Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]


That was also one of my feelings. Communism did destroy a lot of people inside, and they might not feel any guilt whatsoever about cheating a "rich" foreign relative. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that it has happened.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]

Dominic, it's family, he says so above.

My feeling on the matter is that it's probably genuine enough. Rural Poland, middle class and did the stereotypical thing of getting an astronomical mortgage and then relied on other family members to build a house way beyond reasonable. The breadwinner no longer earns the bread and has gone into a huge depression as a result. Nothing unusual or ordinary, the only strange thing is that he hasn't started drinking too.

On the flip side, if it's family and they see someone in the UK, it's also quite possible that they see the OP as a cash cow. It might well be that there's actually nothing happening, but they're attempting to get some money for nothing, possibly to help them with the CHF mortgage.

To the OP: forget about a legal route, it's a terrible idea as you'll just pay up to 300zl an hour for nothing. Instead, you have to tell them that they need to go to the bank and meet with someone. If the husband is a mental and physical wreck, then he should sign the power of attorney for his wife and let her deal with it personally.

Law / Tourist visa to Poland for Indian citizen, invitation letter. [57]


Unfortunately, "met on an internet site" will set off huge alarm bells. It's absolutely not a surprise that you were refused, as any consular officer would suspect that you would simply vanish once you gain entry into Schengen. It would also be strange for a random Indian to stay with a Polish family with no relationship there.

By the way, visa refusals are now stored on a common Schengen-wide database. I would strongly, strongly advise against applying for a Schengen visa in the future unless you have absolutely solid reasons. For instance, if you plan a two week trip and include hotel reservations for each night, then it'll be fine. But again, you need to credible, as it would be nonsense for an Indian to plan a 2 week holiday in some Polish town in the middle of nowhere.


No, not now that you've been refused. If you had the official invitation originally, then it probably would've been fine. At least in Poland, the official invitation requires the hosting party to take full financial responsibility for you, including paying a monumental fine if you overstay.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]

The problem is that the banks tomorrow could exchange all CHF mortgages for PLN mortgages at current exchange rates. It's not an issue for the bank, but for the consumer. They would be converting at 3.89zl/1CHF and suddenly facing a rise in interest rates from somewhere around 1% to around 3-3.5%. They would be in even more pain as a result, and furthermore, they'd be subject to the PLN interest rate rising, which it will at some point. The CHF on the other hand will not see positive interest rates for years to come due to the sheer strength of the Franc. As far as I know, banks are quite willing to offer a conversion into PLN.

As for people defaulting, I think it's rather that the banks know that there's little to no chance of them finding buyers for repossessed properties. It's rather better to keep people paying something, particularly as people are unlikely to trash houses that they still have a prospect of owning in the future.

Unfortunately, with what you say, it's a common scenario in Poland. People were building huge houses way beyond their means, often taking CHF mortgages to get even more from the bank. These people were not poor people, but rather middle class people who had grown up under communism/hardships of the 90's and who wanted it all now.

The problem is that these houses are often very...hmm, tailored to their own specific taste. If it was built with the help of family, then it's quite possible that the construction is also not exactly top quality, which means that potential buyers will be few and far between. Most buyers would run a mile as soon as they discover that Uncle Pawel was actually doing the plumbing and Cousin Piotr that did the electricity, as it's likely that vodka and a good time was enjoyed.

I understand that you're pinning your hopes on the mortgages being annulled, but if anything, the only realistic prospect is for the mortgage to be compulsory revalued into PLN, or possibly the banks will be forced to peg the mortgage to the CHF at today's exchange rate. There's no way that mortgage holders will see the banks forced to peg it at 2.2 or whatever the rate was when they signed the contract, as it would put the banks in trouble.

If you don't mind me asking, in which part of Poland is the property?

Real Estate / Is it a good idea to buy a Property in Poland -- with debt? [8]


The notary is responsible for making sure that the debts are cleared. Discuss it with your chosen notary.

Making a claim later is irrelevant, as they need to lodge the claim against the property while it's still in his possession. If they come later, there's a simple legal device that states that he doesn't live there.

As for him moving out, simply require him to deregister himself from the address register before you visit the notary and make sure that the keys to the property are in the hands of the notary before signing the contract.

If the debt is attached to the property rather than the owner, then... don't get involved.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]


It's been explained above well, but there is no chance of compensation. The banks never hid the nature of CHF/EUR mortgages, and from what you say, they probably bought as much as they could afford on their income. For that reason, it's highly unlikely that the bank would owe anything.


In this case, the best thing to do is to meet with the bank and see what they would be willing to do.

Do you know if the property is located in a desirable area, or is it an expensive property in a rural area? If it's the former, the bank might well be willing to come to some agreement. If it's the latter, the bank will want their money because such properties are nearly impossible to sell, especially if it's a new property.

Life / Where can I get a good American Haircut in Poznan? [18]

I asked a friend that lives in Poznań, and he suggested that there's a very good American barber on ul. Szylinga. The guy is called Carlos, he's an older guy that's lived in Poznań for a while.

Might be worth a try?