Buda about more expensive apartments. “Since yogurt is getting more expensive…”
If yogurt or cold cuts become more expensive, it is difficult for flats to become cheaper, said Waldemar Buda, Minister of Development and Technology, in an interview with Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, referring to the rising prices of flats. In his opinion, the increase was not affected by the Safe Credit 2 percent program launched more than a month ago.
When asked how he would rate the current situation on the housing market on a scale of 0-10, the Minister of Development and Technology indicates that “seven would be the right rating”. – We have objective difficulties resulting from increases in the prices of individual elements that make up the final price of the apartment. It is about building materials, but also about the poor supply of land and the lack of workers due to the war in Ukraine. And although, as a result of years of good economic situation, a record number of new properties are now being handed over, in two or three years we may have a problem with a weaker supply of flats. We see a great risk in this. Therefore, we encourage developers to resume suspended projects. 2% secure loan shows that the willingness to buy a flat is considerable – says the head of the Ministry of Development and Technology.
Safe Loan 2 percent contributed to the increase in housing prices?
According to the minister, the Safe Credit 2% program launched more than a month ago. “has not affected” the increase in housing prices at all. Buda argues that real estate prices – with a short break – have been getting more expensive since 1991. In this context, the minister makes comparisons to the prices of… yogurt and sausage.
– This is due to the housing deficit in Poland and the imbalance between supply and demand. Flats became more expensive in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, about 100,000 people left Poland. Ukrainian workers, construction materials became more expensive by one third. This also had an impact on the price. If yogurt or cold cuts become more expensive, it is difficult for flats to become cheaper – says Buda, emphasizing that the government’s task “is to try to control these increases, in the same way as we fight inflation.”
How many apartments are missing in Poland?
When asked about the housing deficit in our country, the Minister of Development and Technology emphasizes that everything depends on the adopted indicators. – If we take the average European values, i.e. approx. 450 apartments per 1,000. inhabitants, taking into account our demographic situation, there is currently a shortage of approx. 1.5 million flats in our country. If we assumed a slightly higher ratio, the deficit could be calculated even at 3 million – says Bud.
The head of the Ministry of Development and Technology points out that “the number itself does not reflect the essence of the matter”. – There is no shortage of such apartments all over the country, only in specific places. There are more and more inhabitants in large agglomerations, in Warsaw and other centers, so the expansion must take place primarily in cities and their outskirts. In addition, one should also pay attention to what kind of housing is missing in Poland. The deficit also results from our attitude to the form of ownership. Many people want to own a flat – unlike in Western Europe, where the share of renting is much higher – explains the journalist’s interlocutor.
