Inherited? Poland property and laws, etc

Hi

This is my first posting to polish forums, so my apologies if this has come up before, and the answer is "out there". My Dad died in February, and going thru his papers I found a 50 yr lease for a property in Poland. It expires in 2011.

I don't know where to start. I have the documents translated by a Polish translator, and have spoken to the Polish consulate in Sydney who only offered to find a solicitor in Sydney.

I obviously need a solicitor experienced in such matters. I don;'t know if the lease is still valid. The tenant is my Aunt, and she is still alive. I have been to the property twice (once when I was 7 and then when I was 23, but both times I did not know it was my Dad's property... I just knew that he lived there when he was growing up).

One of the first things I need to do is to confirm ownership of the property. But how do I do that?

Thanks for any help.

You need to get someone to go to the court and get a copy of the land registry entry for the property. It's easiest if you know the number of the property in the register, but they can also search by address. It costs around 40zl and it will tell you who is the currently registered owner.

I don't know if you're aware but dealing with a deceased person's estate in Poland can be quite a complex thing as everyone who has any interest has to be located and notified (your Dad's brothers, sisters, your siblings) and can challenge the will or demand compensation if they weren't equally treated. If they live abroad it seriously complicates matters.

If you like, I can PM you the contact details for a lawyer I've used before who can help you sort this out. He speaks English, isn't that cheap for Poland but is very effective and won't rip you off.