What Czech law actually requires of you

Written by Ing. arch. František Hanf — architect, author of Domovník

Required by law

• Chimney and flue inspection — once a year, plus sweeping (three times a year for solid fuels, once for gas). Decree No. 34/2016 Coll.
• Initial electrical inspection — on a new installation and after major rewiring. Required for building completion.
• Initial gas inspection — on new gas installations.
• Solid-fuel boiler check — every three years, by a person qualified for that make of boiler.
• Smoke alarm — required in new builds and after major reconstruction.
• Energy Performance Certificate (PENB) — you must produce one when selling or letting. Valid for ten years.

Recommended, and why you should not skip it anyway

• Periodic electrical inspection — not mandated for an owner-occupied house. Strongly advisable with older wiring and before any sale.
• Lightning protection inspection — roughly every four years and after any strike.
• Gas boiler service — annually, and usually a condition of the manufacturer’s warranty.
• RCD test — press the test button every six months.
• Water heater, ventilation filters, well water analysis — as the manufacturer or hygiene practice suggests.

Flats and rented property are different

If you own a flat, most obligations for the building itself — the chimney, lightning protection, shared wiring, fire equipment — sit with the společenství vlastníků (the unit owners’ association), not with you. What remains yours is the installation inside your flat and your own gas appliance.

If you let the property out, the picture is genuinely less settled. Czech sources disagree about whether a periodic electrical inspection becomes mandatory, and the decisive question is whether the equipment was formally handed over for the tenant’s own use. What is not in dispute is that the Energy Act obliges you to keep gas and electrical equipment in a condition that does not endanger life, health or property — and that an inspection report is your evidence that you did not neglect that duty. If you rent out a Czech property, treat inspections as your insurance policy rather than as a box to tick.

Who does the job — and where you can hurt yourself

Alongside “must I?” sits the equally practical “can I do it myself?”. The tasks fall into three groups:

• You can do it yourself. Testing the RCD, testing the smoke detector and changing its battery, checking braided hoses, walking round the roof and gutters, winterising the outdoor water, checking radiators, and inspecting the cylinder and its safety valve.
• You need a professional. Flue inspection, electrical and lightning protection inspections, the solid-fuel boiler check, gas appliance servicing, water analysis, fire extinguisher checks, and the Energy Performance Certificate.
• Either. You may sweep the flue yourself for solid fuels up to 50 kW, but you may not do the inspection — and only the inspection produces the report that matters to an insurer. Similarly with irrigation and pools: winterising is doable yourself, but getting the air pressure wrong is expensive.

A private owner and a business are not the same

Most of the relaxed rules on this page apply because the property is in personal use. The exemptions are written for users and owners of flats and family houses — they do not extend to businesses. If a company owns the property, or the owner uses it for business, three things change materially:

• Gas. The exemption in § 19 of Government Regulation No. 191/2022 Coll. does not apply. An annual check of the gas equipment and an operational inspection every three years are required.
• Electrical installation. The periodic inspection follows the intervals in ČSN 33 1500 — typically every five years in an ordinary environment, and shorter in damp or outdoor conditions.
• Fire extinguisher. A recommendation for a family house, but required by fire safety rules on business premises.

Pressure equipment may be added to that: for businesses, expansion and pressure vessels fall under regulated equipment according to the safety product — maximum working pressure in bar times volume in litres, with the regime applying above 100. It rarely affects a household; a business should have it checked.

The words you will meet

Czech paperwork uses a small set of terms that are worth recognising:

• revize — a formal inspection by a certified technician, ending in a written report
• kontrola — a check, less formal than a revize but often still documented
• spalinová cesta — the flue system, from the appliance to the top of the chimney
• kominík — chimney sweep
• revizní technik — the certified inspector for electrical, gas or pressure equipment
• hromosvod — lightning protection system
• proudový chránič — RCD, the device that trips on earth leakage
• PENB — Energy Performance Certificate
• revizní zpráva — the inspection report itself. This is the document your insurer will want.

Related

General information about Czech rules as of 2026, not legal advice. Requirements depend on your specific property and can change. Where it matters, follow the applicable regulations and consult a qualified professional.