The first apartment with a safe 2% loan – the most common questions and doubts

The 2% safe loan was introduced under the Act of May 26, 2023 on state aid in saving for housing purposes (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1114). It can be used until 2027 (with the possibility of extension). The loan subsidy may last for 10 years. The minimum loan period is 15 years.

– The largest housing support program in post-war Poland is a real hit, appreciated even by the international press. Most mortgage inquiries in July were for a safe 2% loan. Young people who previously did not have their own apartment saw an opportunity in our product and are now taking advantage of it. I would like to remind you: there are no limits for this year and anyone who meets the formal conditions for receiving a loan will be able to use it – said Waldemar Buda, Minister of Development and Technology.

Also, from July 1, 2023, people who want to take out a mortgage loan in the coming years can start saving for this purpose on the Housing Account. The state also offers assistance to such people by contributing to the collected funds.

What conditions must be met to obtain a safe 2% loan?

An applicant for a safe 2% loan should have creditworthiness that is adequate to the loan amount he or she is applying for. The program can be used by people who do not have their own house or apartment and are buying a house or apartment for the first time (i.e. they did not previously have a house or apartment that they sold). The condition for obtaining a loan is also that you are under 45 years of age on the date of submitting the application. You cannot run a business in an apartment purchased on credit if a BGK guarantee has been granted and only until it is repaid; you can also run it after repaying its equivalent.

Can you use the program if you are a co-owner of an apartment?

The program can be used by persons with a share of no more than 50%. in co-ownership of one residential premises, who have not lived in this premises for at least 12 months, and acquired a share in such an apartment only by inheritance. Ownership and co-ownership mean, in addition to the ownership right, also the cooperative ownership right to the premises.

You can also use the program if you have the ownership right to no more than one residential premises or a single-family house excluded from use on the basis of a decision of the construction supervision authority, when it concerns a construction disaster or the effects of wind flood, landslide or other natural event, or when such a decision was issued at least 12 months before submitting the application for a safe 2% loan. This also applies to people who in the past had an apartment or house closed for use due to the above-mentioned reasons. People who have a flat in TBS can also apply for a loan.

Can a person who has used the “Mieszkanie dla Młodych” program in the past benefit from the program?

The “First Apartment” program is aimed at people who purchase their first residential property, i.e. people who have used the “Mieszkanie dla Młodych” program do not meet this condition. The exception are families with at least two children, who will be able to use the Housing Account if they have a flat whose square footage is specified in the Act.

Does purchasing or receiving real estate while using the program automatically exclude you from it?

Acquiring the right to real estate while using the program means losing the right to future subsidies. This does not apply to situations where the property is acquired through inheritance.

Can only married couples benefit from the program?

The program is addressed to households, i.e. both singles and couples living together in an informal relationship and raising at least one child. If a single person applies for a loan and marries a person who already owns real estate, he or she does not lose the right to subsidies.

One of the spouses may apply for a loan on their own if they have never owned real estate, and the other spouse has also never owned real estate or owned real estate but sold it before the wedding.

If the second spouse has real estate or had it and sold it after the marriage, the first spouse cannot take out a safe 2% loan on his own, even if he has never owned real estate.

Can foreigners use the program?

Foreigners can also use the program, but they must run a household in Poland, and if they run a household outside Poland, they can apply for a safe 2% loan together with a person with Polish citizenship. The loan is granted only in PLN, i.e. to people who earn income in PLN.

What is the maximum loan amount and how much are the subsidies?

According to the provisions of the Act, the amount of a safe 2% loan may amount to a maximum of PLN 500,000. zloty. for a single person, and in the case of a household run jointly by spouses or parents of at least one common child, it increases to PLN 600,000. zloty.

The amount of the loan subsidy is the difference between the fixed rate determined on the basis of the average interest rate on fixed-rate loans in lending banks, less a margin, and the loan interest rate in accordance with the %. It is also worth emphasizing that the risk of an increase in the installment after the subsidy period is minimal, and the bank’s margin cannot be higher than the margin proposed in other mortgage loans offered by the bank.

The program is based on decreasing installments, and after the subsidy period ends, the installments will be equal. For example, if a married couple with one child took out a loan for 30 years in the amount of PLN 550,000. PLN, the fixed interest rate will be 8.46%. In order to determine the amount of the subsidy, it is reduced by 10%. (taking into account the margin component), i.e. it is 7.61%. For 10 years, when government subsidies will apply, principal and interest installments will decrease, and the installment and the amount of the subsidy will change. The first installment will amount to approximately PLN 2.8 thousand, including an additional payment. PLN, without the subsidy it would be worth approximately PLN 5.4 thousand. zloty.

After 10 years, there will be a transition to the so-called annuity installments, i.e. a debt repayment scheme in which all capital and interest installments are of equal amounts. In the example given, their value, without changing the interest rate, will be PLN 3,172.74 per month. If the annuity was used for the entire loan period, the installments would amount to PLN 4,213.44 without additional payments, for 30 years.

How much can the own contribution be with a safe loan of 2%?

The maximum own contribution is PLN 200,000. PLN, however, it is possible to provide a guarantee for your own contribution by combining it with the “Mieszkanie bez zaputu” program offered by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego. In such a case, the sum of this guarantee and own contribution cannot exceed PLN 200,000. PLN and 20 percent the total amount of expenses for which the loan is granted.

Can I repay the loan early?

If the borrower made early repayment of part of the secure loan, the 2% installment subsidy would expire on the last day of the month in which it was done. Amounts of subsidies obtained after this date will be returned to the Government Housing Fund.

This does not apply to the situation where the repayment is made three years after granting the loan or concerns the part of the loan covered by the guarantee, if the 2% safe loan program has been combined with the “Mieszkanie no own contribution” program.

You can also repay part of the loan without consequences, if the amount of this repayment together with your own contribution does not exceed PLN 200,000. PLN or when the amount of this repayment and the paid installment (together) did not exceed the amount of the first installment in a given month, less the additional installment of this loan.

When do you have to move into a property purchased with a safe 2% loan?

According to the regulations, a property purchased with a secure 2% loan must be moved in within 24 months from the date of reporting the completion of the construction of a single-family house or the acquisition of ownership or cooperative rights to a residential premises or a single-family house. If this deadline is not met, you lose the right to subsidize loan installments.

Who can open a Housing Account?

Such an account can be opened by a person who does not have and has never had an apartment, a single-family house or a cooperative law regarding a residential premises or a single-family house. It may also be a person who lives in one premises with at least two of his or her own or adopted children, but then such an apartment cannot be larger than 50 square meters in the case of two children, 75 square meters in the case of two children. in the case of three children, 90 sq m in the case of four children. In the case of five or more children, there are no restrictions on the space of the premises. You can open an account up to the age of 45. An account for a child (from the age of 13) can be opened regardless of whether the parents own the apartment.

How much are the minimum payments to the Housing Account?

The minimum monthly payment on the Housing Account is PLN 500 (PLN 6,000 per year), the maximum – PLN 2,000. PLN (PLN 24,000 per year). Each year you can not pay anything into the account for a month without any consequences, and installments of various amounts are also possible.

The period of systematic payment must last from 3 to 10 calendar years. Making at least 11 payments during the year in the amount of at least PLN 500 is a condition for the additional savings bonus received from the state. The saved funds can be used for 5 years, and in the case of persons under 18 years of age – this period is counted from their birthday.

How much will the saver’s bonuses be?

State aid consists in charging a bonus equal to the annual inflation rate or the rate of change in the price value of 1 square meter. usable area of ​​a residential building, depending on which one will be more beneficial for the saver. The savings will bear additional interest in accordance with the bank’s offer, and the interest will be exempt from the so-called Belka tax, which means that you will not have to pay 19% on them. capital gains tax.

For example, after a year of saving PLN 1,000 per month, when the accumulated funds reach PLN 12,000. PLN, the housing bonus will amount to PLN 624, after the second year – PLN 2,400, and after the third year – PLN 5,328 (assuming that the inflation was 9.6%).

Can I use a safe 2% loan and a Housing Account at the same time?

You can combine the two pillars of the program and first decide to save on the Housing Account, and then apply for a safe 2% loan to purchase an apartment or house. The Act also allows for the possibility of using savings collected on the Housing Account to pay the participation amount in TBS/SIM.

How can I join the program?

People who would like to take advantage of a safe 2% loan should contact one of the banks implementing the program (their regularly updated list is available on the website of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego -) and complete the documents in accordance with the internal procedures of the given bank. These are usually certificates confirming the financial situation, sources of income and information about the mortgaged property.

For more information, visit: https://www.gov.pl.