Renting Housing in Poland. Where to Look and What to Watch Out For?

Gremi Personal provides all its employees with accommodation in Poland. However, if you would like to rent housing on your own, this article will be useful to you.

How do you find a flat, house, or room to rent — and what should you pay attention to when renting?

We've prepared answers to these questions.

Where to Look?

Just like in Ukraine, the most popular way to search for rental housing in Poland is online — through websites or mobile apps. The universal Polish classifieds aggregator Olx.pl has an interface that Ukrainians will find familiar. The site has a large section for searching for accommodation. You can browse listings from both owners and real estate agents, and filter by city and district, number of rooms, and price. Otodom.pl is a platform for finding all kinds of real estate, but you will primarily be interested in houses (Domy), flats (Mieszkania), or rooms (Pokoje) for rent (Na wynajem). You will also need to select the region where you need accommodation.

What to Keep in Mind When Choosing Housing?

Every country has its own nuances when it comes to finding accommodation. Here is what you need to know in Poland to avoid making mistakes.

1. Spend half an hour getting familiar with the country's administrative structure. At the very least, it is worth knowing which voivodeship you are in — this information is usually displayed when searching on websites. For example, Warsaw is the centre of the Masovian Voivodeship, Gdańsk of the Pomeranian, and Kraków of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

2. Don't want to pay agency fees when renting a flat? Look for listings marked prywatne or bezpośrednie. Agency listings can also be identified by photos with watermarks. By the way, in some cases the landlord covers the agent's fee, so don't be too quick to skip agent listings.

3. While in Ukraine almost all rentals come furnished, in Poland many flats are rented unfurnished. Read the description carefully and study the photos to avoid any surprises.

4. How much money do you need to pay for your chosen property? On top of the standard rent, you also pay czynsz (a building maintenance charge), which is often not included in the advertised price. Czynsz is a contribution to the housing cooperative, used to cover ongoing repairs and building upkeep. Utility bills — media — usually amount to an additional 100–150 zloty per person. You will also be required to pay a security deposit — kaucja — which will be returned to you if nothing was damaged during your stay and you did not violate the terms of the tenancy agreement.

5. A rental agreement always specifies the duration of stay. If you want to leave early, under certain conditions your money may not be refunded.

Types of rental agreements include:

• fixed-term tenancy (typically for one or two years),
• open-ended tenancy (often requiring three months' notice before moving out),
• occasional tenancy (to sign this type of agreement, a property owner in Poland must vouch for you. In the contract, the tenant specifies an address where they will reside if the agreement is terminated — meaning the owner of another property guarantees they will take the tenant in if evicted. If the tenant fails to fulfil their obligations, the landlord may terminate the agreement unilaterally).

There is no guarantee that the perfect place will come up straight away — demand in the rental market exceeds supply in many cities. If possible, we recommend considering accommodation in the suburbs, where you can often find a decent option at a reasonable price. Don't give up hope — and good luck with your search!