Lawyer's addressLövőház utca 20/A.
1024 Budapest Hungary

Attorney's phone number Tel.: +36 1 316 9233
Law office's fax number Fax.: +36 1 336 0107
Attorney's office e-mail info@drlittner.hu

Apartment boom at Lake Balaton

napi.hu, 24.05.2017 – Many new apartments are being built at Lake Balaton and prices at Lake Velencei are also increasing. According to figures published by KSH, the National Statistical Office of Hungary, holiday home construction is also on the upswing. At Lake Balaton apartment development projects are also intensifying. Judged by the number of planning approvals and properties in the blueprint phase the number of completed apartments will peak in the next few years. Buyers increasingly prefer newly built condominium properties with a panoramic view directly at the lakeshore. These command significantly higher prices, not only on account of their better features but also because the number of building plots with direct connection to the water is diminishing.

Even though prices at Lake Velencei are lower compared to those of Lake Balaton, some factors put an upward pressure on prices there, too. First, the effects of the bourgeoning apartment market of neighbouring Székesfehérvár can also be felt in the surrounding area. Second, some settlements around Lake Velencei are comparatively close to Budapest, which means they can offer a viable alternative for buyers from the capital.

Lodger tax to be introduced? – The Ministry responds

napi.hu, 12.09.2016 – Rumours of a new “lodger tax” have been spreading lately, so the Ministry of National Economy issued a bulletin to set the situation straight. The letting of apartments has been subject to income tax since more than 25 years, so there is no news here. The rules are clear: offering your apartment for lease through an online accommodation marketplace qualifies as a taxable accommodation operation and the landlord must have a tax number and register with the local notary public. Letting an apartment or part of it for the long term, e.g. to a lodger, is also subject to tax, but the landlord does not need to have a tax number.

According to the Ministry the online accommodation marketplaces undoubtedly created new opportunities for Hungarian landlords. The National Tax and Customs Authority started a systematic analysis of the situation back in the spring of 2016. Based on the data collected from just a single online marketplace they found that in May there were 8299 properties offered by 5206 landlords.

Do landlords need a tax number?

napi.hu, 06.09.2016 – According to a bulletin issued by NAV, the Hungarian Tax Authority recently, no tax number is needed for landlords offering their property for a long-term lease, unless they are legal entities with a compulsory tax number. As the lease of properties for non-touristic purposes by private persons is exempt from VAT, no invoice needs to be issued for the rental fee – a receipt or any other form of verifiable record will be sufficient.

Touristic accommodation services, on the other hand, fall into the category called “other types of accommodation” and involve a formal business activity, mainly the provision of short-term accommodation and related services. Property owners have a choice of several forms of business and taxation methods. Most of them do so as private persons and must apply for a tax number and also register with the local notary public.