A rental scam in Poland usually asks you to pay before you have seen the flat or met its real owner: a "reservation" fee, a deposit or a "key fee". The safest rule, which Polish police also give, is to pay nothing until you have seen the flat in person and checked who owns it.
Newcomers are easy targets. You may not read Polish yet, you may be searching from abroad, and you may feel you must decide fast. Scammers count on all three.
The common patterns
Pay to reserve, by BLIK
BLIK is a Polish instant-payment code that you create in your banking app. It is fast and convenient, and that is the problem: once you confirm, the money is gone at once. A scammer says many people want the flat and asks for a small BLIK payment to "hold" it until the viewing. After the payment, the listing and the person disappear.
The fake owner
Someone copies the photos and text of a real listing and posts it again at a lower price, with their own phone number. Or a person who rents a flat for a few days shows it to many people as if they owned it, and takes a deposit from each of them.
The price that is too good
A two-room flat in a district people actually want, offered far below the price of similar flats nearby, is a warning sign. A low price brings many messages, and a scammer needs only one person to pay.
Pressure to decide now
"Three other people are coming tomorrow." "Pay today or I give it to someone else." Pressure is meant to stop you from checking.
"I'm abroad, I'll post you the keys"
The "owner" says they live abroad, so there can be no viewing. You pay the deposit and the first month's rent, and the keys will come by post. They never come.
Check the owner in the księga wieczysta
A księga wieczysta (land register) is the public court record of a property, and it lists, among other things, who owns it. Anyone who knows the register number can view the register online for free at ekw.ms.gov.pl. This right is in the ustawa o księgach wieczystych i hipotece (the Land and Mortgage Registers Act), Art. 36⁴ ust. 6. A certified copy, called an odpis, costs money: 30 zł for an ordinary copy you print yourself online. For a check before a viewing, the free view is enough.
A register number has three parts, separated by "/": a 4-character court code, the register number, and a check digit. An illustrative example of the shape, not a real register: WA4M/00012345/6.
How to check:
- Ask the landlord for the register number. Polish: "Czy mogę prosić o numer księgi wieczystej?" ("Could I have the land register number?")
- Open ekw.ms.gov.pl and enter the number.
- Find the part of the register that lists the owners.
- At the viewing, compare those names with the ID of the person you meet.
If the person showing the flat is not the owner, ask who they are. An agent should have a written agency agreement with the owner. Someone else should be able to show you why they may rent the flat out. If they cannot, stop.
What the police say
A Polish police notice gives the same advice: never pay a "reservation deposit", a deposit or a "key fee" before you have seen the flat in person and checked the owner or the agent. It also says to ask for the land register number and compare the owner's name with their ID.
Red flags and what to do
| Red flag | What to do |
|---|---|
| A "reservation" payment by BLIK before any viewing | Do not pay. Ask for a viewing first. |
| The owner is abroad and will post the keys | Walk away. No viewing means no deal. |
| The price is far below similar flats nearby | Ask for the land register number and check it. |
| Pressure to pay today | Say you will decide after checking. A real landlord can wait. |
| No land register number, or excuses | Treat it as a warning. Do not pay anything. |
| The name on the ID does not match the register | Ask for proof that this person may rent the flat out. |
| A request for passport scans before a viewing | Show your documents at the viewing or the signing instead. |
What to do
- Pay nothing before a viewing in person.
- Check the owner at ekw.ms.gov.pl before you pay a deposit.
- Pay the kaucja (security deposit) by bank transfer, never in cash, and only against a signed lease. The deposit guide explains the rules.
- If an agency is involved, read its agreement first. See the agency fee guide.
- If you have already paid a scammer, contact your bank at once and report it to the police.
Chata Hunter shows listings from Poland's major rental portals, but it does not check landlords' identities for you. The FAQ explains what it does and does not do.
Questions about rental scams
Is it normal to pay a reservation fee?
No, not before a viewing. Polish police advise never to pay a "reservation deposit", a deposit or a "key fee" before you have seen the flat in person and checked the owner or the agent.
What if the person showing the flat is not the owner?
Ask who they are and why they may rent the flat out. An agent should have a written agreement with the owner. If nobody can show you that link to the owner named in the land register, do not pay.
Does checking the land register cost money?
No. Anyone who knows the register number can view it online for free at ekw.ms.gov.pl (Art. 36⁴ ust. 6 of the Land and Mortgage Registers Act). Only a certified copy costs money.