publication
2026-04-25 06:00
By over 9 percent the number of signed annuity contracts increased year on year. In 2025, the ownership of nearly 20,000 was transferred in this way. real estate, according to data from the Ministry of Justice. The majority of transactions take place between private individuals.
Last year, 19.8 thousand contracts were concluded in Poland. life annuity contracts. Compared to 2024 the number of such transactions increased by over 9%.. The annuity mechanism may be useful for seniors who are rich in real estate but poor in cash. In the contract, the seller transfers ownership of the property in exchange for a monthly cash payment. Although he ceases to be the owner, he can use the apartment for life.
Twenty years ago in Poland, annuity contracts were still dominated by contracts concerning agricultural land. Since then, the situation has changed dramatically. In 2025, as many as 16.9 thousand (out of nearly 20 thousand in total) contracts concerned non-agricultural real estate, while 2.9 thousand it included agricultural land. This means that over 85 percent The market today consists of real estate located mainly in smaller and larger cities.
– In the past, annuity contracts concerned mainly agricultural properties: most often they were related to the transfer of farms to children or grandchildren. Over time, the market began to change. The number of agricultural contracts has practically stopped, and contracts regarding non-agricultural real estate have gradually increased and today (the vast majority) shape this market – comments Robert Majkowski, President of the DOM Mortgage Fund.
The data provided by the Ministry of Justice mostly cover contracts concluded individually, e.g. between a senior citizen and his neighbor. Professional entities (so-called mortgage funds) remain a marginal player. In 2025, the DOM Mortgage Fund signed almost 30 new contracts and managed a total of 285 properties.
Regulatory paradox – there is still no law
The annual publication of statistics by the Ministry of Justice is an opportunity to recall a legal paradox with over 10 years of history. It concerns a reverse mortgage loan and the so-called reverse mortgage in the sales model.
A reverse mortgage loan is based on a structure similar to a regular mortgage loan. The funds are paid in installments by the bank, and the transaction is secured by a mortgage. After the borrower's death, his heirs can decide whether they want to repay the debt and remove the entry from the land and mortgage register. Otherwise, the bank sells the property and settles any surplus.
In the case of this structure, there is a reverse mortgage law in Poland. It came into force in 2014, but is still on the market There is not a single banking product for seniorswho would like to liquidate their real estate in this way.
Meanwhile There are no legal regulations regarding reverse mortgageswhich has been present on the market for over a dozen years. The legal vacuum in the case of an annuity has serious consequences. Companies offering such a product do not have to meet special capital requirements or apply for a license. They are also not subject to the supervision of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority and are not obliged to create reserve funds to cover their liabilities.
In 2025, the topic briefly returned when the issue of “Mr. Jerzy's studio apartment” was discussed during the presidential campaign. Protecting seniors against fraud was to be a priority issue for the government. None of the announced draft bills have seen the light of day yet.
