At the end of September, the Polish Sejm unanimously adopted an amendment to the Geodesy and Cartography Law, abolishing fees for accessing data from the Real Estate Price Register. Although the law still awaits approval from the Senate and the President, experts believe its implementation could mark a fundamental shift in how the Polish housing market operates.
Until now, transaction data was technically available—but obtaining it required paying significant fees and going through a complicated, time-consuming process. The new amendment removes the cost barrier but does not yet establish a unified national database where data can be easily viewed. Procedural restrictions will still apply, which may continue to limit public accessibility.
Both the geodesy community and the government have indicated that, in the long run, the data will be made available via a national online service.
“Such a system, however, comes with costs. According to estimates, the loss of revenue for county offices from paid data access will amount to about PLN 8.4 million annually, and building a nationwide digital platform will require an additional PLN 19 million,” explains Anton Bubiel, real estate market expert at SonarHome.
Why This Matters for Ordinary Citizens
The abolition of fees is an important step for the average Polish consumer—but only if the data becomes not just free, but also accessible in a user-friendly format.
“Currently, there’s a high procedural barrier, meaning only the most determined individuals manage to obtain the data. For most people, the process of requesting, receiving, and interpreting these records is almost impossible. If the data becomes not only free but also easily accessible, the impact on consumers will be enormous. Transparency and reduced information asymmetry will translate into more rational pricing and shorter negotiations,” says Bubiel.
Today, buyers mostly rely on listing prices—the amounts sellers ask for. The real estate transaction register will allow them to compare these offers with actual selling prices. Both sellers and buyers will gain a realistic understanding of property values in specific locations, leading to shorter negotiations and fewer extreme price deviations—whether inflated listings or artificially low offers.
According to Bubiel, buyers will find it easier to distinguish real bargains from overpriced listings, while sellers will be able to align their pricing strategies with actual market data.
New Opportunities for Professionals and Institutions
The removal of fees will also benefit property valuers, proptech companies, and the banking sector, as it will simplify and lower the cost of obtaining comparative data, enabling more accurate and consistent property valuations.
Automated valuation mechanisms already exist, but access to up-to-date transaction data has been limited.
“Easier, cheaper, and more timely access to data will allow AI-based valuation models to deliver highly reliable results. This will provide banks and proptech firms with solid foundations for building next-generation valuation tools,” Bubiel explains.
He adds that the amendment will also reshape the balance of power in the market:
“It will reduce the ‘secret advantage’ previously held by intermediaries and companies with access to non-public data. In this new environment, success will come not from owning the data, but from the ability to analyze, explain, and interpret it in ways that add value for the end user.”
Data Quality and Limitations Remain an Issue
While removing fees is a breakthrough, it does not solve data quality issues. The process of entering data into the register varies between counties—some update records quickly, while others lag behind due to resource constraints. As a result, data obtained from multiple counties may cover different time periods, requiring users to request updates or corrections.
Delays are common: it’s impossible to access notarial data from the previous day, and updates typically take 3–6 months, sometimes up to 9 months in busy regions like Warsaw. Data consistency is another problem—some transactions include VAT or parking spaces, others do not, and the quality or standard of apartments is often missing from the record.
“In practice, apartments in the same building can differ in price by several thousand złotys per square meter, and the register doesn’t explain whether this is due to a unique bargain or differences in finish quality,” notes Bubiel.
Toward a More Transparent Real Estate Market
“The introduction of free access to transaction data is another pro-consumer milestone. Combined with the obligation for developers to publish listing prices, it sets a consistent direction toward transparency, better information flow, and the reduction of asymmetries that previously allowed some players to gain an unfair advantage. This reform could significantly level the playing field in the Polish housing market,” concludes Anton Bubiel of SonarHome.
Source: CEO.com.pl – Amendment to the Geodesy Law: End of Fees for Accessing the Real Estate Price Register
