Renting an apartment in Constanța and Mamaia: the contract, property checks and tenant risks
Renting an apartment in Constanța and Mamaia: the contract, property checks and tenant risks
Author: Sergey Valentinovich Kononov, head of Alliance Consulting · Published: August 23, 2026 · Updated: August 23, 2026
You can rent an apartment in Constanța or Mamaia quickly and safely — when the contract is in writing, the owner has been checked and the condition of the property is recorded in a handover report. A tenant's risks begin not with the district or the floor but with a verbal agreement: without documents there is no address, no protection and no trace of the money paid. Below is what to check before signing, which terms must be in the contract and what to do if you have been renting for years without a single piece of paper. Separately — how resort Mamaia differs from urban Constanța for a long-term tenant.
How to rent an apartment in Constanța or Mamaia without risk
A safe rental rests on 3 pillars: a written contract, an owner verified via the carte funciară and a handover report with meter readings. Everything else is details adjusted to the property. The markets of the two locations work differently: Constanța is a year-round urban market where demand is sustained by the port, universities and services, so supply is stable in any month. Mamaia lives by the season: in summer owners switch apartments to daily rentals and are more willing to sign long contracts for autumn and winter — and that is exactly where the terms on duration and renewal decide everything. A verbal agreement in a seasonal location is the main source of conflicts: by summer the tenant is simply asked to vacate the apartment.
What an official lease agreement gives a tenant
An official contract means an address and legal protection: without it you pay for an apartment in which you legally do not exist. A written contract records the term, the deposit, the payment procedure and the termination conditions — usually with 30–60 days' notice. Under the Civil Code, a contract registered with ANAF acquires the force of an enforceable title: the relationship leaves the gray zone, and sudden eviction stops being the right of the stronger party. For families from Ukraine living in Romania there is also a direct practical point: proof of housing is a mandatory part of the residence permit file, and a contract with an owner who is a private individual is accepted only if it is registered with ANAF. A bank, a school and an employer also need a document, not a word of honor — the contract covers these requests too. Years of renting without a contract are years without an address.
Which documents to check before signing the contract
Before signing, 3 things are checked: the carte funciară extract for the property, the owner's identity and the representative's authority. The extras de carte funciară shows who the owner is and whether there are encumbrances — a mortgage, a seizure, a ban on disposal. The details in the contract are checked against the extract and the identity document; if a relative or an agent signs, it is only with a power of attorney or an agency mandate. In addition, debts for utilities and homeowners' association fees are clarified: someone else's debts do not pass to the tenant, but disconnected services become part of their daily life. The deposit is usually 1–2 monthly payments: the amount, the grounds for withholding it and the return period are written into the contract, not agreed verbally.
How a rental is concluded step by step
A rental is formalized in 5 steps — from the viewing to registering the contract with ANAF. Step 1 — viewing the property and checking the carte funciară extract. Step 2 — agreeing on the terms: duration and renewal, the deposit, rent indexation, utilities, the termination procedure and notice periods. Step 3 — signing a written contract with full details of the parties and the property. Step 4 — the handover report: meter readings, an inventory of furniture and appliances, a record of the condition — without it a dispute over the deposit becomes one person's word against another's. Step 5 — registering the contract with ANAF: this is the owner's obligation within 30 days of signing; the tenant should request confirmation of registration — it is exactly what will be needed for procedures that require an address. Any change — renewal, a new amount, a change of parties — is formalized by an addendum and registered the same way, within 30 days.
What to do if you have been renting for years without a contract
You can formalize the relationship at any time: the contract is signed from the current date — and from that day you have an address and protection. The years already lived cannot be formalized retroactively: confirmed residence starts from the date of the contract, so there is no point in delaying. Years of renting without documents are money without a trace: there is nothing to prove residence with, the deposit exists only in words, and the terms change unilaterally. The fix is simple: a written contract with the owner, a report on the condition and meter readings as of the signing date, registration with ANAF and confirmation of registration in hand. An owner's refusal to formalize the rental is an answer in itself: you cannot build reliable housing on such a property, and it is wiser to find an apartment through a verified catalog. And a separate fork for those whose rental has stretched over years: the same monthly payments can service a property of your own — this route is calculated in the assessment, with a budget and a sequence of steps.
How Alliance works and how Armonia helps
Armonia runs the rental catalog and selects the property, Alliance checks the owner and the contract before signing. The formula for dividing the roles: Armonia shows the properties, Alliance protects the money and builds the structure. In a rental this means checking the carte funciară and the signatory's authority, proofreading the contract, the handover report and monitoring registration with ANAF. When the task is broader than renting — a purchase, an income property, a status — we run 2 products: full support of a real estate transaction and obtaining EU residence or citizenship. Everything is official, under a contract that sets out the timelines, the amount and the working procedure; the company's licenses are publicly available on the website.
Where to start: conclusion and next step
Start with a free strategic assessment — it is carried out before any decisions and does not oblige you to anything. You are left with an analysis of your situation, at least 2 routes — a protected rental or a property of your own — and a budget with a sequence of steps. Apartments in the Armonia rental catalog go through an owner check before publication — start your search there. Write the word ПЛАН — we will review your situation.
Is the owner obliged to register the lease agreement with ANAF?
Yes, within 30 days of signing — this is their legal obligation. The tenant should request confirmation of registration: without it the contract does not work as a document for state procedures.
Is a lease agreement suitable for obtaining a residence permit?
Yes: proof of housing is part of the residence permit file, and a lease agreement registered with ANAF covers this requirement. The details in the contract must match the actual residential address.
How does renting in Mamaia differ from renting in Constanța?
Mamaia is a seasonal market: in summer apartments switch to daily rentals, so for a long-term tenant the contract term and renewal conditions are what matter. In Constanța the market is year-round, and supply is more stable.