New rent law aims to restrict landlords' rent rises and protect tenants

Parliament yesterday passed a new law, the Act on the Protection of Tenants, which states that tenancy agreements must be concluded for a minimum three-year period. Contracts concluded for less than three years will be considered as having been concluded for an indefinite period of time. However, the tenancy term can be shortened in certain cases. For example, if apartment owners go abroad for less than three years, they may stipulate in the contract that the tenant will agree to leave the apartment upon the owner's return, likewise if the owner sells the apartment. In future, landlords will only be able to raise rents by a maximum of 15% above the previous year's inflation and all valorization clauses will be deemed invalid. Neither will landlords be able to include clauses on a tenant's eviction following a delay in paying the rent. Landlords will now have to wait for four successive months of rent arrears before they can issue the tenant with an official warning. However, owners may not evict tenants but can only terminate the rent contract and sue the tenant. Further, if a tenant is severely ill and bed-ridden, the landlord will be obliged to provide alternative accommodation before any possible eviction. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 21) K.K.