Are you thinking about moving to Poland? Renting is great for a short period, but if you are looking to buy a place in this beautiful country, here are few tips on how to do it:)

You can only buy a home in a completely straightforward way if you have Polish nationality. But since Poland joined the European Union, buying properties in Poland for EU citizens is an easy process (may be slightly different for USA citizens though).

Before buying any property you will need to apply for the right to buy.

There are two aspects:

✺ If you’re going to buy a holiday home, you have to apply for permission from the Home Office (Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych I Administracji)

✺ If you are going to buy a home to move for a longer period to Poland (more than 90 days) you do not have to apply for special permission to purchase real estate but you will have to apply for permanent residency card.

After viewing a house or a flat you should negotiate directly with the owner or through the estate agent if you use one. Once you have negotiated a price you have to make an appointment with a notary for the sale to be legally binding – both the buyer and vendor use the same notary and often all meetings are with all parties present – this makes sorting out any queries and problems much easier. The buyer covers the notary’s fees and taxes (these costs could be approx. 2% – 3% of the property price). If you do not speak Polish, you will need a translator.

The process at notary has two levels. First the notary will draw up an initial contract (“umowa przedwstępna” in Polish) which will outline the details and any conditions that must be met before the sale completes. The buyer must pay a deposit, which is non-refundable unless it is the vendor that pulls out of the sale. A date by which the final agreement – completion must take place will be stated. After the initial contract the notary will carry out the necessary checks/searches and the vendor must supply the appropriate documents. At the final contract meeting the rest of the money must be paid and the vendor must supply a document proving that there are no loans secured on the house.  Please note that in Poland loans secured on a property stay with the property, not the owner, and will thus be passed onto the new owner. Beware. That is why this document is so important and crucial.

Good luck!Let us know if you have purchased a house/apartment in Poland and how did it go.

Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)