Bad news for apartment dwellers. Housing communities are increasing their rates

The costs of maintaining apartments in housing communities have increased significantly. Data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) show that within a few years the average advance payments paid by apartment owners increased from PLN 2.9 to PLN 4.4 per square meter.

Experts from the RynekPierwotny.pl portal point out that the increases were most felt by residents of large cities, although recently fees in smaller towns have also been increasing faster.

What is included in community fees?

Experts from the RynekPierwotny.pl website emphasize that there are often many misunderstandings surrounding administrative fees and rent. This is not about utility bills used directly in the apartments, but about advance payments for the maintenance of common parts of the buildings.

– When it comes to housing maintenance costs, we are often faced with terminological confusion. Therefore, before presenting the Central Statistical Office data on advance payments in housing communities, it is worth clarifying what payments are concerned – notes Andrzej Prajsnar, an expert at the RynekPierwotny.pl portal.

As indicated by the Central Statistical Office, advance payments paid to communities include:

• expenses for renovations and ongoing maintenance,

• fees for the supply of electricity and heat, gas and water, in the part relating to the common property (including staircases) and fees for the collective antenna and elevator,

• insurance, taxes and other public law fees, unless they are covered directly by the owners of individual premises,

• expenses for maintaining order and cleanliness,

• remuneration of members of the management board or manager.

– The average result based on data from the communities participating in the study is the amount expressed in PLN per 1 square meter of apartment. The analyzed rates do not include, for example, the costs of heating individual premises and fees for utilities used in apartments – explains Andrzej Prajsnar.

The increases hit hardest after the pandemic

Data analyzed by experts show that the largest increases in fees occurred after 2020. The impact was primarily due to rising prices of energy, renovation services and labor costs.

– These “GUS” statistics concern the year 2024. The chart also shows the results for 2018, 2020 and 2022. Even in such a relatively short time frame, there was a significant increase in the average level of advances, says Prajsnar.

The expert points out that most communities have a renovation fund, which additionally increases monthly fees. Particularly strong increases were recorded in 2021–2022. In the largest cities, increases reached up to 25%.

In the following years, however, the increases also began to affect smaller towns more and more strongly.

– As a result, the average amount of advance payments in smaller centers has become much more equal to that of the largest cities. Of course, such a change cannot be considered good news for owners of premises from smaller towns, says Prajsnar.

In these cities, fees are among the highest

Experts also analyzed the level of advance payments in the largest Polish cities. It turns out that the highest average rates were recorded in Poznań and Bydgoszcz. Lower average rates were recorded, among others: in Szczecin and Lublin.

According to data for 2024, average monthly advances were:

• Bydgoszcz – PLN 5.1/sq m in 2024

• Gdańsk – PLN 4.5/sq m.

• Katowice – PLN 4.8/sq m.

• Kraków – PLN 4.2/sq m.

• Lublin – PLN 3.1/sq m

• Łódź – PLN 4.1/sq m

• Poznań – PLN 5.4/sq m

• Szczecin – PLN 3.0/sq m

• Warsaw – PLN 5.1/sq m

• Wrocław – PLN 3.9/sq m.

– High rates from Poznań and Bydgoszcz may come as a surprise. The capital of Greater Poland even overtook Warsaw. However, let us remember that many factors influence the analyzed results – e.g. the level of local wages, the age of multi-family buildings, the level of debt of apartment owners and the renovation policy of housing communities – says an expert from the RynekPierwotny.pl portal.