The government has adopted a bill that will enable the creation of housing co-operatives in Poland. Poles will be able to buy land together and build multi-family buildings or houses on it, or buy buildings and renovate them. There will also be new rules in guaranteed housing loans.

The new solutions are contained in the draft law on housing co-operatives and rules for the disposal of real estate belonging to the communal real estate stock in order to support the realisation of housing investments. They are scheduled to enter into force early next year.

“We are continuing our efforts to increase the availability of housing on the market. We are introducing further solutions to help with their purchase and construction. A group of people will be able to jointly develop a housing project tailored to their needs and preferences. To meet the housing market situation, we are also adapting the guaranteed housing loan to the current reality. The changes will allow more Poles to benefit from a loan granted with state support”, informs Minister for Development and Technology Waldemar Buda.

A housing co-op is a group of individuals acting together under a contract. They can buy land and build multi-family buildings or single-family complexes on it or buy existing buildings and renovate them. According to the law, co-operative developments must create at least three residential units.

In addition, the rules for the sale of real estate belonging to the municipal real estate stock will change.
Preferential rules are directed to co-operatives and to new housing cooperatives. One of them is the possibility for the municipality to grant the buyer a discount on the price of the property. “The cost of the discount will be covered by the state – the municipality will be able to apply for a so-called infrastructure grant”, informs Deputy Minister of Development and Technology Piotr Uściński.

Adrian Andrzejewski