 15 days to remedy it, followed by at least 30 more days to vacate. A no-fault termination by the landlord would require at least 6 months' notice — one year if the tenancy lasted more than 5 years, plus an extra 6 months if a child lives in the unit. Contracts could shorten these periods, but not below 3 months. The draft also mentions a landlord's right to inspect the property twice a year with advance notice (unless the contract says otherwise), and a security deposit of up to one month's rent.

What's still unclear: existing contracts and the effective date

The published materials are clear about the notarization duty for new contracts, but they don't spell out whether — or how — leases signed before the law takes effect would need to be updated or renotarized. Public consultation opened on 31 July 2026; after it closes, the draft moves to the Sabor for debate and adoption, and the exact date the law will take effect isn't known yet. If you own property in Croatia, it's worth tracking the final text rather than assuming today's draft details are final.

Checklist: what to do now

• Review the rent-increase clause in your current Croatian lease and avoid a fixed percentage that could exceed the DZS property-price growth rate.
• Start logging the date and amount of every rent change — you'll need to show the 12-month interval and the 30-day notice were respected.
• Prepare a written notice template for rent increases, with a clear sent date.
• Contact a notary in Croatia to ask about the process and likely cost of solemnizing a lease, so the law doesn't catch you unprepared.
• Keep your move-in and move-out records well documented — a digital handover protocol makes it far easier to prove the apartment's condition.
• Use a tool that tracks rent amounts and dates automatically — Brokik's rental settlement and payments feature keeps this organized without manual spreadsheets.

Croatia's new Rental Housing Act is still moving through public consultation, but its direction — a firmer cap on rent increases, mandatory written notice, and notarized contracts — is unlikely to change fundamentally before adoption. Landlords who get their documentation, rent-change records, and tenant communication in order now will move into the new system without surprises.

Note: the provisions described are based on the draft law the Croatian Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets presented on 31 July 2026 and opened for public consultation; the final text adopted by the Sabor may differ. This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For individual matters, consult a lawyer.