Co-borrower (spoludlužník)
A person who signed the loan agreement together with the borrower and is liable for the whole debt jointly and severally (§ 1872 of the Civil Code, občanský zákoník). The bank can demand the full payment, or the entire remaining loan, from any co-borrower, regardless of who owns the property or how the borrowers have split the debt between themselves. A co-borrower can be released from the contract only with the bank's consent.
Example
Partners borrow CZK 4,000,000 over 25 years at 5.00 % with a payment of CZK 23,384, and only one of them owns the property. They split up and the owner stops paying. The bank can now demand the whole CZK 23,384 payment, and later the accelerated balance, from the other co-borrower, even though that person owns no part of the flat.
In practice
Neither divorce nor separation changes what you owe the bank, because an agreement between partners does not bind it. The bank will release a co-borrower only if the remaining borrower passes a creditworthiness assessment alone or a new co-borrower joins. Think twice before signing as a co-borrower with no co-ownership share and no written agreement on what happens if you split up.
How it differs
A guarantor pays only after the borrower has failed to pay on written demand; a co-borrower is a debtor from day one. A co-applicant is the same person at the application stage, before the contract is signed. The co-borrower role does not end with divorce or separation.
Related terms
In-depth guide
Calculate your own situation
Instead of abstract definitions — enter your own parameters and see the result for yourself. No registration, no form, no salespeople.