Poland reforms municipal property rules, ending cheap housing sales and imposing a concrete tax

The Ministry of Development and Technology plans to change the rules governing the purchase of municipal apartments. Under the new compromise, buyers who acquire a flat at a deep discount will retain ownership or may pass it to heirs, but if they later sell the unit on the open market they must refund the entire subsidy to the municipality. The reform aims to stop speculative resale that has reduced the stock of public housing from about 2 million units to under 700 000, while municipal authorities argue the measure is needed to finance new social‑housing construction.

Separately, local governments will be able to levy a “concrete tax” on heavily paved properties to curb the loss of natural water retention. The tax applies mainly to large commercial sites with at least 3 500 m² of impervious surface and rates range from 0.50 zł to 0.05 zł per square metre per year, depending on the presence of rain‑water retention installations. Private residential plots are generally exempt unless they meet all the statutory conditions. The levy is intended to discourage excessive “concretisation” and encourage investment in storm‑water management.