Over a million Poles declare income from rent and lease
The state does not know how many apartments are rented in Poland, what the rents are, or how many owners have more than one place to rent, but they already know that this is how over a million Poles supplement their salaries.
The dream of many young Poles is passive income, i.e. money that regularly flows into the account without the need for constant and active involvement. This situation is usually the result of prior effort or investment, such as publishing a book, writing a song, running an online course, or renting a property purchased for this purpose.
The Ministry of Finance reported that in 2024, over 1,140,006 people declared income from renting and leasing real estate. This is more than 66,000 taxpayers than in 2023.
The rental of real estate is now taxed only at a lump sum
Three factors usually determine whether renting a property is a good investment: the attractiveness of the house or apartment, good location and good price. We must also remember that od two years, the rental of real estate is taxed only as a lump sum; costs can no longer be deducted, for example as part of depreciation.
– The basic tax rate is 8.5%, but over 52,000 taxpayers exceeded the income threshold (PLN 100,000) and paid tax at the rate of 12.5%. on revenue – Hanna Milewska-Wilk from the Institute of Cities and Regions Development reported in Interia Biznes.
How much can you realistically earn by renting an apartment or house?
In Poland, approximately 13% of people live in rented apartments. Poles, which is one of the lowest rates in the European Union. Estimates indicate that there are approximately 3.2 million people, most of whom (almost 80%) rent out of necessity. Eurostat reports that approximately 4.3 percent households in Poland pay market rent – this is data from public opinion surveys. The Central Statistical Office does not conduct such research, even as part of the general census.
The real estate rental market is dominated by private owners (1.1-1.3 million apartments), which – unfortunately – translates into high prices for renting apartments or houses. After calculating all the costs related to the equipment of the premises, the real rental period (not 12 months a year, but usually 10), necessary renovations and tax, it turns out that the return on investment is usually just over 3%.
There is still no Integrated Real Estate Information System that would include land and building records. There is also no obligation to establish land and mortgage registers.
