Everyday life
Looking for a flat in the Tricity: what to watch out for
Verified: September 2026 Checked by: Marta Wagner-Mejna
Step by step
- View the flat in person or send someone you trust. If the advertiser refuses to show it before payment, the conversation is over.
- Ask for proof that the landlord has the right to the property: a deed, a land register extract, or a contract allowing them to sublet.
- Read the contract before signing, all of it. Pay attention to the notice period, the deposit amount and who pays for minor repairs.
- Draw up a handover protocol with meter readings and photographs. It is the only way to get the full deposit back a year later.
- Register your address. Registration opens up the Resident Card, a catchment-area school and a local clinic.
The Tricity rental market is seasonal: prices rise in summer because of tourism and again in September because of students. If you can wait until October or November, you will pay less and have more to choose from.
Three signs something is wrong
A price well below market. A studio in central Gdańsk for 1,200 zł does not exist. It is the most common opening move in a scam.
Time pressure. „Five people are interested, I need the deposit today” is a method, not a circumstance.
The landlord is abroad and will send the keys by courier. The keys never arrive.
The deposit
A standard deposit is one month’s rent, sometimes two. It must appear in the contract with the amount and the conditions for its return. A deposit paid in cash without a receipt is a deposit that does not exist.
Occasional tenancy
If the landlord proposes an „occasional tenancy” (najem okazjonalny), you will need a notarised statement submitting to enforcement and an address to move to when the contract ends. It is a legal and common arrangement, but it costs money and requires a notary visit — budget for it.
Before you sign anything you do not understand, bring the contract to a free consultation. We will read it together.
Where to look next
Official offices and verified external sources.
Does this not match your situation?
Marta Wagner-Mejna holds free consultations (legal guidance and official matters). The conversation runs in Polish, English. No referral, no fees.