How to rent a house in Poland: search engines, average cost, and what to look for when choosing an apartment

Housing is an important aspect of life in any country. We already wrote about the types of apartments in Poland for employees from Ukraine. Let’s remind you that some job offers on “Spartajobs” provide free accommodation, but not all. There are also employees who come with families or groups of friends, and it is often more profitable and desirable for them to rent an apartment. In this article, we will discuss which websites to use to find accommodation, learn about the details of renting an apartment without the services of a real estate agent, and compare rental prices in different cities in Poland.

You can find interesting apartments both with the help of a real estate agent and on your own.

If we look for it ourselves, the process has both pros and cons.

Advantages:

  • No commission. Usually, real estate agents charge a commission for their services in the amount of one month’s rent.
  • You can negotiate certain special conditions.

Disadvantages:

  • The owner is most likely to speak only Polish, so all communication must be in Polish, not Russian, Ukrainian, or English.
  • You must prepare a rental agreement yourself.

When looking for an apartment to rent on your own, it is most convenient to use websites, and there are many of them. Here are the most popular ones:

In the filters, you select the area of the desired apartment, the number of rooms, amenities, and an acceptable price for you, and then evaluate the proposed options. Since all the sites are in Polish, we recommend enabling translation of the entire page into Ukrainian or Russian.

Average apartment rent price in Polish cities:

  • Warsaw – PLN 2,600
  • Gdańsk – PLN 2,800
  • Wrocław – PLN 2,500
  • Kraków – PLN 2,300
  • Lublin – PLN 2,200
  • Katowice – PLN 2,000
  • Poznań – PLN 1,900
  • Łódź – PLN 1,800
  • Bydgoszcz – PLN 2,000

What to look for when looking for an apartment?

It is important to pay attention to the following aspects:

  • Availability of household appliances: washing machine, microwave, refrigerator, etc.
  • Availability of furniture (yes, it’s surprising, but sometimes apartments are rented without furniture: owners expect tenants to bring their own)
  • Utilities fees: how much and who pays, be sure to take a meter reading
  • Does the rent include the building manager’s fee? The building manager’s fee is the amount that the apartment owner or tenant pays for the maintenance of the building, its cleaning, and other services.
  • Is a deposit required? A deposit is an amount that the tenant pays to the property owner upon check-in, in case of damage to the property. After check-out, if there is no damage, the deposit amount is returned.

Conclusion

The rental market in Poland is diverse and there are many options to choose from. By following the tips in this article, you can find a comfortable and affordable apartment to rent.

Here are some additional tips for renting an apartment in Poland:

  • If you are not fluent in Polish, you can ask a friend or family member to accompany you to the viewing or to translate for you.
  • Many apartments in Poland are listed in English, so you can use Google Translate to help you understand the listings.
  • Be sure to read the rental agreement carefully before signing it. The rental agreement should specify the rent, utilities fees, and other terms of the lease.