January 2026 delivered a very strong sign of renewed momentum in the housing loan market. The latest reading of the BIK Housing Loan Demand Index shows that the value of inquiries about financing a property purchase jumped by 50.4% year on year. This is one of the strongest growth rates recorded in recent years and a clear confirmation that the mortgage market is entering a phase of robust recovery.
In practical terms, this means that—after adjusting for the number of working days—banks and credit unions (SKOKs) submitted to the Credit Information Bureau (BIK) mortgage loan inquiries with a total value more than 50% higher than in January 2025. Such a sharp change is not merely a statistical effect; it reflects a genuine increase in interest in buying homes financed with a mortgage.
More Applicants Enter the Market
In January 2026, a total of 36.30 thousand people applied for a housing loan. A year earlier, the figure stood at 28.26 thousand. This translates into a 28.5% year-on-year increase in the number of potential borrowers.
Importantly, the upward momentum is also visible month on month. Compared with December 2025, the number of applicants rose by 8.4%. This suggests that interest in financing property purchases is not just a year-end effect or a one-off impulse, but rather a developing trend.
As Prof. Waldemar Rogowski, Chief Analyst at the BIK Group, notes:
“In January 2026, the number of people applying for a mortgage increased by nearly 29% year on year. This is mainly due to improved creditworthiness among applicants and a buyer-friendly situation in the real estate market. The January data confirm the growing interest in taking out housing loans that already began in 2025.”
Record-High Average Loan Amount
As the number of applications rises, so does the size of individual commitments. The average amount of a requested housing loan in January 2026 reached PLN 492.08 thousand. That is 11.5% higher than in January 2025 and 0.9% higher than in December 2025.
As a result, the market is approaching the symbolic threshold of PLN 500 thousand as the typical requested mortgage amount. Analysts consider crossing that level in 2026 highly likely.
Prof. Rogowski emphasizes:
“Rising demand for housing loans is a direct effect of the interest rate cuts in the previous year and expectations of further reductions in 2026. Another factor supporting demand is both nominal and real wage growth. These factors directly improve creditworthiness, increasing loan accessibility and translating into stronger interest in taking out mortgages. Higher creditworthiness also allows borrowers to apply for larger loan amounts. The average requested mortgage amount had a significant impact on the January reading of the BIK Demand Index. In January, another all-time record was set—the average requested loan exceeded PLN 492 thousand—meaning that crossing PLN 500 thousand is a realistic scenario this year.”
Why Is Demand Rising?
Several overlapping macroeconomic and market factors are driving the increase in demand. The most important is earlier interest rate cuts, which have improved mortgage affordability. A lower cost of financing translates into higher credit capacity, opening the door to home purchases for a broader group of households.
The second pillar is wage growth, both nominal and real. Rising incomes strengthen borrowers’ financial security and enable them to apply for higher amounts of financing. Combined with price stabilization in parts of the real estate market, this creates conditions conducive to purchase decisions.
Expectations regarding future monetary policy also matter. The market assumes the possibility of further interest rate cuts in 2026, which additionally reinforces the incentive to take out a mortgage sooner rather than later.
Outlook for the Coming Months
If current conditions hold—stable macroeconomic fundamentals, rising incomes, and supportive monetary policy—demand for housing loans may remain elevated over the next quarters. Crossing the PLN 500 thousand average requested amount appears realistic, and the number of applicants may continue to grow.
For the real estate market, this means stronger buyer activity and potentially greater demand pressure, especially in the largest cities. For banks, it signals a return to more dynamic mortgage lending after a period of slowdown.
The January BIK figures send a clear message: the mortgage market entered 2026 with strong momentum and optimism. If the trend continues, it could become one of the strongest periods for mortgage financing in several years.
