In an interview with propertynews.pl, Marek Roefler, CEO of Dantex Holding, criticizes Poland’s bureaucratic and restrictive development environment, which he says has paralyzed the housing market and driven out foreign investors. Despite huge government investment plans, developers face up to seven-year delays in obtaining building permits, excessive regulations, and a chronic shortage of available land. According to Roefler, high housing prices are caused not by developer greed but by limited land supply—a result of blocked post-industrial plots, halted zoning decisions, and failed initiatives like Mieszkanie Plus.

He argues that if the city released industrial lands and simplified bureaucracy, housing prices could fall significantly, since developer margins have remained steady at around 20% for years. The so-called lex deweloper law, meant to speed up housing projects, also failed because municipalities refuse to commit to timelines. Dantex’s flagship project by the Żerański Canal, planned for over 2,000 apartments and a school, has been stuck in approvals for two years.

Roefler blames the state for discouraging competition — major European developers like Nexity and Bouygues have already withdrawn from Poland due to excessive difficulty. “If the market were open, global giants would have entered and revolutionized it,” he says, “but it’s just too hard.”

He defends small-unit projects like Wolska Kwadrat, calling them market-driven rather than “patodeweloperka,” and opposes mortgage subsidies, arguing that state intervention distorts pricing. The real issue, he stresses, lies in systemic inefficiency, delayed administration, and the soaring cost of land.

Ultimately, Roefler believes only free-market competition and deregulation can restore balance to Poland’s real estate sector, attract foreign investors, and make homes affordable again — but warns that without decisive government action, the market will remain stagnant and exclusive.

(propertynews.pl)