Within the next two months, every real estate developer in Poland will be required to publish apartment prices on their own websites—including for reserved units. While 77% of prices are already publicly available, the new regulations aim to end the confusion and provide buyers with a powerful tool for negotiation. But will it really change the housing market?
On May 21, 2025, the Polish Sejm adopted an amendment to the Developer Act aimed at increasing transparency in the pricing of residential properties. The changes are designed to strengthen buyers’ negotiating positions and help them make informed decisions. The legislative process has sparked significant interest from both the industry and the media. But what does it actually mean for the market, developers, and future homeowners?
New Obligations for Developers
The most notable change introduced by the amended Developer Act is the requirement for every developer to maintain an official website. While this may seem obvious in today’s digital world, it represents a real organizational and financial shift for many smaller, local developers. These websites will serve as the primary source of key information for consumers, including: the general section of the investment prospectus, project location, developer contact details, and most importantly—current apartment prices and prices of associated property elements like storage or parking spaces.
It’s worth noting that if there is any discrepancy between the price listed online and the one offered at the time of contract signing, the buyer has the right to request the lower price.
“It’s a step toward greater market transparency, but I wouldn’t overstate the impact of simply publishing prices. What’s more significant is the obligation to disclose the price history, which will help buyers better understand market trends and strengthen their bargaining power,” said Katarzyna Kuniewicz, Head of Market Research at Otodom.
Additionally, prices will be submitted daily to the public government portal dane.gov.pl. However, at this stage, clear guidelines on data format are lacking, which could hinder price comparisons and reduce the effectiveness of the system.
“The risk is that instead of transparency, we’ll get informational chaos. If each developer sends data in a different format, comparing prices could become not easier, but impossible,” warned Kuniewicz. “Yet the ability to compare prices was supposed to be one of the key benefits of this change.”
The new law also imposes requirements on real estate listing platforms. Listings posted by developers will need to include a direct link to their official website, where full pricing data can be found.
The Name May Be Misleading
Although the media has labeled the amendment as the “price transparency law,” its primary goal is not to reveal something that was entirely hidden. According to Otodom experts, the majority of apartment prices were already publicly available. Otodom Analytics reports that 77% of listing prices could already be accessed without contacting the developer.
“We’re talking about an amendment to the Developer Act—not a pricing transparency revolution. It mainly obliges developers, even small ones, to run a website and post basic investment information, including prices. It’s a big organizational shift, but it doesn’t mean that prices weren’t already public. However, the term ‘revealing prices’ might lead to false assumptions,” Kuniewicz explained.
The core issue was never secrecy, but the fragmentation of information and lack of consistent standards. Now, at least in theory, everything should be available in one place and in a unified format.
Will the Changes Affect Apartment Prices?
Initially, there was some concern that the law would apply only to ready-to-move-in apartments. However, the Senate introduced amendments that clarified the scope. As a result, the transparency requirement will also include apartments that are only available for reservation. This means buyers will have full insight into the price per square meter of every offered unit—with no exceptions.
But will access to historical pricing data impact apartment prices? Experts are skeptical.
Increasing access to housing price information is a valuable step toward greater market transparency, but it’s unlikely to trigger a price drop on its own. Currently, the number of available developer listings in Poland is at an all-time high—over 110,000 apartments across the 20 largest metropolitan areas. Ultimately, it’s the balance between supply and demand, along with growing competition among developers, that will shape prices—not the legal obligation to publish them.
“Transparency alone won’t lower prices. It’s the dynamics of demand, supply, and developer competition that truly determine pricing,” concluded Katarzyna Kuniewicz.
Source: CEO.com.pl – Price Transparency in Real Estate Now Mandatory
