On an open-ended lease: no change for the first year, and any rise is capped at 20% above the local average

Updated July 2026

🏠 Can my landlord raise the rent in the middle of the lease?

With conditions

Quick answer

Conditional — almost never unilaterally, and even when allowed the rise has a ceiling. On an open-ended lease the rent may not be changed before one year has passed; after that either party may propose a change in writing, and the new rent may be at most 20% above the average freely agreed rent for a comparable flat in the same locality (arts. 10 and 11, Zakon o najmu stanova). On a fixed-term lease there is no annual-increase right at all — the price stands until expiry unless the tenant agrees. So the myth "rent can be raised once a year" is only half true: what exists is a written proposal with a cap, contestable in court, not a landlord's power to set a new figure alone.

📋 The rules

A freely agreed rent is set by the contract, and under the Obligations Act a contract may be amended mid-term only by agreement of both parties — the landlord cannot impose a new rent unilaterally.
Open-ended lease: the rent cannot be changed until one year has passed; after that either party may propose a change in writing (art. 10(1) of the Zakon o najmu stanova, NN 91/96–105/20).
Cap on the rise: the new rent may be at most 20% above the average freely agreed rent for a comparable flat in the same settlement or county (art. 10(2)); the average figure is supplied by the local self-government housing department (art. 11).
The tenant's defence: if the proposed rent exceeds that cap, the tenant has 30 days to ask the court to set the rent, and until the ruling keeps paying the old contractual rent as an advance (art. 11(2)). A fixed-term lease renews tacitly for the same period unless a party gives written notice at least 30 days before expiry; a landlord offering changed terms must do so in that window, and the tenant has 15 days to accept (art. 25).
If the relationship ends instead: the tenant may cancel an open-ended lease on 3 months' notice (art. 23); the landlord needs 3 months for breach grounds and 6 months for his own or family need (arts. 21–22). The landlord must register the lease and every rent change with the municipality and the Tax Administration (art. 26).

🔓 Exceptions

An indexation or adjustment clause agreed in the contract itself (permitted, since parties freely regulate what the act does not, art. 3(3)) makes a mid-term rise valid — on the mechanism you signed up to.
Protected rent (zaštićena najamnina) is a separate regime being wound down: since 1 January 2025 the owner receives the average market rent, paid 50% by the protected tenant and 50% by the state; from 1 January 2026 the initial average rent is 7.725 EUR/m² (NN 4/26).
Flats owned by the state, the City of Zagreb or municipalities follow their own rent conditions (art. 51), not free-market rules.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

There is no fine for "asking too much" — an unaccepted unilateral increase is simply unenforceable, and the tenant can litigate the amount (30 days) while paying the old rent. The landlord's real exposure lies elsewhere: failing to register the lease and rent changes with the municipality and the Tax Administration carries a fine of 1,000–5,000 kn (art. 29 with art. 26) — this statute is still denominated in kuna, because it has not been amended since the euro changeover, so at the fixed rate of 7.53450 that is 132.72–663.61 EUR. Add a tax reassessment of undeclared rental income, and if he tries to push the tenant out instead, the 3/6-month notice regime and an urgent eviction procedure in which only statutory grounds count.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Can the landlord raise the rent mid-way through a fixed-term lease?

Not unilaterally — on a fixed-term lease the price holds until expiry unless the tenant agrees to a change. The landlord may offer changed terms at the latest 30 days before expiry, and you then have 15 days to respond.

How large can the increase be?

The new rent may be at most 20% above the average freely agreed rent for a comparable flat in the same settlement or county. The figure for that average is supplied by the competent local self-government office.

What if the proposed increase is too high?

You have 30 days to ask the court to determine the rent. Until the ruling you keep paying the old contractual rent as an advance, so litigating does not expose you to the higher figure in the meantime.

Does the 20% cap apply if we agreed indexation?

If you agreed an indexation or adjustment clause in the contract itself, the increase follows that mechanism, because parties may freely regulate what the act does not. So read carefully how adjustment is defined before you sign.

Does a tenancy agreement have to be registered?

Yes — the landlord must register the lease and every rent change with the local authority and the Tax Administration (art. 26). The fine for failing to do so is still written in kuna (1,000–5,000 kn), which is 132.72–663.61 EUR at the fixed rate.

🔎 Common searches

What people search to land here:

“smije li stanodavac povisiti stanarinu”
“povecanje najamnine ugovor na neodredeno”
“zakon o najmu stanova otkazni rok”
“moze li najmodavac dici stanarinu usred ugovora”
“prijava ugovora o najmu porezna”
“zasticena najamnina 2026”