What Remote Owners Need to Know About Renting Property in Romania in 2026

Renting property in Romania requires a valid written lease contract and formal registration with the tax authorities. These are not optional formalities — they are legal prerequisites that protect both the landlord and the tenant.

The Rental Contract (Contract de Închiriere)

A Romanian rental contract must be in writing to be legally enforceable. Verbal agreements are not binding for residential tenancies under the Romanian Civil Code (Codul Civil, Articles 1777–1823). The contract must include:

• Full identification details of both landlord and tenant
• A precise description of the property (address, surface area, cadastral number)
• The monthly rent amount and currency
• The lease term (fixed-term or open-ended)
• Security deposit terms
• Responsibilities for maintenance and utilities

Contracts can be signed electronically, which is particularly convenient for remote owners. A digital signature holds full legal validity in Romania under Law No. 455/2001 on electronic signatures.

ANAF Registration

Every rental contract in Romania must be registered with ANAF (Agenția Națională de Administrare Fiscală) within 30 days of signing. This is mandatory regardless of whether the landlord is a Romanian citizen or a foreign national. Failure to register exposes the landlord to administrative fines and prevents the contract from being used as evidence in court.

Registration is done through the ANAF online portal (using a qualified digital certificate) or in person at the local tax office. A property management company can handle registration directly on behalf of a remote owner.

Energy Performance Certificate

Before advertising a property for rent, Romanian law requires a valid energy performance certificate (certificat de performanță energetică). This certificate classifies the property on a scale from A to G. Without it, the property cannot be legally listed or rented.

Rental income in Romania is subject to a flat 10% income tax. Understanding the calculation method and filing requirements is essential before you start collecting rent.

How Romanian Rental Tax Is Calculated

ANAF allows two methods for calculating taxable rental income:

1. Standard deduction method: ANAF applies an automatic 40% expense deduction. Tax is calculated as 10% of the remaining 60% of gross annual rental income. This is the default option and requires no documentation of actual expenses.
2. Actual expenses method: Landlords who spend more than 40% of rental income on documented expenses (repairs, maintenance, insurance, depreciation) can declare those instead. This requires careful bookkeeping and receipts.

As a practical example: if your property rents for €400/month (approximately RON 2,000), your gross annual income is approximately RON 24,000. With the standard deduction, taxable income is RON 14,400, and your annual tax bill is RON 1,440 — roughly €290.

Non-Resident Landlords

If you are a Romanian citizen living abroad or a foreign national, you are still obligated to declare and pay Romanian income tax on rental income earned from property located in Romania. Romania has double taxation avoidance treaties with most EU countries, which means you typically will not pay tax twice on the same income — but you must still file in Romania. Consult a Romanian tax advisor or your property management company to understand your specific situation.

Building Association Fees

Most apartments in Romania are part of a asociație de proprietari (building owners' association), which charges monthly fees for common area maintenance, building insurance, elevator maintenance, and other shared expenses. These fees are the landlord's responsibility, though they may be partially recovered from the tenant if stated in the lease.

Rent collection in Romania is most reliably done by monthly bank transfer. Cash payments, while legally permitted, are harder to document and create administrative complications for tax purposes.

Security Deposits

Romanian law does not prescribe a specific maximum security deposit amount, but market practice is 1–2 months' rent. The deposit is held by the landlord (or management company) for the duration of the tenancy and returned within a reasonable time after the tenant vacates, minus any legitimate deductions for unpaid rent or damage beyond normal wear and tear.

Currency: EUR vs RON

In Târgu Mureș and other Transylvanian cities, rents for higher-quality apartments are commonly quoted in euros, even though Romania's official currency is the Romanian Leu (RON). This protects landlords against local currency fluctuations. The contract should specify whether rent is paid in EUR or RON, and at what exchange rate if conversion is involved.

When Tenants Are Late

A well-drafted lease contract includes penalty clauses for late payment. A professional property management company monitors payment deadlines every month and contacts the tenant immediately if the transfer has not arrived. Most payment issues are resolved within a few days through proactive communication, without escalating to formal legal procedures.

• No eviction without a court order. A landlord cannot force a tenant to leave without going through the courts, regardless of the reason. Even if the tenant has not paid rent, the eviction process requires a judicial procedure that can take several months.
• Minimum notice periods. For open-ended contracts, the landlord must give at least 30 days' written notice to terminate. Some courts have interpreted the Civil Code as requiring longer periods. The contract should specify the notice period explicitly.
• Right to use the property undisturbed. A landlord cannot enter the property without the tenant's permission except in a genuine emergency. Regular inspections must be pre-agreed in the lease contract.
• Rent freeze during fixed-term contracts. A landlord cannot unilaterally raise the rent during a fixed-term lease. Rent increases can only be applied at the start of a new term.

These protections make careful tenant selection before signing the lease the single most important risk management tool available to a landlord.

Property maintenance is the biggest practical challenge for remote owners. Romanian law assigns clear responsibilities: the landlord is responsible for structural repairs and major systems (heating, plumbing, electrical), while the tenant is responsible for minor day-to-day upkeep.

Landlord vs Tenant Responsibilities

Under the Romanian Civil Code, the landlord must keep the property in a habitable condition throughout the tenancy. This includes repairing major defects that appear during the tenancy (a broken boiler, a leaking roof, a failed lift in a block). The tenant is responsible for minor repairs such as replacing light bulbs, clearing drains of blockages caused by their own use, and general cleaning.

Building a Contractor Network Remotely

Without a local presence, finding reliable contractors at short notice is nearly impossible. A property management company maintains pre-vetted relationships with plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, and general tradespeople. When something breaks, the manager coordinates the repair without requiring any input from the owner — except approval for expenditures above an agreed threshold.

Emergency Response

True property emergencies — burst pipes, heating failure in winter, power outages — cannot wait for a remote owner to research solutions. A professional management company with 24/7 emergency coverage resolves these situations immediately, limiting damage and keeping tenants safe. This is one of the clearest arguments for professional management for any remote owner.

Self-managing a rental property from abroad is theoretically possible, but in practice it introduces risks that professional management eliminates at a cost that most owners find fully justified.

The Real Costs of Going It Alone

Remote self-management requires navigating Romanian-language bureaucracy (ANAF filings, contract templates, building association correspondence), sourcing and vetting contractors from a distance, handling tenant disputes without local knowledge of legal norms, and being available to respond to emergencies in a different time zone. A single poorly selected tenant or an unresolved maintenance issue can cost far more than a year's management fees.

What a Property Manager Does

A full-service property management company like Velox Living handles the complete lifecycle of your rental: marketing and photography, tenant screening and reference checks, lease drafting, ANAF registration, monthly rent collection with payment monitoring, utility bill management, maintenance coordination, building association payments, periodic property inspections with photo reports, and owner communication in your preferred language.

What This Costs — and What It's Worth

Property management fees in Romania typically range from 8% to 15% of monthly rent, depending on the scope of service. On a €400/month apartment, this amounts to €32–60 per month. Against the risk of a non-paying tenant, an unregistered contract fine, or a maintenance emergency that spirals out of control, this cost is modest. It is also partially offset by lower vacancy rates — professional marketing and rigorous screening reduces the time your property sits empty between tenancies.