Big changes in blocks without elevators. The government reveals the date! Who will pay hundreds of thousands of gold?

In fresh weeks the network has flooded with alarming reports: “All blocks without elevators will gotta have them from next year and residents will pay even half a million zlotys!” This imagination spends a dream with the eyes of many Poles, especially seniors and families with tiny children. Are we actually facing massive force to upgrade expensively? We checked the details of the government's draft regulation of the Ministry of improvement and Technology, which is expected to enter into force on 20 September 2026, and we dispel doubts. It turns out that the situation is much more complex and that the work to install elevators concerns clearly defined cases, although the financial consequences for any communities may be truly serious.

When will the elevator be mandatory? Key terms and exceptions

The draft regulation, although realistic, does not mean an automatic order to install elevators in all existing multi-family buildings. fresh rules to become applicable since 20 September 2026, primarily concerns multi-family housing with 3 or more floors. However, it is crucial to realize that this work arises only in very circumstantial situations:

• design and construction new facilities,
• for major reconstruction existing buildings,
• and erstwhile follows change of use the building (e.g. from residential to public utility).

What does this mean in practice? If your community only plans to replace the gas strategy or repair the staircase, you don't gotta worry about the elevator. Key is the word ‘redevelopment’, which in construction law means crucial structural or functional changes. In addition, full implementation is timed: any of them will become effective December 31, 2026and others December 31, 2029. This gives communities time to prepare.

Shocking costs? How much will the villagers truly pay?

Although the work is not common, in case of the request to install an elevator, the costs can be truly high. As Kone Polska informs, installation of an elevator in the block is simply a cost of PLN 150,000 to PLN 400,000. But that is not all. The real challenge is erstwhile the building does not have an elevator shaft. Then, the construction of the shaft from scratch can absorb from 550 000 to even 900,000 PLN. These are the amounts that could make you dizzy.

Turning this into a single flat in a typical 40-local block, this would mean a burden of up from 13,000 to 22,000 PLN per apartment, just for building a shaft and installing an elevator. In addition, the costs of the project, obtaining permits, possibly strengthening the construction of the building and subsequent operation are added. Monthly maintenance of the elevator is several 100 zlotysthat spread to all residents. Fortunately, in most cases, specified investments are covered by a renovation fund or distributed into instalments added to the rent, thus avoiding a one-off, drastic financial burden.

Co-financing available. You're not alone with this expense!

The good news is that housing communities that will face the necessity or willingness to install an elevator are not left to themselves. There are financial support schemes that can importantly reduce investment costs. According to portal samorzadowy.pl, 2 sources are crucial:

• Access Fund of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK): It offers loans on highly favourable terms – the interest rate is only 0.15% per year. Moreover, it is possible to redeem even up to 40% of the loanwhich makes it 1 of the most attractive forms of support.
• State Fund for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities (PFRON): PFRON shall supply support if the assembly of the elevator provides access to at least 2 housing units where persons with mobility disabilities reside. This is an crucial solution for communities with residents requiring facilities.

The usage of these programmes can importantly reduce the financial burden on residents, making investment in an accessible elevator.

Practical advice to communities and residents

If you live in a block without an elevator and wonder if the fresh regulations apply to you, it is crucial to monitor the plans of the housing community. If there's no way of renovating, you can sleep easily. However, if specified plans appear, it is worth to act in advance.

The first step should be to convene a community gathering and careful discussion of the scope of the planned modernisation. Then, a contract will be essential technical expertise. Housing cooperatives, as quoted by Kresy.pl, a typical of 1 of them, point to many applicable problems: “We have about 70 blocks without elevators, all built in the 1970s. I do not know how to technically mount cranes there.” The problem is not only the deficiency of space for windows, but frequently besides the deficiency of adequate foundations or the request to strengthen the superstructure, which can make additional costs of tens of thousands of zlotys.

It is worth remembering that in buildings up to 3 storeys, in the absence of the anticipation of installing a conventional lift, regulations let alternate solutions specified as slipways or lifting platforms. External wheelchair lifting platform is an expenditure in order 60,000 – 100,000 PLN, which is simply a much lower cost than a full-size elevator and can be a good compromise.

Impact on property value. Investment or burden?

Although the installation of the elevator entails advanced costs, it is besides worth looking at as an investment in the value of the property. Apartments in blocks with elevators are usually worth 15-20% more than the ones in the buildings without passenger lifts. Interestingly, as the portal services-remontowe-w-warszawie.pl informs, after installing an elevator, apartments on the advanced floors (e.g. the 4th floor) frequently become more costly than those on the lower floors, which is the reverse trend in blocks without elevators. The elevator importantly increases the comfort of life, especially for the elderly, disabled or parents with tiny children, which translates into their attractiveness on the market.

In summary, the information circulating in the network about the massive forced installation of elevators in each block is myth. The work concerns fresh investments and major reconstructions. There is no question of forcing residents to pay hundreds of thousands of zlotys for elevators in existing, unbuilt buildings. The fresh regulations aim to gradually increase the availability of surviving spaces, which is simply a step in the right direction to improve the quality of life in Poland, especially for tens of thousands of people who are having problem leaving their homes today. The Communities have more than a year to prepare for these changes, and the available backing can make this process much easier.