Life / West-East life in Poland? [35]

Presently (flows can change) Wroclaw Warsaw Krakow in that order. Of course youve got the best spots on the coasts but i dont like seasonals.

Life / West-East life in Poland? [35]

Anywhere where its tough to buy property at good prices Id say those are the areas doing well. Money drives money and since we have scared off most foreign capital (for now), you follow the internal investment.

Life / West-East life in Poland? [35]

Anything close to or with good access to the German border tends to do well. Wroclaw and Szczecin are well supported. You are getting a lot of investment in those two cities from the likes of Warsaw and Krakow, thats private Polish money looking for a home.

Real Estate / To buy a property in Poland - a basic starting point needed. Where is a good region to buy and why? Finances. [7]

You need to decide what you want from the property first. Where its going to be a pure investment vehicle or not. If you are looking to stay in the property for any period of time during the year, then that rules out commercial and puts you into residential territory. But to give yourself the option of taking advantage of the property yourself, youll have to stick to the largest cities or those with the largest influx of tourists during the in season. Otherwise renting short term isnt really viable, there wont be the demand for short term.

But if youre not planning to use the property yourself, you can go for commercial. Every city is slightly different, but stick to smaller units (50-200m) on the ground floor, which are located by or close to the market square. You can buy ready rented with long term contracts upwards of 5 years, but expect to pay more for this. But even so these kind of properties are available with a yield of around 7-8%. While its a buyers market, the best properties demand strong prices and wont come up for sale too often. They tend to crop up most when property rprices have been booming for a while. Poland has been pretty much unloved for some time by foreign investors, so those holding the aces havent felt the need to dispose of their prize assets at current prices.

News / Nazi gold train 'found in Poland' [90]

The majority of "treasures" hidden during the war have already been stealthly removed. Regarding zloty pociag, I regularly drive by there and there were a lot of people at the time, tourism certainly got boosted, but Id say ksiaz and the palmiarnia are a pretty big draw anyway during the nicer parts of the year.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]


Im afraid it is. It is all about the bottom line for multinationals. A deal will be done to ensure the vast majority of trade continues as is. Billions are spent each year lobbying, the politicians are in these corps pockets, you may not like it, but thats the way of the world. German corps will not allow costly tariffs to damage their bottom lines. The exchange is already going to make things difficult for them, its a done deal to keep trade largely as is.

Real Estate / Planning permission for garage building in Poland [5]

Yes they are the rules. You will have to apply for permission and will signed consent from your brother in law and this needs to be submitted as well. Best to go to the planning applications desk and tell them what you want to do and they will tell you what paperwork is required.

Work / Polish private pension - is it obligatory to join? [13]

Recently the current government have been talking about moving part of the burden onto the private sector by forcing employers to set up private pensions for employees. This would go in hand with state pensions. Details are sketchy, they are at this stage just throwing out ideas looking for feedback. While debt to GDP is a very respectable 51%, if you include pension liabilities then its somewhere in the region of 200%. I dont think there will be quite as many pensions to pay out in the future and size of packets might be overestimated (thats my own personal view), but something needs to be done to bring the pensions black hole back in line.

News / Anti-government opposition wants to impeach Poland's President Duda [44]

Sadly its in the nature of Poles to argue amongst themselves and put themselves first when in positions of authority. These days its best to try to get along with as many people/groups as possible. This generation needs to pass through for a fresh start but until I see it I wont believe it.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

Greece has no jobs on offer thats why there is 50% unemployment amongst the youth (you wonder what our lot of students in the UK were thinking about voting for remain. Maybe they wanted to stay eternal students). Immigration would just make things worse, but of course you wont see any as their is no incentive to go to Greece. Germany and the UK are far more attractive. Greece can solve its problem by leaving the euro, while remaining in the european union (although the germans are unlikely to let them leave easily). Essentially what Poland has today. You get the single market access but also retain the ability to debase your currency if necessary and gain that advantage over partners.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]


House prices will drop 20%, markets will collapse, taxes will go up 2p in the pound. Daft? Yes But lukewarm? Come on! They threw all kinds of rubbish at it. Youre starting to look like a blinkered remainer!

There are about 1.2 million expats abroad not 5 million btw. And immigration is good for the economy is not a full stop statement. To a degree they can be, but too many or too many of those milking the system creates a drag. For most people, we are here.

There will be no second referendum. Its done. Its just sour grapes on the part of the losing side. All elements of those with the potential to be in charge have said it will happen, it just a question on what terms. Youve just had Leadsom guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK the right to stay, but immigration from here on will be on the UK's terms. Hers is probably the best mixture, although UK expats may get a better deal from a May leadership.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

jon it seems to me you think that everyone that voted to leave did it on racist grounds. There are ghastly minorities on both sides, but its very much not the case for most people. Even those that had a problem with immigrants taking benefits, youll find most of them blame the EU for tying the hands of the UK government, not particularly the immigrants themselves for trying their luck. There will always be the few that tarnish the rest, but that goes for most arguments in all walks of life.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

Hes given up on getting rid of the deficit by 2020. And I think most investors will be prepared to see through that short term given the reasoning behind the move. Certainly if sterling can continue to weaken and stay weak, youve got some very favourable conditions for new foreign businesses to enter the UK, or indeed current ones to add at favourable levels.

UK, Ireland / Transfer Money from UK to Poland [36]

Yes you can use a sterling account and convert when you wish. PKOBP do an online dealer service and from memory its about 8 big figures spread so about 4 figures either side of market. Its 100zl/m to keep the service so makes sense if you convert once a month or more and are using larger sums as it keeps things safe and legal. If changing a few grand than a kantor makes most sense and if buying pounds most let you buy at market as it saves them having to send the daily pound collection to the bank.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

Well osbourne has today told parliament that corp tax will fall to 15% from the current 20%. Last week BoE head Carney said interest rates are likely to fall over the summer and should help those worried about their monthly payments for their homes as well as boost for those wanting to borrow in the UK to expand their subsidiaires.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

the EU runs a surplus with the UK, so it has more to lose tradewise, its that simple. Multinationals that lobby the governments will not allow anything but similar to current terms, but even if there would be tarrifs on both sides, the UK will offset that with new agreements with the likes of Japan, South Korea, Australia etc. But as i say, its a net lose all around if no trade agreement, so it will get done one way or the other, sooner or later. The EU cannot be seen to be soft on a member leaving but at the same time will not cut off its nose to spite its face. Germany and its corps will be the biggest losers on any non agreement, which is why Merkel is keeping the middle ground.

As for any legal case, you have had the UK vote with a small majority wanting to leave. But if you remove the Scots votes you get an even bigger majority wanting to leave - outside of London, there were only a handful of regions that voted net remain, the bulk were for leave.

ig.ft.com/sites/elections/2016/uk/eu-referendum courtesy of the ft.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

I dont see how its looking less likely. Both leading conservative candidates have clearly stated brexit means brexit, the main differences between may and leadsom being the former would prefer to wait until the start of next year in triggering article 50, using the time to get a headstart in negotiating trade agreements with the EU, while leadsom would invoke 50 a lot quicker. May has stated their will be no general election until 2020 under her watch. Its quite possible there may be one announced in a year or two if she believes she can win it, but as of now nothing is clear and it would be foolhardy to assume one can win when its not clear who you will up against (labour and ukip leaderships up for grabs). Dont forget there is a lot of negotiating to do, not just with the EU. Youve had Japan Mexico, South Korea and others announcing they want to arrange free trade agreements with the UK and it will take a lot of man power to get through all of these talks. In the UK political sphere there arent too many experts in trade negotiations, as its been done on an EU level in large part, so its going to take time to gather a large enough, strong enough team to take on such a large task. So the fact that 50 isnt being triggered immediately makes a lot of sense, since once it is, you have 2 years with the EU.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]


Yes just like that. Millions already have. Not up with current events are you.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]


According to Mr Schultz, the president of the European Parliament, it can. But Im sure you already know this.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]


Its the unique nature of the NHS. Free british healthcare, the envy of all. Anywhere else you have to pay a bundle and the service is not really better. The UK could easily start taking extra contributions, but the core wants to keep it free, thus accessible to all UK citizens.


As opposed to the Polish system of having to pay throught the nose and get next to useless service unless backed up with a bribe! Its no Ponzi scheme, again you misunderstand, its the concept of providing healthcare to all.


The EU is in charge. EU citizens are entitled to the same benefits as UK citizens. No arguments no buts. Recently Cameron claimed he has secured some concessions if Britain votes stay, but all of these can be reversed by the european courts at any time.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

You dont seem to understand what I said. Dont know if you have a grasp of english. I dont blame people for being ill or refering immigrants are more likely to get ill. If you increase the population, a percentage of those are going to get sick/ill, just like the rest of the population. What Im saying is basically an increase in population increases the strain on the NHS. Not particularly because immigrants are likely to get sick more or not. And because a larger percentage of those coming in are ending up on benefits, taxes arent going up at the same rate as the population and this affects all manner of government services. The majority of brexit immigration views is that there should be a control on the immigration level, not ban it it entirely. And a control on who can get benefits. I think its entirely fair that a foreigner is expected to work for a few years before getting employment benefit and a couple of years for in work benefits. Healthcare should be available from day one for those working. I dont think the majority of brexit campaigners want anything else. Of course youll have a small minority, but thats always the case.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]


My figure includes those that arrived more than five years ago and now have citizenship. The number you are quoting is those that fall into the foreign national only category and also dont include those unregistered.

Law / Can a UK company earn in PLN? Foreign currency and mortgage in Poland. [22]


Thats fair enough for a sore tooth or other minor complaints. But if you are seriously injured and end up in hospital you might find a huge bill waiting for you when you leave hospital. If you are living in Poland you have to pay medical insurance ZUS either by way of self employment or through your employer, or a mix of the two. If you are not employed, you are expected to sign on. You can pay just the medical part of the ZUS and you will be covered but sooner or later you will have to declare where you got the money from to pay for it. And if thats from UK earnings, you will be taxed on them since you are or plan to be a tax resident. Keep in mind fines on undeclared and untaxed income can be up to 75%. The best thing to do would be to go straight to the urzad skarbowy in the area where you are planning to live and explain the situation. Go with someone polish speaking if you dont speak Polish well enough. Any questions you have they will be able to answer. They actually appreciate someone trying to do things within the law and more than likely you will get your answers within an hour. Prepare for a lot of questions from the staff out of interest on why you are moving to Poland when everyone else is going the other way. Its harmless and it builds up a rapport.

Re the mortgage, you are going to need some PLN earnings. Try a mortgage broker, they should be able to tell you straight away if anyone is interested and will save you a lot of time running around banks which will only negatively affect your credit rating anyway.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]


There is a huge number. Irrespective, its the enlarging of the EU thats the problem. You are going to get even more to cope with and so resources are going to even more stretched. You can make inroads on the resources side by backing away a little from austerity, but if the numbers coming in keeping increasing fast than taxes/spending, then you still dont get anywhere with the problem.


I think there are about 3 million Poles in the UK, registered at least. Thats the larger by far than from any other country after the borders were opened. Most are working legally looking for a better life, or to earn enough to return home and build a life in Poland. But a lot of the most recent visitors, not just Poles, are just looking to milk the system. You even have gangs running scams collecting welfare for people not even in the country. But you can blame the people, its the fault of the government, even if its hands have been tied to a large degree by EU laws. With brexit this can begin to change. Nobody has a problem with people getting benefits that have put something into the system. Its the ones that expect to enter the UK with no intention to work and hit the benefits from day one.


Theres two sides to that. Those investing in property always like to see it increase in value. Those leaving home and starting on the housing ladders want to buy as cheap as possible. You cant satisfy both sides. Demand and supply governs the prices. London is a market in itself and is a bit of a safe haven for Russian and Chinese investors, so with supply limited, its always going to see strong support even after a wobble. The rest of the UK is governed more purely by demand and supply. People have been blaming buy to lets for driving up prices. But these people tend to be single home owners with a bit of capital to spare, looking to make a safe investment for their kids and in the meantime earn a bit of money on the rent. You cant blame people from trying to make their money work for them. The city has pretty much scared off the average John Smith, so Smithy has looked elsewhere and property in the UK has always been a winner in the long run. And the most important thing about it is people feel its not controlled by banks in the same way that the stockmarket might be.


Cheap labour keeps inflation down which supposedly keeps down the prices of average and everyday goods. But it means a clamp on wages, which in itself is part of the reason why people cant get on the housing ladder.


i think thats pretty much bs what youve said. Statistically people are going to have accidents/get ill. Such is life. So there is a strain and its only going to get worse with more immigrants on the way.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

Nobody working will be kicked out. Even those without work wont be kicked out, it would be impossible to police. Those fresh entering will have a stay limit of some kind, maybe 6 months, during which they would need to have found a national insurance paying job and fixed abode. Very few of those campaigning brexit have suggested foreigners should be thrown out. It a question of getting a handle of those abusing the welfare system and those planning to arrive on the shores with the plan to abuse.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

The whole world wants a cheaper currency to promote growth. Thats why they have spent trillions printing money. But not all can have a lower currency at the same time given the nature of currency pairs. So its a fruitless business unless you can get it at a lower cost than your neighbour/competitor.

A mark down in the stockmarket but a greater fall in percentage terms in the pound hence a discount in relation to european markets given those are priced in euros. Foreign investors can enjoy the benefit of a fall in the pound and buy more pound priced assets for less than the equivalent euro priced assets.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

Russias beef is with the US, even today Putin called out Europe as the US's b***h. The offer to remove sanctions is there he said, but he is waiting for Europe to do the same, though believes Europe will not, to appease the US, despite the loss of business its companies continue to face.


In a world of diminishing returns and the hunt for yield, the chance to buy at a 20% discount will not be passed up. UK markets may not fall that much, but the exchange rate will provide foreign investors a further discount. The price relative to european assets will be extremely low. The funny thing about it is the the ECB is spending trillions trying to devalue its euro, while the UK will manage to do it without spending a penny.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

Smart investors backed out early and will buy back after the vote, whatever it may be. Sell high buy low and vice a versa. For what its worth if you get to buy the UK stockmarket at a sudden 20% discount to europe I know where investors and going to park their money. Because for corporations thats what its about, getting the best return for the lowest risk. The UK provides a different perspective to an otherwise blinkered EU core whose sole goal is to create a federal state which suits better the core than those at the periphery. Essentially the problem between the UK is always going to exist as one side wants further integration while the other side (UK) doesnt. It will continue to cause friction, better to let then EU get on with it and stop blaming the UK for holding up the integration.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

Over 100bn has been pulled out of the UK this year, all the while the UK is still outperforming Europe in terms of growth, wages and inflation. If the pound is devalued a little, much of this money will return, given foreigners are then buying in at at even bigger discount.


Baseless rhetoric.

Another thing, the EU becomes less stable if the UK leaves. If you work in finance you should know that these days investors are chasing the safest places to park their money. The way the EU is going, its ready to impolde. Maybe the UK leaving will shake them into fair reform.

UK, Ireland / How might Britain`s withdrawal from EU affect Poles there and here? [474]

Short term it will be an upheaval for everyone, but in the medium term, it should kick start the EU big guns into changing their approach to the whole deal. If there is a Brexit and if they do not, theres a danger the whole Union will collapse. And in that case, anyone out of it (and in particular the euro) is going to be better off.

But lets hope any exit makes them see sense.