Poland · Rental deposit
Your landlord in Poland kept your deposit (kaucja): ask for it back in writing
Polish law gives a landlord a fixed period to return the deposit (kaucja) after you move out. The landlord may deduct only their own claims under the tenancy. If the money has not come back, a formal letter sets out these rules and gives a final date to pay. You get it in Polish or English.
The questions, and the documents that come with the letters (checklist, timeline, next steps and memo), are in English. The letters can be written in Polish or English.
Other languages: Polski
The rules your letter follows
Taken from the official sources listed below. Interest rates change from time to time; these are the current ones.
- Period for the landlord to return the deposit
- 1 month
- From the day you moved out of the flat, not from the end of the agreement.
- What the landlord may keep
- Claims under the tenancy
- You are not liable for wear that results from proper use.
- Deadline in the letter
- 14 days
- You can choose up to 30 days.
- Statutory interest for delay
- 9.25%
- Until 4 November 2026. Runs from the day after the return period ended, without a demand.
- Limitation period
- 6 years
- For a private tenant, from the end of the return period, and it ends on the last day of a calendar year. If you rented as a business, 3 years.
- Court
- Sąd rejonowy
- The district court, for claims up to PLN 100,000. You do not need a lawyer. There is no special tenancy court.
- How to send it
- Registered post
- List polecony za zwrotnym potwierdzeniem odbioru (Poczta Polska). Send it by email too.
What Polish law says about the deposit
The landlord must return the deposit within 1 month of the day you moved out of the flat, less only their claims under the tenancy. The period runs from the day you moved out, not from the end of the agreement. The same rule applies to an ordinary tenancy, a najem okazjonalny and a najem instytucjonalny.
These rules cover homes. They do not cover short-stay rooms or business premises, where the contract decides.
Deductions and wear
You are not liable for wear that results from proper use. But the law presumes that you received the flat in good condition, so the letter does not claim otherwise. It says that you do not accept the deductions you dispute, and asks for that part of the deposit back too. If you write while the landlord's return period is still running, it asks the landlord to state in writing which claims they are deducting, on what basis and how much.
If the landlord still does not pay
The landlord is late from the day after the return period ended, without any demand, and statutory interest for delay runs from then. You do not have to send a letter before going to court, but a statement of claim must say whether you tried to settle out of court.
Claims up to PLN 100,000 go to the district court (sąd rejonowy), and you do not need a lawyer there. The escalation memo in the Complete pack explains the route, but does not recommend one.
Where the rules come from
art. 6 ust. 4 ustawy o ochronie praw lokatorów, mieszkaniowym zasobie gminy i o zmianie Kodeksu cywilnegoDeposit under an ordinary residential tenancy: returned within one month of vacating, less the landlord's claims under the tenancy
checked 10 October 2026
art. 19a ust. 5 ustawy o ochronie praw lokatorów, mieszkaniowym zasobie gminy i o zmianie Kodeksu cywilnegoDeposit under an occasional tenancy (najem okazjonalny): returned within one month of vacating
checked 10 October 2026
art. 6 ust. 3 ustawy o ochronie praw lokatorów, mieszkaniowym zasobie gminy i o zmianie Kodeksu cywilnegoRevalued deposit: the current monthly rent times the multiple used when it was taken, never less than the amount paid
checked 10 October 2026
art. 675 § 1 Kodeksu cywilnegoNo liability for wear resulting from proper use
checked 10 October 2026
art. 481 § 1 i 2 Kodeksu cywilnegoStatutory interest for delay
checked 10 October 2026
What is in the envelope
Word and PDF files you can edit before you send anything.
- 01
Demand letter
The formal letter, in the language you choose, with your amount and payment details. The deadline, and any interest and costs, follow the local rules.
- 02
Evidence checklist
What to keep and what to enclose, checked against the files you uploaded.
- 03
Timeline
Your dispute date by date, including the dates still to come.
- 04
Next steps
How to send the letter so you can prove it arrived, and what to do with each kind of reply.
- 05
Final pre-action demand for paymentComplete
A shorter second letter with a last deadline, for when the first one passes.
- 06
Escalation memoComplete
Court, collection agencies and lawyers: what each route involves. It describes the options; it does not choose one for you.
How it works
Today
You answer the questions. It takes about ten minutes, and your answers are saved as you go.
Today
You check the summary and pay. A few minutes later your documents are ready, in Word and PDF.
When you are ready
You sign the letter and send it yourself, so it comes from you.
Questions
When does the landlord's period start?
On the day you moved out of the flat, not on the day the agreement ended. The letter states the date you moved out and returned the keys.
Can my landlord keep money for cleaning or repainting?
The letter does not claim that such costs can never be deducted. It states that you are not liable for wear from proper use and that you do not accept the deductions you dispute. Your own account in the letter says why.
My rent went up during the tenancy. Does the deposit go up too?
If the deposit was set as a multiple of the monthly rent, it is returned as the same multiple of the current rent, and never less than you paid. The letter does not mention or calculate a revalued deposit. It asks for the amount in your answers.
How long can I wait?
For a private tenant the limitation period is 6 years from the end of the return period, and it ends on the last day of a calendar year. A letter does not interrupt it. A court step or the landlord's acknowledgment of the debt does.
P.S.
Your documents are written by an AI system and checked automatically against your answers and the local rules. No lawyer reviews them. They are document drafts and general information, not legal advice. Your answers are deleted 30 days after delivery, or sooner if you ask.
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