Rents in blocks frozen? It's quiet before the storm. Real increases will come in the fall

The beginning of 2025 was to bring real tsunami increases in housing cooperatives. Residents throughout Poland were anxiously beginning mailboxes, expecting two-digit increases in fees. However, the reality proved amazingly mild. alternatively of the apocalypse announced, most cooperatives limited themselves to symbolic adjustments, and any entirely stopped the increases. However, experts agree – it is only a postponement of the inevitable. A real wave of increases, driven by cumulative costs, can hit home budgets as early as autumn. The peace we have enjoyed over the last months is most likely silence before the storm, which will verify the financial stableness of millions of Poles.

Why didn't the apocalypse in rents happen?

In the first half of 2025, many factors contributed to the unexpected stabilisation of fees in cooperatives. She played a key function social force and the fear of board members from an open revolt of residents. Following increasing discontent and increasingly critical general gatherings, many cooperatives approached the subject of increases with much more caution. Residents began to request detailed justifications for each gold coin, which effectively cooled the enthusiasm for drastic cuts.

Legal uncertainty was another element. In the face of announcements of changes to the rules on the functioning of cooperatives, the board preferred to adopt a waiting strategy alternatively than hazard taking decisions that could be undermined in the future. Even growth minimum wage up to PLN 4666 gross, which straight increased cleaning or maintenance costs, did not translate into a sharp increase in rent. Cooperatives sought interior savings, renegotiated contracts with outside companies, and benefited from the fact that mild winter brought down heating costs, which allowed to buffer any of the increasing expenditure.

This isn't the end of problems. Costs that will return with double force

Relative peace does not mean that fundamental problems have disappeared. On the contrary, they have only been delayed in time, and their firepower can be much greater. Time bomb ticking in media and services costswhich grow at a rate well above inflation. Water and sewage prices in any cities are rising by 12-13% per year. In addition, there are increasingly higher waste removal fees, chimney services and mandatory method inspections.

The situation is not uniform across the country. While the residents of the newer settlements could remainder with relief, the increases in older resources were inevitable. A good example is Częstochowa, where fresh charges for the intercom (PLN 3.67) or the usage of the game (9 PLN) were introduced in the "North" Housing Cooperative, and elevator fees have increased up to PLN 31.53 per individual per month. This shows that cooperatives with urgent renovation needs no longer have area for manoeuvre. However, the biggest threat is the European Union's increasing energy efficiency requirements, which will force the board to carry out costly thermomodernisation.

Real test only in the fall. What's next for us at the end of the year?

Real property analysts agree: a real effort will come in the fall, during general meetings, where financial plans for 2026 will be presented. It is then that the board will gotta present real costs and propose increases that have been avoided over the past months. Renovation funds will be the key and most pressing issue. In many cooperatives, they are dramatically underfunded, and further postponement of essential works, specified as the exchange of verticals, roofs or elevators, threatens not only with discomfort, but even with construction disasters.

Cooperatives that have held back the increases will face a hard choice: either to introduce a cumulative, very painful increase or to proceed risking decapitalisation of the assets. Realistic script for the second half of 2025 assumes increase in operating charges of 5-8 %which will be felt. However, a real hit can come from the refurbishment fund rates, which in any cases can increase by up to a fewer twelve percent.

How can we successfully defend ourselves against increases? applicable Guide

Residents are not susceptible in clashing with planned increases. The key to success is activity and cognition of your rights. A passive attitude and absence from meetings is simply a simple way to accept any even unjustified increase. Here's what you can do:

• Participate in general meetings: It is the basic right and work of each associate of the cooperative. Your presence and voice are of real importance erstwhile approving the budget and renovation plans.
• Request detailed justifications: The Management Board is required to show precisely what any increase results from. You have the right to see invoices and contracts. Don't be afraid to ask questions and question irrational spending.
• Control repair plans: Check whether the planned work is actually essential and whether the cooperative was looking for competitive offers for their execution. Sometimes it is worth forcing the board to renew the tender.
• Organize with Neighbors: In group, strength. Joint action, petitions or bottom-up initiatives have much more leverage than individual protests.
• Know your rights: In utmost cases, if the rise resolution is grossly unfounded or illegal, it may be brought before a court.

The communicative of the first half of 2025 showed that force made sense. A time of comparative peace should be utilized to prepare for the autumn conflict by rent. This may be the last bell to save your wallet from the coming wave of raises.