A lack of borrowing capacity is not always the biggest obstacle to buying a home. For many buyers, especially younger people, saving the down payment is harder. Although broad mortgage-instalment subsidy programmes have ended, other measures can still make a purchase easier. Otodom experts explain which state support instruments are available and how they work.
Government mortgage subsidies, such as the Safe 2% Mortgage programme that stopped accepting applications at the beginning of 2024, were a major trigger for purchases. An Otodom and Growth Business Review report found that 25% of respondents cited them as the main reason for taking out a mortgage. Suspending applications caused some buyers to postpone their decisions. While borrowing-capacity assessments exclude younger and older buyers to a similar extent, the lack of a down payment creates a more pronounced age divide.
“Our research shows that insufficient savings are a significant barrier to buying a home, particularly for young people. Among 18–35-year-olds already at some stage of the mortgage process, 26% say they abandoned a purchase for this reason, compared with 17% among 36–55-year-olds. Younger buyers also more often need parental support. Having to save PLN 100,000–150,000 makes buying a first home a serious challenge without family help. The ‘Bank of Mom and Dad’ phenomenon is therefore becoming more important: almost half of purchases by people under 30 require a parental gift towards the deposit or parents joining as co-borrowers,” said Paweł Jarząbek, Otodom housing-market expert and research and analysis manager.
Younger buyers are also the most dependent on mortgage financing. A survey of Otodom users conducted in spring 2026 found that more than half finance most of their purchase this way. Among people over 35, the figure falls to 31%; financing mainly from their own funds, often from selling a previous property, is more common.
“Access to a first home increasingly depends not only on current income but also on help from family or government support,” Jarząbek added.
Family Housing Loan and BGK guarantee
The main instruments described by the experts are the Family Housing Loan (Rodzinny Kredyt Mieszkaniowy, RKM) with a BGK guarantee, the Housing Account (Konto Mieszkaniowe), and exemption from civil-law transaction tax (PCC).
RKM primarily targets people with sufficient borrowing capacity but inadequate savings for a down payment. Participating banks provide the loan in zlotys for at least 15 years. The programme is scheduled to run until 31 December 2030. Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego can guarantee part of the missing down payment: this secures the bank and allows borrowing with fewer savings, but the entire loan must still be repaid.
The maximum BGK-guaranteed amount is PLN 100,000. Where a guarantee is used, the borrower’s contribution plus the guaranteed part cannot exceed PLN 200,000 or 20% of the financed expenditure. The guarantee does not replace a creditworthiness assessment.
“RKM is not only for families with children. The general rule is that a beneficiary should not own another flat or house. However, families with at least two children may qualify in certain circumstances despite owning one home. In this case, the down payment cannot exceed 10% of the financed expenditure. There are also exceptions for certain people who inherited a property share: a share of no more than 50% acquired through inheritance does not exclude them. But gifting a flat or house to a close relative in the first or second tax group in the preceding five years may prevent participation,” explained Dr Maciej Kietliński, an economics expert at Otodom.
At the application date, applicants must not currently be—or have been during the preceding 36 months—a party to another mortgage agreement concluded in that period to buy a flat, house or relevant cooperative property right. The legislation provides an exception connected with effective withdrawal from a developer agreement.
Property price limits and family repayments
“There is a maximum price per square metre, varying by city and transaction type. In Warsaw in the third quarter of 2026, the limit is PLN 16,167.42 per sq m for developer properties and PLN 15,012.61 for a typical secondary-market purchase. These figures follow the statutory formula and official replacement-cost indicators. The Warsaw indicators used for the period are PLN 10,946.93 and PLN 12,149.38 per sq m. Buyers using RKM cannot exceed the relevant limits,” Kietliński said.
If the family grows after the loan is granted, BGK may repay part of the principal. The family repayment is PLN 20,000 for a second child and PLN 60,000 for a third or subsequent child. The money goes directly to the bank and reduces the debt. If the child arrives before the first loan disbursement, the relevant period is counted from disbursement. During a five-year period, selling, renting out or lending the home for use, or certain changes in its use, can require repayment of part of the support.
Housing Account for people still saving
Konto Mieszkaniowe is intended for people planning to buy in a few years. It can be opened from age 13, subject to the requirement not to own a flat or house. Monthly payments range from PLN 300 to PLN 2,000, and one monthly payment can be skipped each year without breaking the regular-saving requirement. The intended saving period is three to ten calendar years.
“The main benefit is a state-funded housing bonus. Its value depends, among other things, on inflation and changes in house prices. From 1 January 2026, the annual indicator used in its calculation cannot be below 4% or above 15%. This does not mean the state simply adds 4–15% of the entire account balance. The bonus follows a statutory formula accounting for the saving period and successive contributions. Bank interest is an additional benefit and, if programme conditions are met, is exempt from the 19% capital gains tax,” Kietliński explained.
First-home buyers may avoid PCC
“This is one of the easiest benefits to calculate. Where a property sale is subject to PCC, the rate is 2% of its market value. That means PLN 10,000 for a PLN 500,000 flat, PLN 16,000 for an PLN 800,000 flat, and PLN 20,000 for a PLN 1 million home. A first-time buyer may qualify for an exemption if they have never owned a flat, house, relevant cooperative right or share in such rights. An inherited share not exceeding 50% is an exception. The exemption matters most on the secondary market. A typical new-build purchase from a developer follows different tax rules, so not every housing transaction would otherwise attract an additional 2% PCC,” he said.
What the support means in practice
Consider a married couple with one child buying their first home: a 70 sq m secondary-market flat in Warsaw for PLN 1 million, or about PLN 14,000 per sq m. This is below the third-quarter 2026 limit of PLN 15,012.61. They have PLN 100,000 in savings, or 10% of the price, and borrow PLN 900,000. A BGK guarantee covers PLN 100,000 of that loan, bringing their own contribution plus the guarantee to the standard 20% level. They can also seek PCC exemption.
The instruments can reduce the cash needed at the outset, save transaction costs or lower the principal later, as illustrated below.
| Support | Amount | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| PCC exemption (2%) | PLN 20,000 | Immediate cash saving at purchase |
| BGK down-payment guarantee | PLN 100,000 | No need to save this additional amount; PLN 1,000 guarantee fee |
| Family repayment after a second child | PLN 20,000 | Future reduction of loan principal by BGK |
| Family repayment after a third child | PLN 60,000 | Future reduction of loan principal by BGK |
Source: ManagerPlus and Otodom.
