Would you live in a moldy basement for CZK 6,000? Some Prague renters say 'yes'

Anyone who has searched for a flat in Prague knows the struggle is real. High prices prevent many from living in the city center, and flat sharing isn’t feasible for everyone, whether due to family needs, work schedules, or personal preferences.

When an affordable flat comes on the market, the competition to rent it is fierce. It’s not uncommon to show up for a viewing and be met with several other people all vying for the same 40 square-meter apartment.

While housing experts continue to predict rising real estate costs in Prague, wishful thinkers were recently given a brief chance to consider two options located in the city center at price points not seen in the Czech capital for over a decade. 

Despite the low cost, these flats came with a grim price.

The ads appeared around Feb. 17 on popular real estate websites such as Sreality and Domy Byty Pozemky. Both flats had the same descriptions promoting the low price, the desirable location (Prague 1, near the Náměstí Republiky metro station and Masarykovo nádraží tram stop), and the peace and quiet these locations would afford. 

They were aimed at “students, young couples, creative individuals, or anyone who appreciates the location, privacy, and layout of the space.” As ideal as that may sound, however, the photos told a different story.

For CZK 6,000, prospective renters were offered accommodation in a basement, complete with exposed pipes, wiring, peeling paint, and presumably mold. A small sink and a shower cabin were the only amenities present, complete with a yellow shower curtain in case one was worried about privacy. 

No toilet was shown—unless the blue bucket next to the sink meant to serve as one.

Renters who could spare another CZK 1,000 could upgrade to the attic flat, which was equally as awful. A huge exhaust pipe ran through the center of the bare bones accommodation, with stacks of rubbish in the corners. Again, no bathing area or toilet was provided, raising the question: how could anyone live here?

Though both were listed as 1+kk, neither flat appeared to show a kitchen area. They also seemed devoid of windows or any sign of proper ventilation, which raised some serious questions about health and safety.

We contacted the number and email listed to try and arrange a viewing, but we received no reply, and no one answered the phone. 

The truth was revealed on Feb. 25: the flats were not actually available for rent, and their posting was a stunt to raise awareness around housing issues in the Czech Republic.

Jana Maláčová, chairwoman of the Social Democratic Party (SOCDEM), posted a video on social media explaining how her team had produced the ads, and why.

It was an effort to promote their campaign, “Bydlení je naše zbrojení” (“Housing is our priority”), a “social democratic proposed solution, which relies on state-financed public housing and cooperative housing with rent controls.”

According to the SOCDEM spokesperson, no one should be subjected to outrageous rent prices and especially poor conditions. Solutions do exist, and he points out the well-established Viennese housing model as a viable example. 

“After years of promises from the governing coalition, we have by far the best plan which will bring housing costs down for everyone,” he says. You can read more about their plans on their website.

The campaign said its team received text messages and emails “within an hour after posting the ad” and that over the course of the ad’s availability, they received hundreds of messages inquiring about it.

“Judging from the discussion it sparked in the online media, it was a success,” the campaign said. “We didn’t expect so many people to seriously consider this being a real ad.”

Many people reached out to voice their shock and disgust that someone would offer to rent flats in such terrible conditions. However, SOCDEM says that an unexpected number of people seemed interested and were willing to consider living in a dank basement or an airless attic.

Among those willing to put up with the conditions were a pensioner with a dog, a children’s literature writer, and a mechanic traveling for work. “A couple of people suggested they would fix the place up themselves to make it livable,” SOCDEM's spokesperson adds.

While SOCDEM apologized for misleading people they said that even though the locations were real and their team took the photos, no actual viewings were scheduled.

It’s one thing for a flat owner to offer a horrible flat, but do real estate websites have a responsibility to protect potential tenants from unlivable situations and scams? 

The fake ads were posted on several real estate websites and were live and active for most of that time. We asked SOCDEM if they encountered any verification issues that might have prevented the ad from being posted. 

“Some of them reached out saying we have to adjust the purpose of the ad since they didn’t consider it being a living space,” they admitted, “But most of them didn’t really care.” 

These ads also appeared on Sreality.cz, one of the Czech Republic’s largest resources for housing and apartment rentals, especially in Prague. However, they were removed within a few days of their original posting. We reached out to their team to uncover more information.

“We removed the advert from our offer as the advertiser was not able to document the right and license to offer this flat,” explains Aneta Kapuciánová, PR and Internal Communications Manager for Sreality.com.

She added that their company is “allowed to ask [prospective landlords] to do so according to its General Business Terms and Conditions,” which have been implemented to reduce scams and protect users.

Some of those terms require verification of qualifications for real estate agents, documents pertaining to the property (such as a reservation contract), offers to be categorized and labeled appropriately, and “only real and truthful information” to be included in advertisements.

Failing to comply with these requirements may result in hefty fines, as high as CZK 50,000 in some cases.

When an inexpensive flat hits the Prague rental market, it may seem too good to be true. You could end up living with several housemates or settle for an unconventional “Frankenflat” layout, compromising on your ideal abode to save a few crowns.  

Part of SOCDEM’s point was to highlight that livable flats in the center of Prague do not exist at price points that match local salaries and living standards. Their reasoning is not so far off; at the time of writing this, Sreality had only 14 flats on the market with a price point below CZK 8,000. 

Upon closer inspection, many of these inexpensive listings were actually room shares rather than individual flats. Some were listed as student housing, while others were advertised as part of municipal auction schemes.

When apartment hunting in Prague, you can take steps to avoid ending up in a dark, damp basement. But with rising prices (some of the cheapest studios we found are as far as Neratovice or Buštěhrad), finding an affordable place may mean leaving the capital—an even grimmer prospect for many.