What is the Shelter Act?
On January 1, 2026, the provisions of the Act on the Protection of the Population and Civil Defense (the "Shelter Act") are to come into force in Poland. They require developers to design multi-family buildings in such a way that underground garages and storeys can be adapted to serve as temporary shelters. Public utility buildings are also to be equipped with temporary shelters in the event of a crisis. The Sejm adopted the Shelter Act on December 5, and the President of the Republic of Poland signed it on December 17, 2024.
Maintenance and monitoring of emergency shelters
Emergency shelters in multi-family buildings and public utility buildings will be subject to constant monitoring and, in addition, will have to be maintained in an appropriate technical condition. Article 103 of the draft act on population protection and civil defense indicates that "The owner or manager of the emergency shelter shall ensure that emergency shelters are maintained in an appropriate technical condition and make them available for the purposes of population protection."
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How could the bill impact the real estate market?
When building new residential buildings and underground garages, developers will have to remember about solutions that will provide safe temporary shelter for their residents. The new regulations are to apply to buildings for which an application for a building permit is submitted after December 31, 2025. They may have a major impact on the functioning of the real estate market. To organize such places in basements or underground garages, it will be necessary to use, for example, reinforced ceilings and the entire infrastructure with evacuation routes or appropriate ventilation. The need to include "shelters" in new buildings is also associated with additional costs of technical security or construction materials. Equipping buildings with temporary shelter places will therefore increase the overall construction cost, and thus the cost of purchasing the property. It is expected that apartment prices may increase by up to 10 percent. Due to the provisions of the act, delays in the implementation of new investments may also occur. The process of obtaining building permits itself will also be extended. Moreover, the need to allocate temporary shelter places will directly affect the number of apartments and parking spaces in underground garages.
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New regulations and funds from civil protection bodies
At the request of the owner or manager of the building, civil protection bodies – e.g. the city president or mayor – will be able to transfer funds in the form of a targeted subsidy for:
- construction or reconstruction of a protective structure;
- organizing places of emergency shelter;
- preparing the protective structure for use;
Owners and managers of buildings will also be able to count on funds in the form of a targeted subsidy for the renovation and maintenance of collective protection facilities. The financing is to cover up to 100 percent of the investment costs.
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The Shelter Act – the main goal
The Act on Shelters aims to provide citizens with protection in the event of a crisis. The introduction of regulations that impose the obligation to take into account temporary shelter places results, among others, from increasingly serious climate change and potential conflicts. Despite the disadvantages and challenges related to higher construction costs, it is worth remembering that in the long term, new regulations can significantly improve the safety of residents.