If you are planning to retire to Romania or simply relocate/move here for a longer period of time, you will need to rent an apartment or house – or maybe even buy one if you’re sure you’re staying here long term.
Today, I will share with you the most popular websites in Romania for renting or buying property. These should be the first ones to visit, as they will feature the most complete list of properties available, no matter what city you’re interested in.
You should visit a website instead of going to an agency for two main reasons:
- All (or most) agencies list their properties on these websites
- Agencies don’t work together and don’t share properties, so if you only choose one, you might miss out on some amazing deals.
I tried both methods when we bought our village house back in 2020, and also for renting a property in Constanta this year. Visiting these websites is the best option by far!
When hunting for properties in Romania, there’s a caveat I have to mention. The best websites with apartments and houses for sale / rent are in Romanian language only.
Those that are translated in English will be higher priced as they’re directly aimed at foreigners (who are considered to be able to pay more than locals).
There are more things that I will address in today’s article, but for starters, let’s just head over and check out the best websites in Romania for long term rentals or for buying properties.
Here are the best websites for finding rentals in Romania
These are, in my opinion, the best websites for finding a good property for rent (or for sale) in the country. I recommend visiting them all, since some websites feature exclusive deals.
Please have in mind that we’re talking about long term rentals in Romania (6+ months, usually a year-long contract) even though some of the people listing their properties here might also agree with renting shorter term, but with higher prices:
Storia
This is the best rental property website in Romania in my opinion and probably the largest in the country in terms of the actual number of listings.
Easy to use and with lots of options to customize your search, it’s a great website to visit and the first stop for everybody looking into renting or buying in Romania.
I’d go as far as saying that simply checking this website alone might be enough for you to find what you’re looking for.
Imobiliare
This one is dedicated exclusively to renting and selling houses/apartments and is usually featuring ads from agencies throughout the country.
A big bonus offered by this site is that it offers exclusive deals which are not available on other websites. So definitely check it out during your search.
This is actually the website where we found our apartment in Constanta – it was one of those exclusive deals. Since it wasn’t posted everywhere else, there was a bit less competition and we managed to get it.
Publi24
I read recently that this was considered the most visited websites by those interested in renting or buying. I personally think that it lacks a bit when it comes to customizing your searches, but there are indeed many listings, so it’s worth checking out.
OLX
Just like Publi24, OLX is a sort of a Craiglist here in Romania, with all sort of listings, including homes and apartments for rent.
This one is easier to navigate and it’s really nice to use (it’s one of my favorites). The main reason why it doesn’t rank higher is that this website owns my first recommendation – Storia, which usually features all the listings on OLX.
But if you want to go straight here and maybe see one of the few offers that are not cross-posted on Storia, you can definitely do so.
HomeZZ
A smaller website where you can find properties for rent or sale, with a nice option to search for apartments our houses in newly built residential areas.
These places are usually extremely modern and nice, but as a downside they’re usually farther away from the city center (and more expensive). Pay extra care if you choose one of these, as they might not have all the infrastructure ready!
Important:
All the websites listed above allow you to search for properties to rent long term in Romania (or search for properties on sale).
If the Romanian language is not your main strength, you can always use Google Translate here and translate them in your preferred language.
You simply paste the URL (from your browser’s top bar) into Google Translate (“Websites” tab) and click the arrow. In the new window, choose whatever language you prefer and the whole website will be translated.
It won’t be a perfect translation, but enough for you to be able to navigate the websites and understand most of the text.
Finally, I recommend choosing a listing that is posted by an agency, even though it is usually more expenses (since you have to pay part of the agent’s fee). But if this is your first time in Romania, it’s best to choose this route to ensure that everything is OK, especially with the contract.
Also make sure that the contract itself is translated in English (and authenticated by a notary). You will need it for a residence permit, for example, or as a proof of address during your stay here.
How much does it cost to rent a house or apartment in Romania?
Renting a house or apartment in Romania ranges greatly, from as low as €250 per month for studios and 1-bedroom apartments, to €1,500+ for houses or larger apartments with luxury touches.
Overall, I would say that around €500 per month should be more than enough for a single person or couple, even a small family who’s ready to live in a 1-bedroom apartment.
We’re talking about long term rentals here – which usually means at least 12 months. These are cheaper that short term loans from sites like AirBnb.
Prices have gone up a bit in recent times, but you can still find very cheap properties for rent – usually apartments, as houses are more expensive.
For example, I performed a search on Storia for 1-bedroom apartments in Bucharest, priced between 250 – 300 Euros per month and there are a ton of results: 1,309 at the moment of writing.
It’s true, these are generally relatively basic (but still most of them fully furnished) and towards the outskirts of the city, but the point is that you can still find great deals here.
When it comes to renting a house, I performed a search on Storia and we only have 30 properties under €500. So it’s definitely a lot cheaper to find an apartment than a house – and that goes for all cities, not just the Capital.
Rent is still usually cheaper in Romania than in most other European countries – the larger cities like Cluj, Bucharest, Timisoara and so on are generally more expensive, while smaller cities can surprise you with some amazing deals.
IMPORTANT: In Romania, people are usually counting the number of rooms an apartment or house has, and not number of bedrooms (so the living room is counted as well).
As a result, a 3 room apartment would be one with 2 bedrooms and 1 living room. A 2 room apartment would be a 1-bedroom. Have this in mind when searching for your next home.
Other things to know about renting or buying property in Romania
I want to go through some really important things that you should have in mind when renting in Romania – especially long term rentals, but also if you’re interested in buying.
The first and most important thing is that you need a contract. I’ve already mentioned this, but I want to repeat it as it is extremely important for foreigners.
You’ll be surprised to find out that many owners prefer to go through the risks of renting without a contract because this way they avoid paying taxes.
However, this is not something you could do even if you wanted to: since you’re not a Romanian citizen, you will need to get your resident permit no matter what country you come from (for stays over 90 days), and for that you will need the rental contract.
Next, make sure that you thoroughly inspect the place and ask questions about everything that’s available and anticipated costs.
Take photos of everything before moving in and have the owner sign the photos or a piece of paper saying that this is how the apartment looks like when you move in. Do this especially if there are broken things or stuff that’s not working.
Ideally, you should talk to a neighbor too: find an older person living in the same building and they will love to tell you all the good and bad things about the flat, its owner, the building itself and the surrounding area.
The only problem here is that they will probably not speak English, but if you can start a conversation with them, you will find the best and most complete info about your place.
Finally, expect to have to sign a long term contract (usually 12 months) with one month paid in advance or with a one-two month deposit.
If you’re doing this through an agent, there will be a fee involved which will vary depending on the type of property, but it will usually be 50% of one month’s rent (while the owner pays the other half).
In most cases, utilities and other costs are NOT included in the price, so expect to pay everything else extra, from cable and internet to electricity, as well as what is called “Intretinere” (maintenance) which includes garbage collection, sometimes heating, water and minimal costs for the building’s upkeep.
Can foreigners rent property in Romania?
Yes, foreigners can rent property in Romania, no matter if they are EU or non-EU citizens. Foreigners actually need to rent a property in order to be able to apply to get a residence permit that would allow them to live longer than 90 days in the country.
Wrapping up
This would be everything that you should know, in my opinion, about renting or buying property in Romania – especially what are the best real estate websites in the country. If you have any extra questions, don’t hesitate to let me know by commenting below!
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What is the minimum time of the lease? I have heard its usually for 6 months minimum, could you confirm it? Thanks a lot
If you sign a contract with the owner or especially an agency, you usually have to sign for a longer lease – generally 12 months. However, it’s not a rule and think that most owners would be willing to go for a short term let too.
It’s amazing how high the prices have become as AirBnB has mushroomed like wildfire. It’s nice that you can still get a good deal on rentals if you look carefully. We were lucky to get a great price on our visit thankfully. I love looking at prices in different cities. 🙂
Yes, AirBnb is now pushing rent prices a bit higher as well, because many people now prefer to rent on AirBnb simply because they make more. The market will get saturated eventually, but right now – especially in the larger cities, there’s still a lot of demand and prices are still going up, maybe at a faster rate with Airbnbs. But this is not a complete disaster, as short term travelers have way more options now than they ever did. I just wonder how much of a hit hotels are taking from this…
Surely, That was a useful information, thanks calin for providing this.
Regards,
Emad
Good post! There are a host of new good portals also for people wishing to go direct, such as wizmo, stories, homezz etc. All are good in their own way but the first of these has a great English language version.
However, I disagree about the point where agencies have their own agenda. There are at least 4 excellent agencies, competitors to me, that have a good name. We also do. In fact if you look at our site you will see 113 five star testimonials for being tenant minded, from students to royals & everyone in between. It’s on the home page, top left and in the fitter somewhere if http://www.whitemountain.ro & we’ve been around since 2007.
A good agency should cost you nothing, or better, because they should get you a deal you could not get yourself. We do this week in, week out so it’s not just words
Good blog btw. Been following you for many years now
Hello Damian,
Thanks for dropping by and recommending new websites. I do agree that the agencies don’t have their own agenda – they just want to rent out their places or make the sale, but I wouldn’t go as far as saying that they’d be dishonest about anything.
I also know that your agency helped (at least) one of our readers that moved in Romania and he was very pleased with how things worked each time you worked together, so yes, yours is also vouched for and tested for quality and honesty – so for those looking in the Bucharest / Brasov areas, it would also be a great choice.
Hi,
I’m looking to move to Romania from the UK next year and I was wondering how long the buying process is? I will be a cash buyer.
I am after a house but I understand that now we are out of the EU, I cannot own the land. However, my partner, who is Romanian will purchase the land for me and he will donate. I take it this is quite easily done through a solicitor who will draw up some sort of legal contract ?
I will eventually purchase an apartment and rent it out so will this be easier than purchasing a property with land as it will have none?
Any further tips of moving to Romania would be greatly appreciated,
Many Thanks
Hannah
The buying process itself is really fast – it should be a couple of weeks at most if the seller has all the required papers. Basically, just visit the notary to sign the papers and it’s yours. You will still need to do other administrative things (declare you are the new owner at the tax office and such, but all is pretty straightforward and quick).
I am not sure if the donation is possible – simply never heard anyone taking this route before. Better ask the notary (and make sure you really trust your partner).
With an apartment, it will be a very similar process in terms of buying – but here at least you won’t have to worry about not owning the land itself. However, chances are slim that in either case this will matter.
My second question in two days – I’ll keep it short!
Most sites advertise house sales in Euros. We want to change our money as soon as the exchange rate is good but we don’t know what currency we need.
So, do house sales usually take place in Euros or RON?
Thanks again.
I think in 99% of the cases they will expect to receive Euros but it’s good to discuss this before hand.
As always, an excellent post. One point I have to disagree on. You state that sites in with English translated from Romanian are more expensive. At least in my case, never ever ever is this the case. I have 2 offices since 2007. Bucharest with 283 reviews, rated 5/5 & Brasov 144 reviews rated 4.8/5 (because 5 angry teenage friends an owner refused to rent to, took their frustration on us, otherwise that would also be 5/5. Reviews from students, prostitutes, doctors, anaf inspectors, Romanian royal family, farmers, truck drivers, you name it, we’ve served them, from Ferentari to Poiana Brasov All say the same thing. Honesty, integrity etc etc. But we have excellent competitors also, genuinely good alternatives to us, with English speaking language also. The truth is, any agency with a high rating on Google maps, will be a sensible start,
I agree, Damian. White Mountain Property is indeed a high-quality agency. Actually, the family that I assisted a few years ago to move from the US to Brasov found their dream house through your agency after we tried various others (including individuals). I thought you were still only focusing on Brasov, though, but I see that you have expanded a bit. I will definitely make sure to add it as an alternative with the next update of this article and until then I do encourage those looking mainly in the Brasov & Bucharest area to check it out: https://www.whitemountain.ro/