The Pulse of Real Estate: Polish "glass houses"

2023-01-26

Dwellings built over 100 years ago account for approximately 6.9% of the total stock. Among them are restored tenement houses, but most of these old apartments are probably suitable for replacement.
Most of the existing flats meet the current civilization standards, but especially in the east of the country there is a significant percentage of flats without a water supply system, toilet or central heating.
Over the last 30 years, the average surface standard of flats has noticeably improved. In 2021, the average usable floor space of an apartment was 75 sq m. Regionally, the highest average floor space per person is in affluent poviats in large agglomerations, poviats in regions attractive to tourists (rental in the coastal area and in foothill towns), as well as with profitable agriculture. The average larger usable area per person is also a result of the region's depopulation (eg in Podlasie and Lubelskie). In turn, the relatively low area per person in the belt of poviats in northern Poland may result from the age structure of their resources - a relatively large share of older, smaller dwellings.
Despite a significant improvement in surface conditions in recent years, compared to other countries, Polish dwellings are characterized by a low number of rooms per person.