An impact of neo-liberal policy on a transformation of the housing market in Poland

The housing policy is based on the selection of the concept of participation of a state in meeting the housing needs of citizens. A scope of an intervention depends on a part of the responsibility for creating appropriate housing taken over by the state, and the reported housing needs. Analyzing data collected by parties responsible for the implementation of housing policies in different EU countries, you can come to the conclusion that the level of an aid granted by public bodies, both governmental and local is insufficient in relation to the reported needs, because millions of people are waiting for housing assistance. In Poland the official data indicating a low number of citizens waiting for social and municipal housing give an impression that the housing situation is in this country very good, but it is not well founded assessment. Both the quality and quantity of the Polish housing stock differ negatively from the standards in EU countries. The low number of applicants for the housing assistance is a result of the housing policy for the last 27 years. On the one hand an apartment has been considered as a free-market commodity and citizens should gain it by own effort, an ownership is a priority. On the other hand communal housing stock has been used by people who lived in it in transition, regardless of current income, thus blocking the possibility of exchange of tenants. A lack of new social housing and awareness of the long-term queue for housing allocation cause resignation from applying for housing assistance. This article is an attempt of a summary of the scope and tools of housing policy conducted in Poland since 1989. Authors focus on their economic and social impacts.