Why it is better to pay for housing in Poland yourself

Of course, if you are going to work in Poland for the first time, you usually don’t have a lot of choices, especially if you make a decision in a hurry, so it is better to go where you are offered housing for the first time – whether it is free or a monthly amount will be deducted from your salary – it doesn’t matter and it doesn’t make a difference. For the first time, you will definitely go to a place that provides housing, but today I will tell you the truth about housing for employees in Poland.

So, why is it better to rent an apartment or house in Poland on your own and when to do it? If you know Polish well, at least at the level of communication, so that you can understand a Pole and do not have a problem dialing a phone number and talking to the owner, you need to look for housing on your own. The same principle applies here as at home. If you, for example, found a well-paid job in the capital, came for an interview and were hired, you are not given housing, and the same is true in Poland. Once you find a good job, you have to look for housing yourself.

But enterprising Poles do not mind making money on the wave of migrant workers, so they know exactly what is needed to lure a person to work for them. A foreigner who does not speak Polish travels to a foreign country for the first time, and here you have a job for 12 hours to earn more and housing – well, it’s like a kind of “paradise” for an employee. But the price for this “paradise” will be exactly what the foreigner came for – earnings.

Let us reveal the secret of how Polish companies work, which hire people in the so-called “leasing of work”, or more simply, they register the employee for themselves and then lease the employee to another employer. For example, a person works for 8 hours, earns PLN 15 net per hour, the employer pays PLN 8 to the employee, and keeps PLN 7. Quite often, to earn a certain amount, foreigners work 12 hours and on Saturdays as well. A Pole also gets paid for overtime – everything that is worked for more than 8 hours, as well as +100% (in some cases +50%) for working on a day off on Saturday. Let’s do the math even at 15 zlotys per hour, without overtime and weekend bonuses. Simple arithmetic – 8*12*6*4 (8 zlotys per hour * 12 hours/day * 6 days a week * 4 weeks) = 2304 zlotys, which is what a foreign worker will receive in his hands plus free housing, and we will tell you what kind of housing in a moment.

But first, let’s see how much the Polish owner of the company earns. So, 15*12*6*4 (15 zlotys per hour – this is how much a Polish intermediary firm receives from the employer per hour of work of a foreigner * 12 hours/day * 6 days a week * 4 weeks) = 4320 zlotys. This is at least, without taking into account additional payments for working overtime, weekends, and sometimes holidays. Let’s calculate the difference – 4320-2304=2016 PLN net – this is how much a Pole earns per month of work for one foreigner. This information is real, insider information, taken from the sources of an employment agency in Warsaw, where foreigners work in a supermarket chain. In the Polish capital, 25 foreigners work for this company. Let’s do the math: 25*2016=50400 zlotys. They rent three apartments, 7-8 people live in the apartment – these are large apartments, but men and women live together. Even if one apartment costs the owner even 3000 zlotys per month, including utilities, which is already very expensive, three apartments will cost at least 10000 zlotys, and that’s a stretch. And then there’s the tax. Everything is issued for the minimum wage, people sign that they receive barely the minimum wage, so the taxes a Pole pays are small, maybe 15,000 zlotys, which I don’t believe in myself, because it’s really no more than 7,000 zlotys, but nevertheless, 25,000 zlotys of net profit at least, which is about $6,000. You can calculate the volume if the company employs 50 or 100 foreigners.

What are the living conditions for foreigners in Poland? As a rule, if you work in Warsaw, the conditions will be worse. Most foreigners come here, and Poles have plenty to choose from, so they won’t be too particular about housing – if you don’t like it, we’ll find someone else to take your place.

I have even experienced cases when a young couple was put in a room with two women and presented as if it was normal, but they came to work, the couple refused to live there, and miraculously, they were offered separate housing because they urgently needed people. However, as a rule, the living conditions for foreigners working in Poland are generally quite decent. I myself changed quite a few physical jobs while I was learning the language and started working in office jobs, so I had the opportunity to live in different parts of Poland in different rental apartments and the conclusion is that most foreigners are provided with good housing with all the conditions – kitchen, shower, toilet, washing machine. It may not be newly renovated, but as a rule, everything is quite neat and clean, although a lot depends on the foreigners who live there. The disadvantages of housing are deductions from the salary of a higher amount than necessary, or even no deductions at all – the housing is supposed to be free, but the pay per hour will be meager – the employer will take the rest into his pocket.

What problems can a foreigner face when looking for housing in Poland? Many Poles perceive foreigners according to stereotypes: drunk, poor, uneducated, and therefore can harm the apartment and spoil things, so I won’t rent to foreigners. They will hear that you have an accent and refuse. But this is not always the case and it’s not a trend, it just happens, so be prepared.

Personally, I found accommodation for myself and 4 other colleagues in a high-rise apartment in a big city, as well as for myself and 3 colleagues in an apartment in a small town in Poland. I looked for apartments on classifieds, of course, you need to know Polish, call, talk to the owner, be prepared that some will call you back later, some have already rented the apartment, some will refuse, and some will not pick up the phone at all. However, the chances are quite high. Tell the truth, make an appointment, come with your colleagues, if not alone, communicate, and you will be lucky.

A three-room apartment for five people in a big city, including utilities, cost us 180-200 zlotys per person, which is very cheap. But a small two-room apartment for 4 people in a small town with utilities cost 600-700 zlotys per person per month. The smaller the town, the harder it is to find housing, the more expensive the rent and the more expensive the services.

What should a foreigner know before renting an apartment in Poland? You need to understand that the price of an apartment is only one thing. Plus, there will also be payments for media (utilities – water, electricity, gas), as well as payments for the adjacent territory and the house, which include the entrance, elevator, garbage – this is the so-called rent (czynsz), it is something similar to our payment to condominiums, it can sometimes be up to 400 zlotys per month, so ask if there is rent – czynsz.

Also, for the first month, be prepared to make an advance payment or deposit – kaucja, this is an amount that is usually equal to the amount of the monthly payment and is returned at the end when you hand over the apartment to the owner, but if you damage something from the furniture, repairs or appliances, it may simply not be returned to you. So look carefully and check everything before moving in.

So, for example, an apartment costs 800 PLN rent + 200 PLN chinsh + 800 kauci + 150 PLN utilities + 30 PLN internet = 1980 PLN for the first month. In the second month, the payment will already be 1180 PLN, and if there is no chinch because it is included in the rent, it will be 980 PLN.

Don’t be intimidated by the numbers, in any case, renting an apartment alone with a friend or two is more profitable than living in a dorm with everyone else in cramped conditions, especially in a big city. Also, if you and your wife or girlfriend came to Poland and work together, it will also be beneficial for you, and most importantly, you will live peacefully and like a normal family.

Also, when renting an apartment, ask your employer for an increase in pay per hour of work or compensation (if the work is unskilled, physical), but this is only if the employer provided you with free housing, and you found your own housing and do not live where he offers you. To find an apartment, the main thing is not to be afraid, to know Polish at a conversational level, the Internet and ads on popular classifieds sites, and to be persistent. I personally found an apartment in a day, both in a big city and in a small one, although I was frankly lucky in the small one, as there is little housing stock there.