Tenant not paying rent or refusing to leave: what a landlord in Croatia can do

The legal route in brief: from arrears to eviction

The Housing Lease Act (ZNS) sets an order of steps for non-payment that protects both sides. The tenant can pay after the warning and challenge the notice in court, and only a court enforcement officer can evict them, on the basis of an enforcement titleEnforcement (ovrha)simplifiedCourt proceedings that force an obligation to be met, such as paying a debt or moving out. They rest on an enforcement title or, for money claims, an authentic document.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 13., 23., 31. i 255., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary such as a judgment or an enforceable notarial deed (Enforcement Act, Arts. 23 and 256). Market leases fall under Arts. 1–29; chapter XIII, on former tenancy rights, never governed them and ceased to apply on 1 January 2025 (NN 36/2024, Art. 58). The Act calls the tenant najmoprimacTenant (najmoprimac)simplifiedThe person who rents the flat and pays the rent; in everyday Croatian a podstanar. The lease is made with one person, exceptionally with both spouses.Source: Zakon o najmu stanova (NN 91/96 … 105/20), čl. 4. i 14.–17., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary and the landlord najmodavacLandlord (najmodavac)simplifiedThe person who lets the flat, usually its owner. They must hand over and keep the flat fit to live in and pay for necessary repairs.Source: Zakon o najmu stanova (NN 91/96 … 105/20), čl. 3., 12.–16. i 26., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary.

1. 1A written warning giving the tenant 30 days to clear the arrears (ZNS Art. 19(2)).
2. 2If the debt remains, written notice with reasons, handed over against the tenant's signature or sent by registered post. The three-month notice periodNotice to end a lease (otkaz ugovora o najmu)simplifiedA statement by which landlord or tenant ends a lease. A tenant gives at least three months' notice on an open-ended lease; a landlord may only give notice on legal grounds.Source: Zakon o najmu stanova (NN 91/96 … 105/20), čl. 19.–25., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary runs from the first day of the following month (Art. 22(1)–(2)).
3. 3If the tenant doesn't leave within the notice period, a claim for evictionMoving out and eviction (iseljenje)simplifiedThe tenant leaving the flat at the end of a lease. If they don't leave, the landlord can sue, and a court officer carries out the eviction, never the landlord.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 255.–258., checked 24 Oct 2026More in the glossary at the municipal court. The case is urgent (Art. 22(4)–(5)).
4. 4A judgment with a deadline to leave, usually 15 days (Civil Procedure Act, Art. 328).
5. 5An application for enforcement to vacate and hand over the flat. A court enforcement officer carries out the eviction (Enforcement Act, Arts. 255 and 256).
6. 6The debt is recovered by a claim, which can be the same one that asks for eviction, or by enforcement on an authentic document (vjerodostojna isprava).

If a notary solemnisedSolemnisation (solemnizacija)simplifiedA notary confirms a contract: checks it, explains the consequences and gives it the force of a notarial deed. With an enforcement clause it becomes an enforcement title.Source: Zakon o javnom bilježništvu (NN 78/93 … 57/22), čl. 54. i 59., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary the lease with the tenant's enforcement statement, the claim may not be needed (Notaries Act, Art. 54). The other side's rights are in our tenant rights guide.

Deložacija: what it means and when an eviction is lawful

“DeložacijaMoving out and eviction (iseljenje)simplifiedThe tenant leaving the flat at the end of a lease. If they don't leave, the landlord can sue, and a court officer carries out the eviction, never the landlord.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 255.–258., checked 24 Oct 2026More in the glossary” is the everyday Croatian word for a forced eviction from a flat, carried out by a court enforcement officer on the basis of a court decision. It isn't a legal term and the statutes don't use it: the Enforcement Act speaks of enforcement to vacate and hand over a property (Arts. 255–258), and the Housing Lease Act of a claim for eviction (tužba za iseljenje, Art. 22(4)).

An eviction is lawful only when a court enforcement officer carries it out under an enforcement orderEnforcement (ovrha)simplifiedCourt proceedings that force an obligation to be met, such as paying a debt or moving out. They rest on an enforcement title or, for money claims, an authentic document.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 13., 23., 31. i 255., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary, which is applied for on the basis of an enforcement title such as a judgment or a lease solemnisedSolemnisation (solemnizacija)simplifiedA notary confirms a contract: checks it, explains the consequences and gives it the force of a notarial deed. With an enforcement clause it becomes an enforcement title.Source: Zakon o javnom bilježništvu (NN 78/93 … 57/22), čl. 54. i 59., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary with the tenant's enforcement statement (Enforcement Act, Arts. 23 and 256). Taking possession isn't “on your own authority” when a law or a court decision based on law allows it (Ownership and Other Real Rights Act, Art. 20(4)), so an officer evicting a tenant isn't disturbing possession on their own authority.

Anything else is taking the law into your own hands, which the law forbids. “Samovlast je zabranjena” (self-help is forbidden): nobody may disturb another's possession on their own authority, even if they think they have the stronger right to it (Art. 20(1)), and that includes the owner of the flat. As we read the law, changing the locks, removing belongings or throwing a tenant out without an officer is taking possession on your own authority, and the tenant can seek urgent court protection against it (see “What you mustn't do” below).

• Before the eviction: a written warning and 30 days for arrears, notice with a three-month notice periodNotice to end a lease (otkaz ugovora o najmu)simplifiedA statement by which landlord or tenant ends a lease. A tenant gives at least three months' notice on an open-ended lease; a landlord may only give notice on legal grounds.Source: Zakon o najmu stanova (NN 91/96 … 105/20), čl. 19.–25., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary and a claim for eviction, or a lease solemnised with the tenant's enforcement statement (the steps above).
• The eviction itself: an application for enforcement at the court where the flat is, an enforcement order, and the eviction carried out by a court enforcement officer, on a working day and in daytime (the enforcement section below).
• There has been no winter ban on evictions since 15 January 2024, when the Constitutional Court decision striking it down was published.

What you mustn't do: locks, utilities and belongings

Until a court enforcement officer carries out an evictionMoving out and eviction (iseljenje)simplifiedThe tenant leaving the flat at the end of a lease. If they don't leave, the landlord can sue, and a court officer carries out the eviction, never the landlord.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 255.–258., checked 24 Oct 2026More in the glossary, the tenant is in possession of the flat and the landlord is only an indirect possessor (Ownership and Other Real Rights Act, Art. 10(3)). Nobody may disturb possession on their own authority, even if they think they have the stronger right to it (Art. 20(1)). Against anyone who disturbs or takes their possession on their own authority (samovlasno), a possessor can seek protection in an urgent court procedure within 30 days of learning of the act and who did it, and no later than a year after it. The court looks only at the last state of possession and the disturbance, whether or not the tenant still has a right to the flat, and can order the previous state restored (Arts. 21 and 22).

• Changing the locks or locking the flat while the tenant is out. As we read the law, that's taking possession on your own authority.
• Removing belongings. In enforcement, a court enforcement officer removes people and things from the flat, and the things are handed to the tenant or into storage (Enforcement Act, Arts. 256 and 257).
• Cutting off electricity, water, gas or heating to push the tenant out. That isn't a legal route to eviction, and the tenant can seek protection of possession if they see it as a disturbance. Whether a particular cut-off counts depends on court practice we don't summarise.
• Entering the flat to put on pressure. The Act lets a landlord in for necessary repairs and to check how the flat is used (Arts. 14(3) and 16), not to evict.

For unpaid rent and damage, a landlord has a statutory lien on the furniture and other movables of the tenant and their household, and may keep those things when the tenant moves out until the debt is paid (ZNS Art. 15(2); Obligations Act, Art. 565). As we read it, that gives no right to evict, lock the flat or remove belongings while the tenant lives there. Ask a lawyer how the right works in a dispute.

Unpaid rent: a written warning and 30 days

A landlord may give notice if the tenant doesn't pay the rent and other agreed housing costs on time, such as bills the lease puts on the tenant (ZNS Art. 19(1) point 1). The Act sets no number of months of arrears: the ground exists as soon as rent isn't paid when due.

Before giving notice, the landlord must warn the tenant in writing to remove the ground for notice within 30 days (Art. 19(2)). As we read it, a tenant who pays within that time has removed the ground, so there's no notice for that debt. Without a warning, the landlord may give notice only if the tenant has breached the lease or the Act more than twice (Art. 19(3)).

Our tip: deliver the warning so you can prove it arrived, against the tenant's signature or by registered post, as the Act requires for notice (Art. 22(1)), and keep a copy. For the warning itself, the Act only requires writing.

Notice: form, delivery and the notice period

Notice is written and gives reasons, and the landlord hands it over against the tenant's signature or sends it by registered post (ZNS Art. 22(1)).

The notice periodNotice to end a lease (otkaz ugovora o najmu)simplifiedA statement by which landlord or tenant ends a lease. A tenant gives at least three months' notice on an open-ended lease; a landlord may only give notice on legal grounds.Source: Zakon o najmu stanova (NN 91/96 … 105/20), čl. 19.–25., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary (otkazni rok) is the time the tenant has to leave after notice. For non-payment and the other Art. 19 grounds it's three months, starting on the first day of the month after the month the notice was received: notice received on 17 April means the period runs from 1 May. If the tenant refuses to accept it, the period runs from the day it was posted (Art. 22(2)–(3)).

• Fixed-term leases. Art. 19 isn't limited to open-ended leases, so as we read it you can end a fixed-term lease early for arrears too. You can also not renew it: if you say in writing at least 30 days before the end that you won't renew, it ends on its end date, and otherwise it renews for the same term (Art. 25(1)).
• Damage and alterations. If the tenant doesn't repair damage to the building's shared parts within 30 days or alters the flat without written consent, the landlord can rescind the lease in writing with reasons, giving at least 15 days to leave (Art. 20).

Every deadline for both sides is in our guide to ending a lease.

If the tenant doesn't leave: a claim for eviction

If the tenant doesn't leave within the notice periodNotice to end a lease (otkaz ugovora o najmu)simplifiedA statement by which landlord or tenant ends a lease. A tenant gives at least three months' notice on an open-ended lease; a landlord may only give notice on legal grounds.Source: Zakon o najmu stanova (NN 91/96 … 105/20), čl. 19.–25., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary or the rescission deadline, the landlord can bring a claim for evictionMoving out and eviction (iseljenje)simplifiedThe tenant leaving the flat at the end of a lease. If they don't leave, the landlord can sue, and a court officer carries out the eviction, never the landlord.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 255.–258., checked 24 Oct 2026More in the glossary at the competent court, and the case is urgent (ZNS Art. 22(4)–(5)). Lease disputes always go first to the municipal court, and only to the one where the flat is (Civil Procedure Act, Arts. 34 and 56). In Zagreb that's the Općinski građanski sud u Zagrebu, except Novi Zagreb – istok, Novi Zagreb – zapad and Brezovica (Općinski sud u Novom Zagrebu) and Sesvete (Općinski sud u Sesvetama) (Act on Court Areas and Seats, Art. 2). The court is also the route after a fixed-term lease ends, because the tenant must hand the flat back when the lease ends (ZNS Art. 17).

The same claim can include the unpaid rent (Civil Procedure Act, Art. 188). A judgment ordering eviction sets a deadline, usually 15 days, and for anything other than paying money the court can set a longer one (Art. 328). The judgment becomes enforceable once it's final and the time to comply has passed (Enforcement Act, Art. 25(1)).

Court fees under the tariff in force from 1 June 2026 (NN 50/2026):

• In a dispute about ending a lease, the value of the dispute is one year's rent, but at least €2,654.45 (Court Fees Act, Art. 21). As we read it, a claim for eviction after notice is valued the same way.
• Above €2,000 the fee for the claim is €140 plus 1% of the amount above €2,000, up to €1,500 (tariff item 1). The same is paid for the first-instance judgment (tariff item 2).
• Example: at €700 a month rent, the value is €8,400 and the fee for the claim €204 (€140 plus 1% of €6,400). A filing made electronically and paid on filing costs half (Court Fees Act, Art. 7). If the same claim also asks for the debt, the values are added (Art. 16(1)): with €2,100 of arrears the value is €10,500 and the fee €225.
• A party that loses the case entirely pays the other side's costs of the proceedings (Civil Procedure Act, Art. 154).

Enforcement: how an eviction is carried out

With an enforceable judgment or notarial deed, the landlord applies for enforcement to vacate and hand over the property, at the court where the flat is (Enforcement Act, Arts. 23 and 255). The application and the enforcement orderEnforcement (ovrha)simplifiedCourt proceedings that force an obligation to be met, such as paying a debt or moving out. They rest on an enforcement title or, for money claims, an authentic document.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 13., 23., 31. i 255., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary each cost half of the tariff item 1 fee (tariff items 1 and 2), and the court must act urgently in enforcement (Art. 13).

• The evictionMoving out and eviction (iseljenje)simplifiedThe tenant leaving the flat at the end of a lease. If they don't leave, the landlord can sue, and a court officer carries out the eviction, never the landlord.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 255.–258., checked 24 Oct 2026More in the glossary can go ahead eight days after the enforcement order is served on the tenant, even before the order is final (Art. 256(2)).
• The court enforcement officer removes people and things and hands the flat over to the landlord. At the court's request, the police and social services must help (Art. 256(1) and (4)).
• Enforcement takes place on working days and in daytime, and on a non-working day or at night only if the court finds good reason (Art. 46). The officer must treat the tenant and their household with due consideration (Art. 47).
• If nobody opens a locked flat, the officer has it opened by a locksmith, with two adult witnesses or a notary present (Art. 47(4)). The court can fine or detain people who obstruct the enforcement (Arts. 16 and 256(3)).
• At the officer's request, the landlord provides labour and transport, and must be told at least eight days before the eviction (Art. 256(6)).
• Removed things are handed to the tenant or an adult member of the household, or if nobody takes them, into storage with another person or the landlord, at the tenant's cost. If the tenant doesn't claim them and pay for storage within the time given, the court orders them sold (Arts. 257 and 258).
• The landlord pays the enforcement costs upfront, and the tenant must reimburse those that were necessary (Art. 14).

The winter ban on evictions no longer applies. From November 2020 the Enforcement Act barred evicting private individuals from 1 November to 1 April, but the Constitutional Court struck that rule down (U-I-331/2021, NN 6/2024 of 15 January 2024). The consolidated Act on 24 October 2026 contains no new ban of that kind.

A solemnised lease: enforcement without suing

A lease solemnisedSolemnisation (solemnizacija)simplifiedA notary confirms a contract: checks it, explains the consequences and gives it the force of a notarial deed. With an enforcement clause it becomes an enforcement title.Source: Zakon o javnom bilježništvu (NN 78/93 … 57/22), čl. 54. i 59., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary by a notary, like a notarial deed, is an enforcement titleEnforcement (ovrha)simplifiedCourt proceedings that force an obligation to be met, such as paying a debt or moving out. They rest on an enforcement title or, for money claims, an authentic document.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 13., 23., 31. i 255., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary if it contains the tenant's statement that it can be enforced directly once an obligation falls due (Notaries Act, Arts. 54(1) and (6) and 59). The landlord then doesn't have to sue: the notary certifies enforceability on the lease (Art. 54(7)), and the court carries out the evictionMoving out and eviction (iseljenje)simplifiedThe tenant leaving the flat at the end of a lease. If they don't leave, the landlord can sue, and a court officer carries out the eviction, never the landlord.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 255.–258., checked 24 Oct 2026More in the glossary as described above.

Where moving out depends on notice, enforceability needs proof that the notice periodNotice to end a lease (otkaz ugovora o najmu)simplifiedA statement by which landlord or tenant ends a lease. A tenant gives at least three months' notice on an open-ended lease; a landlord may only give notice on legal grounds.Source: Zakon o najmu stanova (NN 91/96 … 105/20), čl. 19.–25., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary has run, by a public document or a document with the landlord's certified signatureSignature certification (ovjera potpisa)simplifiedA notary confirms that the signature on a document is yours but doesn't check its content. The fee is €6 per signature, before VAT and the state fee.Source: Zakon o javnom bilježništvu (NN 78/93 … 57/22), čl. 77., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary or, if that isn't possible, a final judgment, unless the lease says otherwise (Art. 54(4)). The tenant can challenge enforceability under the Enforcement Act (Art. 55). A lease with only certified signatures isn't an enforcement title. Costs and steps are in our notarisation guide.

Recovering the debt: enforcement, interest, limitation and the deposit

Besides a claim in court, a debt can be recovered by enforcement on an authentic document (vjerodostojna isprava). That's among other things an invoice (račun) or a private document certified as the law requires, and it must name the creditor and debtor and the subject, type, amount and due date of a money obligation. An invoice to a private individual without a registered business must also warn that if it isn't paid, the creditor can apply for enforcement on an authentic document (Enforcement Act, Art. 31). This route is for money claims only, so it can't be used for evictionMoving out and eviction (iseljenje)simplifiedThe tenant leaving the flat at the end of a lease. If they don't leave, the landlord can sue, and a court officer carries out the eviction, never the landlord.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 255.–258., checked 24 Oct 2026More in the glossary.

• The application goes to the municipal court where the tenant lives, through the e-Ovrhe system, and the case is assigned automatically to a notary acting for the court. A private individual may exceptionally file a paper form at a Fina office (Enforcement Act, Arts. 39.a and 278; gov.hr, e-Ovrhe).
• The notary first sends the application to the debtor, who has 15 days to pay, and if the landlord doesn't withdraw it, then issues an enforcement orderEnforcement (ovrha)simplifiedCourt proceedings that force an obligation to be met, such as paying a debt or moving out. They rest on an enforcement title or, for money claims, an authentic document.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 13., 23., 31. i 255., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary (Art. 281).
• The debtor can object to the order within eight days. A reasoned objection to the whole order moves the case to ordinary proceedings in court (Arts. 57, 58 and 282), and enforcement on an authentic document goes ahead only once the order is final (Art. 44(3)).
• No court fee is due for the notary's enforcement order, but the notary is entitled to a fee, which counts as an enforcement cost (Art. 289).

Default interest. A debtor late with a money payment also owes default interest, and outside commercial contracts the rate is the reference rate plus three percentage points (Obligations Act, Art. 29(1)–(2)). The reference rate on 1 July 2026 is 2.40% (Croatian National Bank, NN 68/2026), so from 1 July to 31 December 2026 default interest is 5.40% a year.

Limitation. A claim for rent becomes time-barred after three years (Obligations Act, Art. 229), counted from the day after each payment fell due (Art. 215). A claim or other step by the creditor before a court or other competent body to enforce the debt interrupts the period (Art. 241), and a debt confirmed by a final judgment is time-barred after ten years (Art. 233).

The depositDeposit (polog)simplifiedMoney the tenant pays as security for unpaid rent, bills or damage, and gets back at the end of the lease. The lease sets the amount and when it's returned.Source: Zakon o najmu stanova (NN 91/96 … 105/20), čl. 3. i 17., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary. If one was agreed, as we read the law the landlord can set it off against rent, bills or proven damage that are due, by a declaration of set-off (Obligations Act, Arts. 195 and 196). Changes from ordinary use of the flat aren't damage the tenant answers for, unless agreed otherwise (ZNS Art. 17). More in our deposit guide.

Leases without a written contract, and what the law doesn't say

The law requires a written lease (ZNS Art. 4(2)), but a contract lacking the required form counts as valid if the parties have performed it wholly or mostly, unless a law or the purpose of the form clearly says otherwise (Obligations Act, Art. 294). Whether there's a lease, and on what terms, is then for the court. Even without a written lease, a landlord can't evict an occupant on their own, because protection of possession doesn't depend on a right to the flat (Ownership and Other Real Rights Act, Art. 22).

Here the answer depends on the facts and on court practice we don't summarise:

• Whether the Obligations Act's rule allowing termination without notice when the tenant is two consecutive payments behind (Art. 564) applies to flats. The Obligations Act applies to leases governed by a special law only as a fallback (Art. 551).
• Whether a particular cut-off of electricity, water or heating counts as disturbing possession.
• How long the whole process takes. The law sets urgency and individual deadlines but no total, and we found no official average for evictionsMoving out and eviction (iseljenje)simplifiedThe tenant leaving the flat at the end of a lease. If they don't leave, the landlord can sue, and a court officer carries out the eviction, never the landlord.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 255.–258., checked 24 Oct 2026More in the glossary.

The draft new Housing Lease Act would require every new lease to be solemnisedSolemnisation (solemnizacija)simplifiedA notary confirms a contract: checks it, explains the consequences and gives it the force of a notarial deed. With an enforcement clause it becomes an enforcement title.Source: Zakon o javnom bilježništvu (NN 78/93 … 57/22), čl. 54. i 59., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary or a notarial deed with enforcement clauses for debts and handing back the flat (draft Art. 7), and would offer private-individual landlords an optional state guarantee of up to €10,000 in total for unpaid rent and bills (Arts. 37 and 38). The consultation closed on 2 September 2026, and on 19 October 2026 the law hasn't been passed (our guide to the draft).

How to lower the risk before the tenant moves in

These are our tips, with the rule cited where there is one:

• A written lease with the rent and how it's paid, the costs, who lives in the flat and how long the lease runs (ZNS Arts. 4 and 5). What to check is in our lease contract checklist.
• Reporting the lease to Porezna uprava (the Tax Administration) within 8 days of the lease being made or the let starting (Income TaxIncome tax on rent (porez na dohodak)simplifiedThe tax a private landlord pays on rent: 12% of the rent less 30% for expenses, i.e. 8.4% of the rent. It's paid monthly under a Tax Administration decision.Source: Zakon o porezu na dohodak, čl. 57. i 62., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary Act, Art. 62(7)), and sending it to the City of Zagreb (ZNS Art. 26). The steps are in our lease reporting checklist.
• SolemnisationSolemnisation (solemnizacija)simplifiedA notary confirms a contract: checks it, explains the consequences and gives it the force of a notarial deed. With an enforcement clause it becomes an enforcement title.Source: Zakon o javnom bilježništvu (NN 78/93 … 57/22), čl. 54. i 59., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary with the tenant's enforcement statement, if you both agree, so that both evictionMoving out and eviction (iseljenje)simplifiedThe tenant leaving the flat at the end of a lease. If they don't leave, the landlord can sue, and a court officer carries out the eviction, never the landlord.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 255.–258., checked 24 Oct 2026More in the glossary and the debt can go ahead without a claim in court (our notarisation guide).
• A depositDeposit (polog)simplifiedMoney the tenant pays as security for unpaid rent, bills or damage, and gets back at the end of the lease. The lease sets the amount and when it's returned.Source: Zakon o najmu stanova (NN 91/96 … 105/20), čl. 3. i 17., checked 19 Oct 2026More in the glossary, with the amount, purpose and return deadline written into the lease (our deposit guide).
• A record of the flat's condition at handover, which the Act requires (Art. 12(2)), with meter readings and photos. You can make one with our move-in inspection report.
• Payments only by bank transfer, so each one leaves a trace, and late payments discussed in writing.
• Meet everyone who'll live in the flat and decide on what matters for the let, not on traits the Anti-Discrimination Act protects, such as ethnic origin, religion, sex, family status, health or disability. The Act expressly applies to housing (Arts. 1 and 8). The rest is in our landlord guide.

Where to get help

Before suing, the parties should try to settle a dispute amicably whenever they can, and a party that sues after a mediation that ended without agreement pays no court fee on the claim (Mediation Act, Art. 13).

• A lawyer. The Hrvatska odvjetnička komora (Croatian Bar Association) keeps a directory of lawyers.
• City of Zagreb, Sektor za besplatnu pravnu pomoć (free legal aid section), Zapoljska 1; 01 6100-300. The section decides applications for free legal aid and fee exemptions. The Act allows primary aid, such as general legal information and advice, in any matter, landlords included, if you can't handle it alone, the request isn't plainly unfounded and paying would endanger your upkeep; public offices, approved associations and law clinics provide it. The section grants a state-paid lawyer subject to a means test and only in the types of case the Act lists, otherwise by exception (Free Legal Aid Act, Arts. 6, 10, 13 and 14).
• Pravna klinika, the legal clinic of the Zagreb Faculty of Law, Palmotićeva 30, klinika.pravo.hr. Supervised students give free general legal information and advice, but don't represent clients in court.
• The Općinski građanski sud u Zagrebu (Municipal Civil Court in Zagreb, sudovi.hr) for evictionMoving out and eviction (iseljenje)simplifiedThe tenant leaving the flat at the end of a lease. If they don't leave, the landlord can sue, and a court officer carries out the eviction, never the landlord.Source: Ovršni zakon (NN 112/12 … 06/24), čl. 255.–258., checked 24 Oct 2026More in the glossary claims and enforcement, except for flats in Novi Zagreb, Brezovica and Sesvete.

Frequently asked questions