Warsaw Real Estate: Apartments in Poland's Capital

Śródmieście is the central district, including the Old Town and the new business centre around the Palace of Culture and Science. Mokotów, to the south, is a green and upscale residential district popular with expatriates and offices, while Wilanów, near the baroque palace, has modern housing and gated estates. Żoliborz, in the north, has interwar cooperative housing and a village-like feel, and Wola, once industrial, is now a hub of office towers and new apartments. Praga, across the Vistula, has gained a bohemian reputation and offers lower prices. Ursynów, along the metro line, is a large family suburb.

The city has two metro lines, trams, buses and fast rail links with Kraków, Gdańsk and Berlin, while the Chopin airport is on the south-west side. Warsaw's economy includes banking, business services, government and a large IT sector, so employment and rental demand remain strong. Winters are cold, summers hot, and air quality in heating season is a recognised concern.

• Who can buy. EU and EEA citizens can buy freely. Other foreigners normally need a Ministry of Interior permit for houses and land, while separate apartments are generally exempt. Check this with a lawyer.
• Types of ownership. A flat with its own land-register entry (odrębna własność) is full ownership. A cooperative right (spółdzielcze własnościowe prawo do lokalu) is different and has different rights and mortgage treatment, so confirm which one you are buying.
• Register and notary. Read the land and mortgage register (księga wieczysta) and complete the sale in front of a notary. Civil-law transactions tax is about 2% on resale properties, and developer sales bear VAT instead. Verify the current rules.
• Developers. Off-plan buyers should use the escrow-type account that Polish law requires for developer sales and check the prospectus.
• Mortgages. Polish banks lend in zloty, and non-residents may face stricter terms. See our Poland mortgage guide.

The Poland buying guide walks through the process.

Compare with Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Gdynia and Poznań. The country overview is property for sale in Poland, and you can check budget options on cheap property in Poland.