Finding an apartment in Bulgaria for long term rent

The usual long-term residential property rental process in Bulgaria

• A long term rent in Bulgaria has a minimum duration of 1 year
• In 95% of the cases, properties are rented out furnished
• The rental amount per month is usually quoted in EUR, but paid in BGN
• A deposit equal to 1 or 2 months rent is required. The deposit is returned once you leave the property and cannot be used for the last month’s rental payment. It would cover expenses that may be incurred by the homeowner for damage repairs, deep cleaning, etc.
• You need to sign a contract, along with an inventory check form. You can download a template here.
• When the tenant is a foreigner, the homeowner must fill out a special declaration and provide you with it. You can download it from here.
• Long-term rental contracts can usually be terminated by either party (homeowner or tenant) with a 1-month notice
• Utility bills (electricity, heating, water and internet) are usually not included in the rental amount. In most cases the official utility accounts remain registered to the owner, but the bills are covered by the tenant in one of two ways – by paying them to the owner directly or online via epay.bg using the owner’s account numbers.

Looking for a long-term rental

You can look for an apartment by yourself with the help of an agency or via property rental platforms. If you choose to do so, please bear in mind that most agencies will charge you a commission equal to half or a full month’s rent. Property portals will have plenty of listings, but some of these may be fake or duplicates, so make sure you specifically ask for a viewing of the property you’re looking at in the listing. Do not go to viewings of properties without having seen photos online first – it will be a waste of time.