The first half of 2026 brought a significant increase in the number of building permits issued in Poland, while investor activity remained stable. This is a positive signal for the housing market, but it is important to remember that obtaining a building permit is the final stage of a development process that can take several years.
As a result, the growing length of administrative procedures is already determining how many homes will be available in the years ahead.
Data published by Statistics Poland for the first half of 2026 show that, despite the challenges associated with the investment process, residential developers remain highly active, particularly in terms of construction starts and building permits.
Construction starts: a solid first half and an exceptionally strong second quarter
During the first six months of the year, investors began construction of 69,600 new homes, an increase of just under 2% compared with the first half of 2025.
In June alone, construction started on 11,600 homes, 308 fewer than in the previous month.
Activity was particularly strong in the second quarter, when construction began on 38,736 homes. This was the second-highest quarterly result recorded since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The only stronger quarter was the first three months of 2024, when supply was boosted by existing and anticipated government-backed mortgage support programmes.
“The strong concentration of construction starts in the spring was partly due to projects being postponed because of the unfavourable weather conditions experienced during the winter. It is therefore possible that the coming quarters will not be quite as positive,” said Patryk Kozierkiewicz, legal counsel at the Polish Association of Property Developers.
“Nevertheless, we are maintaining our forecast for this year, which assumes that the number of new homes launched will remain at the 2025 level. Following a successful summer, we may be able to revise that forecast upwards by several percentage points.”
Market conditions remain stable. Investors continue to introduce new projects, while demand for housing has increased as interest rates have been reduced.
“This is, of course, a generalisation, as conditions differ considerably between individual markets,” Kozierkiewicz said.
“Warsaw and the Tricity area, where demand remains well balanced with supply, are in a completely different position from Katowice or Łódź, which have a large number of homes available and a slower sales rate.”
Building permits rise by more than 25%
The number of building permits issued to investors presents an optimistic picture.
During the first half of 2026, permits were granted for the construction of 95,963 homes, an increase of 25.4% compared with the same period a year earlier.
In June, permits were issued for 16,439 homes, representing an increase of 17% compared with May.
These figures are a positive signal and indicate that investors remain willing to launch new developments. Favourable economic conditions and lower interest rates are supporting this activity.
However, a building permit does not mark the beginning of the investment process. It marks the completion of its preparatory phase.
Before submitting an application for a building permit, an investor often has to complete months of procedures involving environmental decisions, water permits, formal consultations and other administrative approvals. The building permit is issued only at the end of this process.
Warsaw permit process extends to 485 days
Data from property consultancy Walter Herz are therefore particularly concerning.
They show that the average time required to obtain a building permit for a multi-family residential development in Warsaw increased from 82 days in 2016 to 485 days in 2026.
“This means that the entire process of preparing a new development now takes considerably longer than it did a decade ago,” Kozierkiewicz said.
“As a consequence, maintaining an adequate supply of housing will become increasingly difficult. This could increase the costs of preparing and financing developments and ultimately contribute to higher home prices.”
