Lithuania: rental market overview

Lithuanian residential leases run on the Lietuvos Respublikos civilinis kodeksas (Civil Code, CK), Šeštoji knyga (Book Six), skyrius XXXI "Gyvenamosios patalpos nuoma" (arts. 6.576–6.629). This guide — and Brokik's template — covers only privati rinkos nuoma, market-rate private lettings; municipal or social housing (socialinis būstas) is allocated and terminated under a separate regime and is out of scope here.

Form is set by CK 6.579: a fixed-term lease must be concluded in writing. Between natural persons an oral lease is otherwise possible, but written form is the market standard — without it, a landlord has far less to rely on if a dispute over rent or the dwelling's condition reaches court.

• The parties may register the lease with Registrų centras (Nekilnojamojo turto registras); registration is voluntary and is not a condition of the lease's validity between the parties, but only a registered lease can be invoked against third parties (CK 6.478).
• The dwelling may only be used for the tenant's residential needs; running a business from it requires the landlord's prior written consent.

Four schedules travel with Brokik's template: the monthly rent, the utility providers and their advance-payment rates, a waste-separation declaration, and the landlord's contact details for routine and urgent matters. Subletting the dwelling or assigning the tenant's rights and obligations under the contract requires the landlord's prior written consent (CK 6.595).

CK's residential-lease chapter sets no statutory ceiling on the užstatas (deposit) for a market-rate lease at all — the chapter is simply silent on the amount, and market practice keeps it within one to three months' rent, freely agreed between the parties.

Brokik's template states the mechanics precisely, because the law doesn't: the deposit covers the landlord's claims for damage to the dwelling beyond normal wear, unmet obligations under the contract, or loss established when the dwelling is returned; it cannot be used to cover ongoing rent or utilities while the tenancy runs; and it's returned within 30 days of the lease ending, the dwelling's return, and the signing of the handover report (perdavimo–priėmimo aktas), less any reasoned deductions.

• Skip the handover report and the deposit settlement has nothing to anchor it to — no documented condition at move-in means no clean basis for withholding anything at move-out.

The tenant's termination right is the strongest, most protected piece of the Lithuanian regime: one month's written notice, without cause, at any time — for both a fixed-term and an indefinite lease (CK 6.609). This is imperative law; a clause that lengthens the notice, requires a reason, or otherwise worsens the tenant's position is void.

The landlord's position is asymmetric by design. An indefinite lease can only be ended on six months' written notice (CK 6.614). A fixed-term lease cannot be ended early at all, except for the tenant's fault under CK 6.611 — persistent non-payment of rent or utilities lasting at least three months, destroying, damaging or misusing the dwelling, or conduct that makes cohabitation with others impossible. In every case, termination of the lease and eviction of the tenant happen only through the courts — there is no self-help removal.

Rent increases run on a fully separate track: CK 6.583 lets rent be changed only by written agreement of both parties, no more than once every twelve months, and a term letting the landlord unilaterally recalculate or raise it — or change it more often — is void outright. Rent cannot be collected in advance except for the first month.

CK does not mandate a written perdavimo–priėmimo aktas (handover report) for a private residential lease any more than it caps the deposit — it's entrenched market practice, not a statutory duty. In practice it still carries the most weight when a tenancy ends: it records meter readings, the dwelling's condition, and an equipment list, and is the parties' primary evidence when settling the deposit or a damage claim.

• Brokik's template ties the deposit and the handover report together deliberately: the dwelling is handed over once the report is signed and the first month's rent is paid, and the deposit is returned once the return is documented and the report is signed.
• Note any defects found at move-in immediately — without a prompt notice, the tenant is treated as having accepted the dwelling in the condition the report describes.

The landlord must hand over a dwelling fit for its purpose, keep it that way for the whole lease, and supply the utilities agreed in the contract (CK 6.587); the landlord answers for both legal and material defects under the Code's general lease rules.

The tenant maintains the dwelling and the building parts they use with care, and covers minor repairs caused by improper or careless use; alterations or replanning of the dwelling need the landlord's prior written consent (CK 6.607).

• Utilities — cold water, hot water, electricity and heating — are billed by individual meter (heating sometimes by the building's shared-cost allocation) and are separate from the rent itself; the landlord provides a transparent utilities statement once a year.
• Before signing, the landlord must show the tenant a valid energy performance certificate for the building or unit, as required by the Statybos įstatymas (Construction Law), art. 51 — the article, together with STR 2.01.02:2016, that transposed the EPBD recast (EU) 2024/1275 amendment, in force since 1 July 2026.