Theoretically, you don't have to wait long for a council flat. It's worse when we look at the details

People with the lowest earnings who can prove that they are unable to rent an apartment on commercial terms on their own can apply for a municipal apartment. Municipal premises belong to the commune and it is they who establish the rules for granting housing – in principle, they are very similar throughout the country, but there may be some differences. Providing municipal housing is a way for the commune to implement its mission of meeting housing needs.

And there are more people in need than available premises, which is why most cities have waiting lists that last several years.

How long does it take to get a municipal apartment?

From data collected by the Central Statistical Office, we know that at the end of 2022, 126,425 households throughout Poland were waiting for a flat from the commune. The waiting time is the longest in provincial cities, but it is better in smaller centers.

The RynekPierwotny.pl website has prepared a map on which you can check the distribution of households waiting for accommodation from the commune at the end of 2022 (excluding replacement premises and temporary rooms). The queue in selected cities looked as follows:

• Zabrze – 8,136 households

• Łódź – 6,770

• Wałbrzych – 4,099

• Wrocław – 3,852

• Gdańsk – 2,841

• Warsaw – 2,571

• Katowice – 2,482

• Szczecin – 1,932

• Bytom – 1,814

• Gliwice – 1,600

Throughout the country, the average waiting time for an apartment from the commune was approximately 32 months. The longest expected waiting time for renting a municipal premises was recorded in the following cases: Olsztyn (106 months), Gdańsk (145 months), Wałbrzych (170 months), Toruń (228 months) and Łomża (238 months).