One of the biggest and most costly transformations in Polish housing has been coming in for decades. The government has prepared revolutionary changes in construction law that will force thousands of housing communities and cooperatives to cost-effectively upgrade. The key change concerns the work to install elevators in much lower buildings than before. For many Poles, this means the end of climbing stairs, but besides the possible of immense expenses, which can scope hundreds of thousands of PLN per block. The fresh regulations, prepared by the Ministry of improvement and Technology, are to enter into force as early as September 2026, giving property managers small time to prepare for the financial and logistical earthquake. It is simply a historical change that will improve the availability of buildings for seniors and people with disabilities, but its costs will mostly fall straight on residents.
A revolution in construction law. What precisely will change?
The key component of the forthcoming improvement is drastic lowering of the threshold from which the installation of an elevator in a residential building becomes mandatory. Currently, the law requires a lift in facilities having 5 or more storeys (or a tallness of 12 meters). The fresh regulation to be introduced by the Regulation will reduce this request to just three aboveground floors. This means that almost all fresh but besides existing block with 3 floors or higher will should be equipped with an elevator or another device providing vertical transport.
This change is the government's consequence to the burning demographic needs of Poland. Our society is rapidly ageing, and the number of seniors for whom stairs are an insurmountable barrier is steadily increasing. At the same time, awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities is expanding and the request to guarantee full architectural accessibility. The fresh government aims to destruct barriers that have imprisoned thousands of people in their own homes over the years, hampering their regular functioning and access to public services.
Who will be affected by the fresh regulations? The list is long
The scale of the coming changes is enormous. Preliminary estimates indicate that the modernisation work will include around 3.5 1000 housing and cooperative communities throughout Poland. But this is only the beginning. The fresh accessibility requirements will concern a much wider group of buildings. According to the project, the work to install elevators or alternate solutions will include:
- Multi-family housing having at least 3 above ground storeys.
- Public buildings a tallness of 2 or more storeys.
- Collective residence, specified as hotels, guesthouses, student homes or shelters, if they have a minimum of 3 storeys above ground.
In practice, this means that the modernisation will be covered by a crucial part of the older construction in Poland, which arose at a time erstwhile accessibility standards were not a priority. For the managers of these properties, this means that method and financial analyses must be launched immediately in order to meet the deadline for implementation.
Astronomical modernisation costs. Who's gonna pay for this?
The biggest concerns of residents and managers are raised by the financial aspect. The cost of installing an elevator in an existing building is simply a immense expense that may hesitate from respective twelve to even respective 100 1000 zlotys. Everything depends on the construction of the block, the essential modifications and selected technology. For many housing communities whose budgets are already strained by ongoing renovations and rising maintenance costs, this is an astronomical amount.
The government announces financial support to be distributed by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) and the State Fund for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (PFRON). Unfortunately, everything indicates that funding will not cover all costs. Moreover, the conditions for obtaining it will be very restrictive. Support from PFRON will only be available for buildings where at least 2 people with a crucial or average degree of disability are documented. This criterion will in practice exclude many communities. This means that most of the costs the residents will gotta pay out of their own pocket, through drastic increases in the refurbishment fund or a multi-annual banking debt by the community.
What if it's impossible to install an elevator? alternate solutions
In many older buildings, especially those from the alleged large plate, the installation of a conventional elevator inside the staircase shaft may be technically impossible or unprofitable. Structural limitations, deficiency of space or layout of corridors are common problems. However, the law provides for specified a possibility. In the event that the method expertise demonstrates that the lift cannot be installed, the manager shall be required to guarantee availability by means of alternative method solutions.
The most popular alternatives include specialist equipment specified as revenue platforms (for wheelchair users), chair lifts mounted by the stairs rail, as well as the construction of the exterior ramps and ramps. Although frequently cheaper to install than a full-size elevator, these solutions besides make crucial costs and require individual plan tailored to the specificity of the building. The choice of appropriate technology will be crucial to guarantee functionality and compliance with legal requirements.
Change schedule. erstwhile will the fresh law enter into force?
The government is aware of the scale of the challenge, so a transitional period is foreseen. The fresh regulation on the method conditions to be met by buildings and their location has officially enter into force on 20 September 2026. From this point on, all fresh construction projects will gotta meet stricter standards.
Additional time is provided for existing buildings that will request to be upgraded. Cooperatives and housing communities will have time to carry out the essential work until the end of 2029. Although 3 years seem a long time, in fact it is very small time for specified a complicated process. It includes the implementation of expertise, task preparation, obtaining permits, securing financing and yet the implementation of construction works itself. That's why the experts say Housing communities should start preparing nowto avoid problems and meet requirements in time.
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Mandatory elevators in each block. The installation costs will fall on the owners of the apartments
