Energy certificates for renting out a flat in Croatia (2026)

Do you need a certificate to let a flat

Yes, if you let your flat. Since 1 January 2026 the rules are in the Zakon o energetskoj učinkovitosti u zgradarstvu (Energy Efficiency in Buildings Act, NN 155/2025, Art. 79), because the 2013 Building Act ceased to apply that day (Building Act, NN 155/2025, Art. 161). The owner's duties when letting are worded as in the old act, where they applied from 1 January 2016 (NN 153/2013, Arts. 24 and 203).

A certificate is issued for a building or a separate part of it, such as a flat, that needs energy to keep an indoor climate suited to its use, for example heating (Art. 13(1)). The Act exempts only four groups of buildings:

• a building used for religious rites or activities
• a temporary building used for two years or less, an industrial plant, a workshop and a non-residential farm building with low energy needs
• a residential building used for less than four months a year
• a detached building with a total useful floor areaUseful floor area (korisna površina)simplifiedA flat's net floor area measured inside the walls, with loggias and balconies counted only in part. Property tax and the communal fee are charged on it.Source: Pravilnik minimalnih tehničkih uvjeta za projektiranje i gradnju stanova iz POS-a (NN 106/04, 25/06, 121/11), čl. 19., checked 23 Oct 2026More in the glossary under 50 m²

The 50 m² exemption is for a detached building, not a flat in a building. As we read it, a 40 m² flat in a block of flats, say, isn't exempt. Protected buildings aren't exempt either: the certificate only records whether the building is in a protected heritage area or is an individually protected cultural asset (Rulebook on energy audits and energy certification, Art. 19(1)).

We found no exemption for short lets of a few months in the Act or the rulebook. The rulebook says the energy audit before letting doesn't apply to flats, apartments and holiday homes where accommodation is provided as a hospitality service (Art. 6(2)). As we read it, that's tourist accommodation, not a long-term letLong-term letting (dugoročni najam)simplifiedLetting a flat as someone's home under the Housing Lease Act. It also decides the property-tax exemption: the flat must be let for at least ten months of the year.Source: Zakon o lokalnim porezima (NN 115/16 … 152/24), čl. 27., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary.

What you must do: show it, hand over a copy, state the class in the listing

An owner letting a building or a flat must (Art. 14(2)):

1. 1Get an energy certificateEnergy certificate (energetski certifikat)simplifiedA document on the energy performance of a building or flat. Before letting, the owner must get one, show it to prospective tenants and hand over it or a copy.Source: Zakon o energetskoj učinkovitosti u zgradarstvu (NN 155/2025), čl. 13., 14. i 70., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary before letting (point 1).
2. 2Show the certificate to prospective tenants (point 3).
3. 3Give the tenant the certificate or a photocopy (point 2).
4. 4State the energy classEnergy class (energetski razred)simplifiedA rating from A+ (best) to G (worst) on the energy certificate, based on the yearly energy needed for heating and the primary energy per m².Source: Pravilnik o energetskom pregledu zgrade i energetskom certificiranju (NN 88/17 … 40/25), čl. 17. i Prilog 1., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary in any listing published in the media (point 4).

If you let through an agency, the agency must also state the energy class in its listing (Art. 14(4)). The Act speaks of a listing “published in the media” and doesn't mention online listings separately. As we read it, they aren't exempt.

When you post on NajamStanova.com, you pick the class in the form: A+ to G, or “Izuzeto” (exempt). If you don't, the listing shows “not stated”. It's handy to attach the photocopy to the lease or to the handover report (our tip). The other steps of letting are in our landlord guide.

Building or flat: the shared certificate

A block of flats usually gets one shared certificate, though a separate one can be made (Rulebook, Art. 7(1) point 1; the e-Građani portal says the same). A certificate is issued for the whole building, and a flat being sold or let can also get its own (Art. 21(1) and (3)).

• A building and a flat can each have only one valid certificate. A new certificate replaces the previous one (Art. 21(5)).
• If the building has a valid certificate and you order one for your flat, the flat's own certificate is the one that counts for it (Art. 21(6)).
• The assessor delivers the building's certificate to the building managerBuilding manager (upravitelj zgrade)simplifiedThe company or registered trader the co-owners choose to run the building. It allocates and collects the reserve fund and organises maintenance and emergency repairs.Source: Zakon o upravljanju i održavanju zgrada (NN 152/24, 47/26), čl. 41., 49.–52., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary and the co-owners' representativeCo-owners' representative (predstavnik suvlasnika)simplifiedThe co-owner whom a building's owners elect to represent them in running it and to work with the manager. An owner must report a change of tenant to them within 15 days.Source: Zakon o upravljanju i održavanju zgrada (NN 152/24, 47/26), čl. 41. i 42., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary, and a copy or electronic version to each co-owner (Art. 21(8)).

As we read it, the building's shared certificate covers your flat while it's valid: the Act defines the energy certificateEnergy certificate (energetski certifikat)simplifiedA document on the energy performance of a building or flat. Before letting, the owner must get one, show it to prospective tenants and hand over it or a copy.Source: Zakon o energetskoj učinkovitosti u zgradarstvu (NN 155/2025), čl. 13., 14. i 70., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary as one for “the building or its separate part” (Art. 13(1)) and asks the listing for “the energy classEnergy class (energetski razred)simplifiedA rating from A+ (best) to G (worst) on the energy certificate, based on the yearly energy needed for heating and the primary energy per m².Source: Pravilnik o energetskom pregledu zgrade i energetskom certificiranju (NN 88/17 … 40/25), čl. 17. i Prilog 1., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary of the building” (Art. 14(2) point 4). Your listing then states the class from that certificate. Before ordering a new one, ask the building manager (upravitelj) or the co-owners' representative whether the building has a valid certificate.

How to get one, and how to check an existing one

An authorised assessor (ovlaštena osoba) issues the certificate, authorised by a decision of the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets. Under the new Act the authorisation goes to a natural person (Art. 23); authorisations issued under the old act stay valid for the term they were issued for (Art. 74). The certificate is based on an energy audit and is made electronically and printed only through the energy certificateEnergy certificate (energetski certifikat)simplifiedA document on the energy performance of a building or flat. Before letting, the owner must get one, show it to prospective tenants and hand over it or a copy.Source: Zakon o energetskoj učinkovitosti u zgradarstvu (NN 155/2025), čl. 13., 14. i 70., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary information system, IEC (Art. 13(3) and Art. 16(1)).

1. 1Check whether the flat or the building already has a valid certificate (see below).
2. 2Choose an authorised assessor. The Ministry keeps a public register of them in the IEC (Art. 42); you can download an extract (PDF) without signing in on the IEC's public page.
3. 3Have ready what the assessor needs: energy and water bills for the previous three calendar years (or the consumption data in a way you agree with them), any technical documents you have, and access to the flat (Rulebook, Art. 11(3) and (5)). Energy and water suppliers must send the consumption data you ask for free of charge within 15 days (Art. 11(4)).
4. 4The assessor carries out the energy audit and issues the certificate through the IEC. A certificate that isn't in the register isn't valid (Rulebook, Art. 26(2)).

Neither the Act nor the rulebook sets a price, and we found no official tariff: you agree it with the assessor. An assessor can't certify a building they own or co-own, or one whose owner they act for as a broker in a sale or let. One employed by an agency can't certify a building the agency is brokering (Art. 28(2) and (4)).

A certificate is valid for ten years from the day it's issued (Art. 13(4)). It can't be extended: once it expires, a new one is made (the Ministry, ISPU portal). Certificates were valid for ten years under the old act too (NN 153/2013, Art. 23(3)), so as we read it, one issued before 2026 stays valid until its term ends.

Where to check an existing certificate:

• On the certificate itself, which shows its reference number, the energy classEnergy class (energetski razred)simplifiedA rating from A+ (best) to G (worst) on the energy certificate, based on the yearly energy needed for heating and the primary energy per m².Source: Pravilnik o energetskom pregledu zgrade i energetskom certificiranju (NN 88/17 … 40/25), čl. 17. i Prilog 1., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary and the expiry date (Rulebook, Art. 19(1)).
• On the IEC's public page, without signing in: an extract from the register of issued certificates, a single PDF file (about 136 MB on 19 October 2026). It covers only certificates issued through the IEC since 1 October 2017. An earlier certificate isn't in the extract but may still be valid, until 30 September 2027 at the latest (our calculation).
• On the map of the ISPU geoportal. In July 2022 the Ministry announced that all newly issued certificates are georeferenced so they can be shown on that map. We couldn't check whether that view is public or searchable by address.
• For a building's shared certificate, ask the building managerBuilding manager (upravitelj zgrade)simplifiedThe company or registered trader the co-owners choose to run the building. It allocates and collects the reserve fund and organises maintenance and emergency repairs.Source: Zakon o upravljanju i održavanju zgrada (NN 152/24, 47/26), čl. 41., 49.–52., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary or the co-owners' representativeCo-owners' representative (predstavnik suvlasnika)simplifiedThe co-owner whom a building's owners elect to represent them in running it and to work with the manager. An owner must report a change of tenant to them within 15 days.Source: Zakon o upravljanju i održavanju zgrada (NN 152/24, 47/26), čl. 41. i 42., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary.

Fines

The Act fines an owner for three omissions: not getting a certificate before letting, not giving the tenant the certificate or a photocopy, and leaving the energy classEnergy class (energetski razred)simplifiedA rating from A+ (best) to G (worst) on the energy certificate, based on the yearly energy needed for heating and the primary energy per m².Source: Pravilnik o energetskom pregledu zgrade i energetskom certificiranju (NN 88/17 … 40/25), čl. 17. i Prilog 1., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary out of the listing (Art. 70(1) points 4–6). There's no fine for not showing it to prospective tenants. The fines are:

• an owner who is a private individual: €1,000 to €2,000 (Art. 70(2))
• an owner that is a company: €3,000 to €6,000 (Art. 70(1))
• an agency that leaves the class out of a listing: €3,000 to €6,000 for a company, €1,000 to €2,000 for an individual (Art. 70(3) and (4))

Market inspectors of the Državni inspektorat (State Inspectorate) enforce these duties (Art. 68(2)). The Act sets no fine for tenants and says nothing about whether the lease is valid.

Articles quoting fines in kuna are out of date. The old Building Act had the same duties and fined a private owner 5,000 to 10,000 kuna (NN 153/2013, Art. 171). From 1 January 2025 that fine was €1,000 to €2,000 (NN 145/2024, Arts. 61 and 71), and since 1 January 2026 the new Act applies with the same amount.

How many listings state the class

The table shows how many active listings on NajamStanova.com state each energy classEnergy class (energetski razred)simplifiedA rating from A+ (best) to G (worst) on the energy certificate, based on the yearly energy needed for heating and the primary energy per m².Source: Pravilnik o energetskom pregledu zgrade i energetskom certificiranju (NN 88/17 … 40/25), čl. 17. i Prilog 1., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary, and how many don't state one. It updates itself.

A listing without a class isn't exempt for that reason: it shows “not stated”. We can't tell from a listing whether the flat has a certificate; the agency may just not have published the class. We count “exempt” only when an owner picked it in our form. If you're looking for a flat, the owner must show you the certificate before you rent (Art. 14(2) point 3).

What the class means for your bills

The energy classEnergy class (energetski razred)simplifiedA rating from A+ (best) to G (worst) on the energy certificate, based on the yearly energy needed for heating and the primary energy per m².Source: Pravilnik o energetskom pregledu zgrade i energetskom certificiranju (NN 88/17 … 40/25), čl. 17. i Prilog 1., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary is a calculation, not a measurement of your use. It reflects the flat's calculated yearly heating energy need and primary energy per m², for reference climate data and a set pattern of use of the space and its technical systems (Rulebook, Art. 3 point 6). For continental Croatia, Zagreb included, the reference is the Zagreb-Maksimir weather station (Art. 18).

The scale has eight classes, from A+ (best) to G (worst) (Art. 17). By heating energy need, the limits are (Rulebook, Annex 1, Table 1):

• A+: up to 15 kWh per m² a year
• A: up to 25 kWh
• B: up to 50 kWh
• C: up to 100 kWh
• D: up to 150 kWh
• E: up to 200 kWh
• F: up to 250 kWh
• G: over 250 kWh

As we read it, with the same heating and similar use, a flat with a better class needs less energy to heat. The class doesn't tell you the bill: that also depends on how the flat is heated, energy prices and how much you heat. So we don't give savings by class. The certificate also lists proposed measures to improve energy performance (Art. 19).

How Zagreb's rental flats are heated, by district, is in our heating story; the bills a flat gets are in our utilities guide, and the bill calculator estimates the monthly amount.

Frequently asked questions