On the primary market a buyer does not usually pay an agent. Our fee for buyers is 0% (as of September 2026). The developer must publish the price of every flat on its website, and the law provides for no surcharge because you come with an agent. An agent is useful for comparing developments, going through the information prospectus and the draft contract with you, and attending the sales office meeting together. The key point: contact the agent before the sales office has your details, because afterwards the developer may not recognise the agent’s involvement.
Do you pay an agent when you buy from a developer?
We do not charge you for helping you buy a flat from a developer. Our remuneration on the primary market comes from agreements with developers.
Our fee for buyers on the primary market is 0% (as of September 2026). You do not pay us for comparing developments or for a joint visit to the sales office (biuro sprzedaży). You pay nothing even if you view several developments and choose none.
People often say “the developer’s agent”, but this is not a sales office employee. The terms on which an agent works with a developer, including the rules for registering clients, are set by the developer. They are not part of your contract. The Polish Developer Act does not regulate the agent’s fee at all (legal position as of September 2026).
So the honest question is: whose side is an agent you do not pay on? Check whether the agent shows you several developments with prices from public registers, or pushes you towards one. The decision and the signature are yours.
Will you pay more than by going straight to the sales office?
Since 11 July 2025 the developer must publish on its website the price per square metre and the total price of every flat on offer, including VAT. It also publishes the prices of ancillary rooms and rights (for example a parking space) if they are not included, and other monetary payments. When a price changes, the developer updates it on the day of the change, gives the date and keeps the previous data (art. 19a ust. 1–2, legal position as of September 2026). The same data goes to the dane.gov.pl portal once a day (art. 19b).
What this means for you:
- if the price in the contract differs from the published one, you can demand a contract at the price most favourable to you (art. 19a ust. 6);
- the law provides for no separate price for a client who comes with an agent.
We do not promise a specific price, because the developer sets it. Before the visit, take a dated screenshot of the price in the register so that you have something to compare at signing. How to find a particular developer’s register is explained in the guide Price transparency: where to check a developer flat price.
What are client registration and a presentation card, and what do they mean for you?
Client registration is a message from the agent to the developer that the agent is coming with a specific person. It is passed on under rules set by the developer. A presentation card (sometimes a “meeting card”) is a document signed at the sales office confirming that the development was shown to you with the agent present.
Every developer has its own rules. At some developments you must arrange a joint visit to the sales office and sign the presentation card there¹. How long a registration is valid is also set by the developer.
For you this means two things:
- Order matters. If the developer already knows you because you have been in touch with the sales office (a visit, a call or details in a form), it may not recognise the agent’s involvement. Tell us at the very start. It is better to know before the visit than after.
- Registration costs you nothing. We do not charge you for helping you buy a flat from a developer. By registering you, we agree the cooperation with the sales office and can come with you to the meeting.
¹ Rules for registrations and visits differ between developers and developments (as of September 2026).
What an agent does for the buyer: comparing developments, the prospectus, the sales office visit, contracts
Comparing developments. We compare the flat you have chosen with similar ones in other developments: the price from the public register with its date, floor area, and the prices of a parking space and a storage unit. You can see whether the offer is good or just well photographed. Current offers are in the catalogue of new-build flats from developers in Warsaw.
Information prospectus (prospekt informacyjny). The developer must hand it over before the developer agreement (umowa deweloperska) or the reservation agreement that precedes it, free of charge and on a durable medium (art. 21 ust. 1–2, legal position as of September 2026). We go through it with you before you reserve and point out what to ask the developer or a lawyer. The checklist: Developer information prospectus: what to check.
Sales office visit. If you wish, we go together. We ask about what is in neither the register nor the prospectus, and complete the registration formalities.
Contracts. A reservation agreement (umowa rezerwacyjna) must be in writing on pain of invalidity. The reservation fee may not exceed 1% of the price in the prospectus and is credited towards the price (art. 30 ust. 1, art. 32 ust. 2–3, legal position as of September 2026). If you are taking a mortgage, the reservation period should allow for the time needed for the bank’s decision (art. 31). More detail: developer reservation agreement. We are not a law firm, so it is worth having a lawyer read the developer agreement.
The whole process step by step is described on the page help buying a flat.
If you are a foreigner reading in English
You will receive the prospectus and the draft contract in Polish, and the text you sign is the Polish one. That is why, before you reserve, we go through the prospectus and the draft contract with you and show you what to ask the developer or a lawyer. The developer must hand over the prospectus free of charge and on a durable medium (art. 21 ust. 1–2), so you can read it at home rather than in the sales office. We serve clients in 7 languages, English included. To identify a client we need an ID document (see the FAQ below).
When you do not need an agent
- You are already talking to the sales office of the development you have chosen. The developer may then not recognise an agent’s involvement. Tell us straight away, before anything is agreed.
- You know one specific development and have time. You compare the price registers yourself, read the prospectus carefully, and your own lawyer checks the contract.
In other cases an agent can save you time and help you avoid missing differences between offers.
How to check an agent: CEIDG, NIP, compulsory liability insurance
Since 1 January 2014 no agent’s licence is required, and the state registers of agents were closed on that date. A licence is therefore not a criterion. Check three things:
- An entry in CEIDG (or KRS if it is a company). An agent is a business operator (art. 179a u.g.n.). Enter the NIP in the CEIDG search; the data is public. Real estate brokerage has the code 68.31.Z in the PKD 2025 classification (PKD 2025 has applied since 1 January 2025).
- No criminal record of the relevant kind. Since 31 October 2021 a person finally convicted of an intentional offence, including against property, the reliability of documents or business transactions, cannot be an agent (art. 180a u.g.n.).
- Compulsory liability (OC) insurance. The agent must hold civil liability insurance (art. 181 ust. 3 u.g.n.). The minimum sum insured is the equivalent of €25,000 per event and for all events in the insurance period. For policies taken out in 2026 that is at least PLN 105,390 (first NBP average rate in 2026: PLN 4.2156 on 2 January 2026; as of September 2026). A copy of the policy valid on the day the brokerage agreement is signed is an annex to that agreement (art. 181 ust. 3a u.g.n.).
Our details for you to check: Jawno is run by Vladyslav Moroz as a sole-trader business, NIP 5214128421, Warsaw. We hold the compulsory agent’s liability (OC) insurance (as of September 2026).
What an agent costs on the secondary market, and why it is a different situation
On the secondary market the seller is usually a private person, not a developer. Who pays the agent and how much is set by the brokerage agreement; the law does not decide it. The agreement must be in written or electronic form on pain of invalidity (art. 180 ust. 3 u.g.n.). Electronic form means a qualified electronic signature. A scan of a signed agreement sent by email is documentary form, not written form.
What agencies charge on the secondary market, with the source and date of the data, is collated in the guide Estate agent commission when buying a flat: who pays. Our own fee on the secondary market, who pays it, and the other terms are agreed in the brokerage agreement before we start working together.
A government bill amending the act is under way (UD424, as of September 2026). Under the bill the fee would be payable by only one party to the transaction. The bill is not in force today.
FAQ
How much does a buyer pay an agent when buying a flat from a developer?
Our fee for buyers on the primary market is 0% (as of September 2026). We do not charge you for helping you buy a flat from a developer. You pay nothing even if you view several developments and buy none of them.
Is a developer flat more expensive if I buy through an agent?
Since 11 July 2025 the developer must publish the price of every flat on offer, including VAT, on its website. If the price in the contract differs from the published one, you can demand a contract at the price most favourable to you (art. 19a ust. 6). The law provides for no surcharge for an agent (legal position as of September 2026). The final price is set by the developer.
Why does the agent ask for my ID?
A real estate agent is an obliged institution (instytucja obowiązana) under the anti-money-laundering act (art. 2 ust. 1 pkt 18). The agent must identify the client, including name, PESEL and ID document details, and keeps the records for 5 years (art. 49 ust. 1, legal position as of September 2026). Without this data the agent cannot start working with you.
How can I check that the agent has the compulsory liability insurance?
Ask for a copy of the agent’s liability (OC) policy. The insurance is compulsory (art. 181 ust. 3 u.g.n.) and the minimum sum insured is the equivalent of €25,000, which for policies taken out in 2026 means at least PLN 105,390 (as of September 2026). Also check the agent’s NIP in the CEIDG register. Since 1 January 2014 no licence is required.
How much does an agency charge a buyer on the secondary market?
We set out market agency rates, with source and date, in a separate guide: Estate agent commission when buying a flat: who pays. The law does not say who pays: it is decided by the brokerage agreement, in written or electronic form. Our own fee on the secondary market, and who pays it, is agreed in the brokerage agreement before we start working together.
Have you found a flat from a developer?
Write to us before you visit the sales office, and we can go together. Send the link to the offer you have chosen: +48 692 649 839, infojawno@gmail.com.
This text is for information only and is not legal advice.