Polish housing policy

🎯 Main Goals: 

1. Increase availability & affordability of housing.

2. Improve housing conditions nationwide.

📌 The Problem

Poland faces:

1. A housing shortage, especially affordable options.

2. Barriers for first-time buyers.

3. Poor energy efficiency in many buildings.

📅 Short- vs Long-Term Vision

Short-term:

1. Financial support for first-time buyers (loans, subsidies).

Long-term:

1. Build more houses.

2. Renovate existing buildings.

3. Improve energy efficiency.

4. Encourage saving through housing savings accounts.

👨‍👩‍👧 Who Benefits & Who’s Left Out

Positive:

1. Moderate to low-income families.

2. Lower-income households in social housing.

Negative:

1. Very low-income people who can’t save a set minimum.

2. Migrants, stateless people, and some vulnerable groups excluded from programmes.

⚖ Equity

1. Targets the very low-income & medium/high-income, but gaps exist for middle groups.

2. “Rent gap” affects 25% of people — excluded from support.

📊 Impact

1. Helped many young families buy homes.

2. Most people report no major change in housing situation.

3. Overcrowding is high: 35.7% overall, 54% among young people.

🔧 Recommendations – Keep / Fix / Add

Keep:

1. Most existing measures.

Fix:

• Increase social housing share.

• Lower minimum savings requirement.

• Set energy efficiency obligations for new builds.

• Tax on 2nd & 3rd empty homes.

• Strengthen environmental laws to protect sensitive habitats from housing expansion.

Add:

1. Pre-build environmental surveys.

2. Support for transition from social housing to market housing.

3. Mixed-income social housing to reduce segregation.

4. Mandatory biodiversity impact assessments for all housing projects.

5. Eco-certified building materials and renewable energy integration in all new builds.

6. Green roofs, rainwater harvesting, and habitat-friendly landscaping as standard.

7. Wildlife-safe lighting to reduce harm to nocturnal animals in urban areas.