Guides
Mortgages, transaction costs, districts and developers, step by step. Plain answers with numbers and sources, written for buyers from abroad too.
23 articles (page 2 of 2)
Questions & answers
Short answers on the prospectus, reservation fees, withdrawal, notary costs, open and closed escrow, payment stages, price per m², price transparency and selling your contract before completion, based on the developer act as of November 2026.
Playbook
Foreigners can get a Polish mortgage, but each bank sets its own rules. Expect to need a valid residence document, stable income in złoty, a documented own contribution of usually 20% and time to fit the reservation, developer agreement and escrow payments together.
Investor notes
For Polish tax residents, private rental is taxed only by flat-rate ryczałt: 8.5% of rent up to 100,000 zł a year, 12.5% above, no costs deducted, PIT-28. How ordinary, occasional and institutional leases differ, the short-term rental changes, and steps from handover to first tenant.
Know-how
Buying from a developer: VAT is already in the price and there is normally no 2% PCC. Owning: an annual property tax of up to 1.25 zł per m² in 2026. Renting and selling have their own rules, explained here with the points that still need a tax adviser.
Know-how
Polish law has two escrow types. Open escrow releases your payments to the developer stage by stage after bank checks; closed escrow releases them only after ownership is transferred. The developer pays a DFG contribution of 0.45% (open) or 0.1% (closed).
Know-how
The reservation agreement is optional, written, and capped at a 1% fee. The developer agreement is a notarial deed with mandatory content set by law. Neither has a cooling-off period: you can withdraw only on grounds listed in the Developer Act, often within 30 days.
Know-how
VAT is inside the price and there is usually no PCC. You pay notary fees for two deeds (the developer agreement is split 50/50), land-register court fees, bank costs and fit-out. For a 600,000 zł flat with a mortgage, notary and court fees are about 4,750 zł at maximum rates.
Playbook
Read the prospectus, inspect the documents the developer must show you, check the land register and company register, search insolvency notices, confirm the escrow type and bank, and use a risk score only to decide where to dig deeper.
Know-how
Non-EEA foreigners usually need no permit to buy a self-contained flat in Poland; EEA and Swiss citizens do not need one for a flat. Exceptions: the border zone, houses and plots. What the notary and banks ask for, and how signing works without Polish.
Playbook
Ten steps from shortlist to land register: read the prospekt informacyjny, check the developer, reserve, sign the notarial umowa deweloperska, pay into escrow by stage, inspect at handover, sign the transfer deed and register ownership.
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