Micro-studios come back through the back door. The resort wants to close another gate

Micro-apartments are not a Polish invention, but on the Vistula River they have found the perfect space to flourish – and to be clear, not only thanks to modern “pat-development”. They were already doing well in the difficult post-war years, which was quite understandable in those circumstances. However, the real flourishing of the smallest premises was brought by the Polish People’s Republic.

– In the public debate, the smallest premises are often presented as a relatively new product of the “path development industry”. Meanwhile, apartments with an area of ​​several square meters have existed in Poland for decades – also in the times of the Polish People’s Republic. For many people, they were the first step towards housing independence, notes Jarosław Jędrzyński, an expert at the RynekPierwotny.pl portal.

There is no apartment without fire

An excellent example of the struggles of the Polish People’s Republic are the adventures of Jan and Wanda Filikiewicz, the heroes of the cult comedy “No Rose Without Fire”. Their microscopic apartment, located between noisy offices in an old villa, became one of the most memorable images of the housing absurdities of the Polish People’s Republic. Barej’s satire, however, showed in a distorting mirror something very real – the dramatic housing shortage and the huge compromises that Poles had to accept.

– Just a dozen or so years ago, no one was particularly surprised by studio apartments with an area of ​​16, 18 or 20 square meters, especially in large cities and attractive locations. Their advantage was a relatively low nominal price, good location and the ability to live independently without having to rent a larger premises – says Jarosław Jędrzyński.

The state versus micro-studio apartments

The Ministry of Development and Technology is once again taking a closer look at the smallest premises on the market. As experts from the RynekPierwotny.pl website note, first the construction of apartments below 25 square meters was banned, then attempts were made to limit the possibility of commercial premises circumventing these regulations, and now the ministry also wants to close the path used by micro-apartments built in aparthotels, condo hotels and private student dorms.

According to the latest version of the draft regulation on technical conditions, it will not be possible to design premises smaller than 25 square meters in collective housing buildings. The aim is primarily to limit the practice of creating formally commercial premises that actually function as apartments.

– This is another stage of the regulator’s war with the market that has been going on for years – comments Jarosław Jędrzyński.

In his opinion, the paradox of the whole situation is that less than a decade ago the administration thought exactly the opposite. In 2016, there were ideas to liberalize the regulations and leave the decision on the size of apartments to the market. At that time, the prevailing belief was that micro-apartments were a natural element of large metropolises – just like in London, Paris or New York.

The market quickly found new workarounds

Prohibition on the construction of apartments below 25 sq m. valid since 2018. The problem is that the demand for small premises has not disappeared. High apartment prices meant that developers quickly began to use other legal solutions.

The following products began to appear on the market:

• micro-apartments,

• aparthotels,

• condo hotels,

• private dorms,

• commercial premises serving as apartments.

Formally, they were not apartments, but in practice they often functioned exactly the same. Buyers agreed to a higher 23% VAT, registration restrictions and a less favorable legal status, because in return they received a product much cheaper than a classic apartment.

Today, the smallest premises are targeted primarily at students, singles, young workers migrating to large cities and investors looking for small premises for rent. For many people, this is often the only real option to enter the real estate market.

A war that won’t end soon?

Experts from the RynekPierwotny.pl portal point out that the problem of micro-studio apartments is not limited to the square footage alone. More and more often, it is about urban chaos and circumvention of spatial planning rules.

As they point out, buildings formally designed as service or hotel facilities begin to serve a residential function in practice. This, in turn, means greater infrastructure consumption, different communication needs and problems that cities did not originally anticipate. So the resort is trying to close another gate.

– It is no longer just about the ban on designing apartments below 25 square meters, but about limiting the possibility of circumventing previous regulations by building micro-apartments in collective housing buildings – explains the expert.

However, the history of micro-studios shows that the real estate market adapts very quickly to new restrictions.

– The question is rather whether this segment will function within a transparent and coherent legal framework, or whether it will continue to be pushed into further legislative gray zones – summarizes Jarosław Jędrzyński.