In brief

• The Ministry of Development and Technology has dropped the requirement for the consent of the housing community when changing a flat's use to short-term rental.
• The ministry is currently not carrying out any work on this, which means the changes are temporarily suspended.
• The announcement concerned the draft amendment to the Act on Ownership of Premises, designated UD312.

The ministry drops the requirement for community consent

The Ministry of Development and Technology has withdrawn its plan under which converting a flat into premises with a different use would require the consent of the housing community (Nowego obowiązku na razie nie będzie. Obejdzie się bez zgody wspólnoty – portalsamorzadowy.pl) (Zgoda sąsiadów nie będzie na razie potrzebna. Rząd wycofał się z przepisów, ale tymczasowo - Warszawa W Pigułce – warszawawpigulce.pl). The ministry stated that it is dropping this requirement for changes of a flat's use to short-term rental, and that it is currently not carrying out any work on the matter.

What the draft was meant to change

The idea appeared in the draft amendment to the Act on Ownership of Premises, designated UD312. For several months, owners of flats in apartment blocks lived with uncertainty, because the announcement meant that in practice they would need to obtain the consent of their neighbours.

A catch for residents of the city centre

The change does not mean the topic is permanently closed. The withdrawal of the draft is temporary, which particularly affects residents of tenement houses and blocks in central Warsaw, where short-term rental is most widespread.

Consequences for owners and communities

For owners of flats planning short-term rental, this currently means there is no new formal obligation in the form of community consent. Housing communities therefore cannot block such changes by resolution until the ministry returns to the topic.