Developers will not build houses up to 70 square meters without a permit. They face imprisonment
The government’s act on the construction of houses up to 70 square meters without a permit imposes a fine on developers. The builder will have to prove that he is building the house for his own needs. Otherwise, he faces serious consequences.
It will not be possible to make money from the government’s new idea. The provisions of the draft law regarding the construction of houses up to 70 square meters without a permit include the need to prove that the investment is being built to meet one’s own housing needs. This is a hook for developers who would like to dominate this market as well.
Jail for lying
What will happen if the investor actually does not want to live in the house he has built and decides to sell it? The legislator predicts that he will face up to eight years in prison. However, lawyers strongly criticize the idea. Some of them even call it ridiculous. First of all, they point out that it is not known when it should be assumed that the investor intended to live in the house under construction. What if that intention changed during or after construction? If the person who changed his mind wants to avoid punishment, how long must he live in the house in question before he can legally sell it? There are many questions and no answers in the project.
– This is another example of legislative sloppiness motivated by a thoughtless desire to penalize all possible manifestations of human activity – says lawyer Radosław Baszuk for “Rzeczpospolita”.
Changes without consultation
The possibility of building a house up to 70 square meters without a permit is one of the key elements of the Polish Order. The bill was passed almost unnoticed by work in the government. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki briefly announced this during a conference on September 10.
– Today, the Council of Ministers passed an act that will allow the construction of houses up to 70 square meters without unnecessary formalities – said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. – The dream of millions of Poles is a little closer. In Polish Order, we thought about liberalizing construction law while maintaining safety standards – added.
At this pace of work, there is a good chance that the new law will be adopted this year. The thing is that changes were introduced to the draft act that were not consulted. It disappeared, among others: the provision that the maximum usable area of the house is to be 90 square meters. Comments on this matter included, among others: representatives of the Polish Association of Developer Companies, who believe that the projects will expand to an area of up to 200 square meters, and this may pose a threat to the life or health of residents.
– Since we may be dealing with a two-story building, it is easy to calculate that with a building area of up to 70 sq m, the house will be 140 sq m. However, such a house may also have mezzanines, which are not treated as a storey, which will increase our surface that can be used up to 200 meters – explains Sebastian Juszczak, PZFD lawyer.
The union representative believes that with such complex structures it is difficult to justify the lack of a manager and a construction log. In his opinion, if these elements are missing, there is a high probability of irregularities, which may pose a threat to the health and life of residents.
