Foreigners in Poland – how to find a flat to rent

For several years now, more and more foreigners have decided to live in Poland. By April 2021, the number of people with residence permits increased by around 5 percent to 478,500. The main motivation for newcomers is invariably job opportunity, but one of the conditions for staying longer is finding suitable accommodation.

Foreigners today constitute one of the main groups of tenants in Poland, both in the private segment and in the institutional rental market (PRS). From their perspective, rental is less demanding in terms of formalities and costs. Polish law does not stipulate any requirements other than those applicable when concluding a rental contract with Polish citizens. However, owners of private flats are still suspicious of tenants from this group, perceiving foreigners as high-risk tenants, especially those from outside the European Union, as they fear difficulties with potential debt collection. Finally, as in the case of Polish tenants, they decide to sign a contract on an individual basis, after having familiarised themselves with the situation of the prospective tenant. 

According to Sławomir Imianowski, CEO of Resi4Rent, this problem does not exist in the case of companies professionally dealing with flat rentals. 

(WBJ)