Purchase, sale, administration and maintenance of real estate

An unqualified (free) trade (field no. 58) covering the purchase of real estate for resale, the sale of real estate, and the administration and basic maintenance of real estate for third parties. It requires no professional qualification and the licence arises on the day of notification; note, however, that since 2020 real estate brokerage no longer belongs here.

Conditions for operating

This is an unqualified (free) trade (Annex 4 to the Trade Licensing Act) - neither professional qualification nor experience is evidenced.

It is enough to meet the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:
- full legal capacity (for a minor it may be substituted by the court's approval of the legal representative's consent to the independent operation of business activity),
- a clean criminal record within the meaning of Section 6(2) (proven by an extract from the Criminal Records Register, which the office obtains itself).

There must be no ongoing obstacle to operating the trade under Section 8 (e.g. a previously imposed ban on activity or a court-established insolvency under the statutory conditions).

A responsible representative may be appointed under Section 11, but for an unqualified trade this is voluntary (no expertise is required). One person may be a responsible representative for at most four entrepreneurs.

An important boundary: real estate brokerage (the brokering of the purchase, sale and lease of real estate) does NOT fall under this field - it is a separate regulated trade under Act No. 39/2020 Coll., which does require professional qualification.

Examples of activities

Purchase of real estate (land, flats, houses) for the purpose of resale
Sale of real estate
Administration of real estate for third parties - administrative provision for the proper running of a building
Caretaking activity
Basic maintenance of flats, non-residential premises and the common parts of a building
Cleaning of flats and non-residential premises, cleaning of building interiors and exteriors
Window cleaning, pavement cleaning and upkeep of the surroundings of a property
Keeping operational records and organising routine repairs of the managed property

What the trade is and what it is for

The trade "Purchase, sale, administration and maintenance of real estate" is field of activity no. 58 of the single unqualified (free) trade (full title "Production, trade and services not listed in Annexes 1 to 3 of the Trade Licensing Act"). The content scope of the fields of the unqualified trade is defined in Annex 4 to Government Regulation No. 278/2008 Coll.

This field allows you to trade in real estate on your own account and to look after real estate on behalf of its owners. In practice it covers the purchase of real estate for resale, its sale, and the administration and routine maintenance of buildings, flats and non-residential premises. It is one of the most frequently notified activities among management and real estate firms.

What falls under this trade (and what does not)

Field no. 58 includes in particular:

the purchase of real estate for the purpose of resale and one's own sale of real estate,
the administration and basic maintenance of real estate for third parties - administrative provision for the proper running of a building, keeping records, organising repairs,
caretaking activity,
the cleaning of flats and non-residential premises, the cleaning of building interiors and exteriors, window cleaning, and the cleaning of pavements and surroundings.

Beware of the boundary against real estate activity. From 3 March 2020 (Act No. 39/2020 Coll., on real estate brokerage), real estate brokerage was removed from this field and became a separate regulated trade. Annex 4 today expressly states that real estate brokerage is not the substance of field no. 58. If you wish to broker the purchase, sale or lease of real estate for clients (a typical estate agency), the unqualified trade is not enough - you need the regulated trade "Real estate brokerage", which requires professional qualification and compulsory insurance. The unqualified trade field no. 58, by contrast, covers trading in real estate on one's own account and its administration and maintenance.

Likewise, more extensive construction and craft work on a property (e.g. bricklaying, plumbing or electrical installation work) falls under other, craft trades - not under "maintenance" within field no. 58. Annex 4 also expressly excludes from the field the cleaning of building exteriors by steam or sand and short-term accommodation.

Conditions for obtaining the trade under the law

Because this is an unqualified (free) trade, professional qualification is not evidenced - you need not prove education or experience. It is enough to meet only the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act:

full legal capacity (for a minor it may be substituted by the court's approval),
a clean criminal record under Section 6(2); the office obtains the extract from the Criminal Records Register itself.

At the same time there must be no obstacle to operating the trade under Section 8 (e.g. an imposed ban on activity or the statutory consequences of insolvency).

The entrepreneur may - but for an unqualified trade need not - appoint a responsible representative under Section 11. Because no expertise is required, you would use one rather voluntarily, e.g. where you do not personally meet one of the conditions or where a legal entity is doing business. One person may perform the function of responsible representative for at most four entrepreneurs.

How to notify or obtain the trade step by step

For an unqualified trade the trade licence arises already on the day of notification - one does not wait for a decision of the office.

Fill in the Unified Registration Form (URF). It also serves for registration at the tax office, the social security administration and the health insurance company.
Submit the notification. You may do so in person at any municipal Trade Licensing Office, electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal, or at a Czech POINT branch.
State field no. 58 in the notification "Purchase, sale, administration and maintenance of real estate". You may notify other fields of the unqualified trade at once for one fee.
Prove your identity and pay the administrative fee.
The entry in the Trade Register is made within 5 working days of delivery of the notification.

You will find a detailed procedure in the guide How to set up a trade.

Documents and fees

Identity document (identity card or passport).
Completed URF stating field no. 58.
Clean criminal record - the office obtains the extract from the Criminal Records Register itself; you do not provide it.
Proof of payment of the administrative fee.
Administrative fee for notifying the trade: CZK 1,000 (CZK 800 for electronic submission via rzp.gov.cz).
Extension by a further field of the unqualified trade: CZK 0 (free of charge).
Expertise: not evidenced (unqualified (free) trade).

Frequently asked questions

Do I need education or experience for this trade?

No. This is an unqualified (free) trade under Annex 4 to Act No. 455/1991 Coll. Professional qualification is not evidenced; the general conditions under Section 6 (legal capacity and a clean criminal record) suffice.

May I operate an estate agency on the basis of this field?

Not for brokerage itself. Real estate brokerage has, since 2020, been a separate regulated trade under Act No. 39/2020 Coll. and requires professional qualification as well as compulsory insurance. Field no. 58 covers the purchase, sale, administration and maintenance of real estate, not brokerage for clients.

How much will I pay and how quickly will I obtain the trade?

Notification costs CZK 1,000, or CZK 800 electronically via rzp.gov.cz. The licence arises on the day of notification and the entry in the register is made within 5 working days.

May I also notify other activities under field no. 58?

Yes. The unqualified trade has 82 fields and several of them may be notified at once for one administrative fee. A later extension by a further field of the unqualified trade is free of charge.

Must I have a responsible representative?

For an unqualified trade you need not. You may appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 voluntarily, e.g. if a legal entity is doing business or you do not personally meet one of the conditions.