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Buyer's due diligence checklist for Poland

Buyer's due diligence checklistSprawdzenie stanu prawnego nieruchomości przed zakupem

The documents and checks a buyer of an existing flat or house in Poland should get before signing the preliminary agreement and paying a deposit: land register, seller and spouse, planning and pre-emption, debts, occupants, energy certificate, taxes and the permit for some foreigners.

Use it from the first viewing until you sign the preliminary agreement. Read the land register yourself as soon as you have its number. Ask the seller for the certificates below before you pay any deposit. The notary checks the register and the seller's documents again before the deed of sale, but by then your deposit is already paid.

Reviewed October 28, 2026. Not legal advice. Have a notary or lawyer check your case before you sign.

Key facts

Applies to
Whole country
Land register
Public. Nobody can rely on ignorance of its entries or of the notices of pending applications (land register act art. 2).
Public faith of the register
Protects a good-faith buyer for value who relies on the register (art. 5 and 6). A notice or a warning (ostrzeżenie) removes it (art. 8).
Energy performance certificate
The seller must hand it over at the deed. Valid 10 years. The buyer cannot waive it (energy act art. 11 and 14).
Zoning decision (WZ)
A decision on development conditions that became final on or after 1 January 2026 expires 5 years later (planning act art. 64c).
Earlier zoning decisions
The 5-year limit does not apply to decisions final before 1 January 2026 (act of 7 July 2023, art. 62).
New zoning decisions
Since 1 September 2026, a WZ on a new application needs a general plan (plan ogólny) in force (act of 7 July 2023, art. 59 ust. 3).
Municipal pre-emption
The sale is conditional, and the municipality has 1 month from notice to buy first (Civil Code art. 598 § 2; property act art. 109).
Breach of pre-emption
An unconditional sale in breach of a municipality's statutory pre-emption right is void (Civil Code art. 599 § 2).
Agricultural land
As a rule only an individual farmer can buy agricultural property of 1 ha or more (agricultural system act art. 2a).
Transfer tax (PCC)
2% on a sale not charged with VAT. A VAT-exempt sale still bears it. The notary collects it (PCC act art. 2 pkt 4 and art. 7).
PCC first-home exemption
Each buyer is an individual who never held a flat, house or cooperative right to one. Narrow inherited-share exception (art. 9 pkt 17).
PCC on a sixth flat
A buyer of the sixth or a later flat in buildings on one plot also pays 6% PCC on it (PCC act art. 7a).

The checklist

Title and land register

  • Current content of the land register, all four sectionsKsięga wieczysta (działy I-O, I-Sp, II, III, IV)

    Section I describes the property, II the owners, III claims, restrictions, leases and enforcement, IV mortgages. It is presumed correct.

  • Notices of pending applications in the registerWzmianki o wnioskach

    A notice shows that an entry is waiting, for example a new owner or a mortgage.

  • Seller's identity, marital status and property regimeDowód osobisty, akt małżeństwa, umowa majątkowa małżeńska

    Joint property of spouses can be sold only with the other spouse's consent (Family and Guardianship Code art. 37).

  • Basis of the seller's ownershipPodstawa nabycia (akt notarialny, postanowienie o stwierdzeniu nabycia spadku, akt poświadczenia dziedziczenia)

    An heir proves ownership with the court decision or notarial certificate of inheritance. All heirs sign unless the estate was divided.

  • Certificate from the cooperative for a cooperative ownership rightZaświadczenie ze spółdzielni mieszkaniowej o przysługującym prawie

    The certificate confirms who holds the right and whether fees are paid. Such a right may have no land register.

Land, building and planning

  • Extract and map from the land and building cadastreWypis z rejestru gruntów i budynków, wyrys z mapy ewidencyjnej

    Confirms the parcel numbers, the area and the land use. Needed for a house or a plot, not usually for a flat.

  • Planning status of the plotWypis i wyrys z miejscowego planu zagospodarowania przestrzennego albo decyzja o warunkach zabudowy

    Shows what can be built and whether the land is reserved for public use. See the zoning decision rules above.

  • Building permits and completion for the house or any extensionPozwolenie na budowę, zawiadomienie o zakończeniu budowy lub pozwolenie na użytkowanie

    Unauthorised works can lead to proceedings by the building control authority and make a loan or resale harder.

  • Statutory pre-emption rightsPrawo pierwokupu gminy (art. 109 ustawy o gospodarce nieruchomościami), Krajowego Ośrodka Wsparcia Rolnictwa

    Listed cases include unbuilt land bought from the state or a municipality, public-purpose land, monuments and revitalisation areas.

  • Agricultural status of the landNieruchomość rolna

    As a rule only an individual farmer can buy agricultural property of 1 ha or more. Check the plan and the cadastre before you sign.

Debts, charges and occupants

  • Certificate of no arrears from the homeowners' association or the cooperativeZaświadczenie o braku zaległości w opłatach

    Shows that service charges are paid. Ask also for the latest resolutions on works and fees.

  • Bank statement of the mortgage debt and consent to delete the mortgageZaświadczenie banku o wysokości zadłużenia i promesa zgody na wykreślenie hipoteki

    Lets the notary direct part of the price to the bank and have the mortgage deleted from section IV.

  • Certificate that nobody is registered as residentZaświadczenie o braku osób zameldowanych

    A registered person who still lives in the property can delay your move-in. Agree a date for the seller to deregister everyone.

  • Any lease or loan for use of the propertyUmowa najmu, umowa użyczenia

    The buyer takes over an existing lease and may be unable to end it early (Civil Code art. 678).

  • Perpetual usufruct fee, if the land is held in perpetual usufructOpłata roczna z tytułu użytkowania wieczystego

    Some flats and houses stand on land in perpetual usufruct. Check the land register and ask for proof the fee is paid.

Energy and condition

Buyer's own position

Formalities

A due diligence list is a checklist by nature. Polish law sets no single form for it.

  1. You do not sign this checklist.
  2. The land register is public and free to read online with its number. A certified extract costs a court fee.
  3. The seller orders the certificates from the homeowners' association or the cooperative, the municipality and the bank.
  4. The planning extract comes from the municipality (gmina), and the cadastral extract from the district office (starostwo).
  5. Hand copies to the notary who will draw up the deed.

Common mistakes

  • Reading only section II of the land register. Section III shows claims, pre-emption rights, leases and enforcement. Section IV shows mortgages.
  • Ignoring a notice (wzmianka) of a pending application. It can change the owner or add a charge.
  • Trusting a printout the seller brings. Read the current register online on the day you sign and again before the deed.
  • Buying a cooperative ownership right (spółdzielcze własnościowe prawo do lokalu) without the cooperative's certificate. Such a right may have no land register.
  • Assuming a plot with a zoning decision can get a new one. Since 1 September 2026, a municipality without a general plan cannot issue a WZ on a new application.
  • Ignoring a tenant. You cannot end early a written fixed-term lease with a certified date if the tenant has possession (Civil Code art. 678).
  • Skipping the arrears certificate from the homeowners' association or the cooperative. Ask also whether the association has voted works that owners must fund.
  • Forgetting the permit. A foreigner from outside the EEA and Switzerland who buys land or a house without a required permit makes a void purchase.

Legal basis

Sources

Describe the home you want