Minimalna powierzchnia użytkowa nowo budowanych mieszkań w Polsce w ocenie studentów Szkoły Głównej Handlowej w Warszawie

The article examines the effect of government mandated minimum apartment size in Poland, based upon insights from survey questionnaire responses. In 2017, the Minister of Infrastructure and Construction passed a legal requirement for a minimum usable floor area of 25 square metres for new apartments, to take effect at the beginning of 2018. The paper begins with an overview of comparable regulations in selected EU countries. Next, relevant statistical data are examined to assess how this new size requirement, dubbed “lex 25 m2”, has thus far influenced the Polish housing market. The authors then report upon results of a survey conducted between April and June 2023 among 722 students of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics regarding their opinion on this new regulation. Four hypotheses are formulated as to the factors affecting respondents’ views toward “lex 25 m2” requirements for new apartments. The hypotheses are then tested using binary logistic regression. A negative effect of the 2017 regulation was identified on apartment purchases for one’s own purposes, plans to rent an apartment smaller than 25 square metres within the next 12 months, and apartment ownership. The association between the purchase of an apartment smaller than 25 square metres within the next 12 months and the attitude towards “lex 25 m2” was not statistically significant. The last section concludes with policy recommendation that apartments smaller than 25 square metres should be allowed to be built in Poland with the requirement of minimum usable area for new apartments reduced to 19–20 square metres.