Amendment to the Development Act

The amendment to the Development Act of 21 May 2025 introduces a number of changes aimed at strengthening the protection of home buyers and increasing market transparency. Thanks to the new regulations, you gain better access to information about prices, greater financial security and additional rights when accepting the premises and reporting defects. Below you will find an overview of the most important changes and a practical guide on how to effectively exercise your rights step by step.

Key changes for buyers

1. Price transparency and price change history

• The developer must maintain their own publicly accessible website with a full list of properties, where:
• they provide the price per m² and the total price of the property and any attachments (e.g., parking space) – Prawo.pl,
• they publish the full history of every price change along with the modification date – www.money.pl.
• This allows you to verify whether you’re paying more than other buyers for the same unit.

2. Detailed information obligations

• Before signing the developer agreement, you have the right to receive a full set of documents: information prospectus, construction schedule, building project, and financing terms – Legalis.
• From July 11, 2025, any change in the project (e.g., delayed completion date) must be recorded on the website and communicated to clients – Prawo.pl.

3. Increased financial safeguards

• Escrow account requirement: Your payments are deposited in a developer escrow account and only released upon completion of each construction phase, protecting you from default risk – GKRadcowie.

4. New rights when taking possession of the property

• You can refuse to accept the apartment if there are significant defects – the developer cannot force you to sign the acceptance protocol until defects are fixed – Nowa Deweloper.
• You have the right to withdraw from the contract if the developer fails to fix major defects on time or if an expert confirms serious faults – Nowa Deweloper.

5. Guide: „What to do in case of defects?”

• Document everything immediately
• During the handover, prepare a detailed acceptance protocol, listing every defect; include photos and dates.
• Submit a complaint in the proper manner
• Developer’s warranty: you can report physical defects for 5 years from the handover date – Nowa Deweloper.
• Manufacturer’s warranty: durations are specified in warranty cards (usually 2–5 years).
• Method of submission
• Send the protocol by email to the developer’s technical address (with delivery confirmation) or via the client portal.
• If there is no response, use a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt.
• Deadlines for defect removal
• The developer must confirm receipt of the complaint within 7 business days.
• Defects should be resolved within the time specified in the contract (usually 30–60 days after notification).
• Buyer’s rights
• Substitute performance: if the developer delays, you may commission the repair at their cost after an additional deadline has passed (minimum 14 days from notification).
• Price reduction or withdrawal from the contract: applicable in the case of significant defects and persistent refusal to correct them.
• Second handover and case closure
• Once repairs are completed, arrange a second handover and check that all defects have been resolved as per the protocol.

Thanks to these changes and the above steps, you can confidently exercise your rights – you have access to full price history, better protection of your funds, and stronger complaint-handling tools. Good luck!