Buying and renting a house or an apartment

Apartments and houses on sale or for rent are advertised in newspapers, on the Internet and in real estate agencies. The following sources might be helpful in your search:

The rental cost varies (in Warsaw, Gdansk or Cracow you may expect higher prices). Agencies charge you a fee to the tune of at least 1-month rental. The deposit is given back when you terminate the rental lease provided that you follow the contract rules. In most cases you are also obliged to pay for electricity, water and gas according to the meters.

Any additional facilities such as telephone, Internet, cable TV and others are obligatorily paid by tenants. When renting an apartment, please make sure whether the price includes charges related to the use of the apartment (building maintenance costs, etc.). Also be prepared that the rental lease will be in Polish.

Permits to buy property

The EU/EEA nationals are required to apply for a permit only in order to purchase an agricultural or a forest property during a period of 12 years after the accession of Poland to the EU (until 2016). The permit is issued by the Minister of Interior and Administration (MI&A) in a form of an administrative decision. Nevertheless, no permit is needed in case of buying a property being a second house either for residential building development or for a rest and leisure purpose unless it is done in order to obtain a place of permanent residence. 

Non-EEA nationals are allowed to buy a property in Poland but they must obtain the permission first unless it is an apartment for which no permit is needed.