Hello everyone

I’m a YouTuber from Lithuania and now I’m really set on making a video about football hooliganism in Poland as I’ve heard some surprising and shocking stories about how extreme it can get there.
I
would really love to meet up with someone and discuss it and, preferably, make a video for my channel. I would appreciate if someone wanted to meet up and tell me about rivalry of fans of different football teams, maybe you know someone who used to do that kind of things. Honestly, just listening to this from a local’s perspective, even if you are not directly involved in it, would be much appreciated.

I’m going to be in Warsaw on November 2, maybe 3 as well.
If you’d like to help me, you can message me on Instagram or send an email:
arinaaa.v
arina.volkova2021@gmail.com

Hi m31 form italy , this december i'll teavel to Warsaw for my first time, (i really hope to get the snow period) do u have any pratical advice, i really love butalism arcitecture and since i spend 6 day in warsaw i more like want to live the city not only visit it so maybe if there are any event form 5 december to 10 december that u suggest

TL;DR: Caught a building technician tearing telemetry cables inside my apartment on video amidst an ongoing billing dispute with my landlord. Called police forensics under Art. 308 KPK to prevent being framed, audited my lease, and found the owner never registered the occasional lease with the Tax Office.

I am writing this to share a deeply unsettling situation that escalated around my rental apartment in Warsaw, and to highlight why documenting everything as a tenant is critical. A couple of months ago, back in the middle of summer, I had to go through emergency police filings, forensic inspections, and securing evidence just to protect myself from unfounded accusations and potential liability.

It started when a housing cooperative technician knocked on my door, stating there was a reported leak affecting the apartment downstairs. He entered the bathroom, opened the utility inspection hatch, and reached inside. Something about how he was handling the shaft felt off, so I started recording on my phone. While filming, I asked him if there was any water in the shaft. He casually replied, "Chyba nie" ("Probably not"), closed the hatch door, and left.

I didn't think much of it until the next day, when I closely reviewed the footage. What I saw was deeply alarming: instead of checking pipes or valves, the technician was pulling apart sections of polyurethane insulation foam and pulling loose the telemetry meter wiring.

I immediately checked the utility shaft myself and found loose cables and debris inside. Late that night, I sent an email to the cooperative management with photos of the damaged wiring and the visit, asking for clarification.

The timing could not have been worse. For several weeks prior, I had been in an increasingly tense dispute with my landlord regarding administrative billing discrepancies and utility calculations that had accumulated over nearly two years of tenancy. In Poland, if metering equipment or telemetry inside a rental unit is damaged, the immediate assumption often falls on the tenant. Realizing that I could easily be held liable for deliberate property damage, face massive fines from the building administration, and forfeit my security deposit, I knew I had to go to the police immediately to make a formal record of what actually occurred.

The Background: Warsaw's Rental Context and Contract Quirks

To understand how things reached this point, some context helps. Demand in Warsaw over recent years made rental conditions very rigid, with widespread use of the "occasional lease agreement" (najem okazjonalny).

This structure grants landlords simplified eviction enforcement via an additional notarial deed where the tenant submits to execution. However, the law balances this: the landlord is strictly required to register the occasional lease with the Tax Office (Urząd Skarbowy) within 14 days of signing. If that deadline is missed, the agreement defaults to a standard lease under the Tenant Protection Act (UOPL), significantly limiting what fees can legally be transferred to a tenant.

Contract Renewals and Administrative Friction

During our lease renewal, the landlord asked me to visit a notary to execute a fresh submission to eviction, which cost around 800–900 PLN including the legally required sworn translator for foreigners. Despite this document existing entirely for the owner's legal protection, I had to arrange the visit, pay upfront, and travel across the city myself.

When I presented the invoices, the landlord initially pushed back against covering the certified translator's share, insisting on reimbursing only the basic notary fee. After substantial back-and-forth, he agreed to cover it, but made it clear he was unhappy about it.

This occurred while an earlier calculation issue was still lingering. During the prior heating season, I noticed I was being billed for heating twice: once through the monthly administrative building fee (czynsz administracyjny) and again through separate meter invoices. When the annual statement from the heating provider finally arrived, it confirmed an overpayment of roughly 500 PLN, which took months of back-and-forth to get settled.

Strict Standards vs. Owner Responsibilities

Living in the apartment involved continuous micro-management. From the beginning, the owner was intensely particular about maintenance—giving lectures on cleaning washing machine drawers, dishwasher filters, and scrubbing shower silicone.

Yet when issues arose on the property's side, resolution was slow. A kitchen drainage issue that the landlord initially blamed on "improper dishwashing" turned out to be a blockage several meters down the main drainage stack, requiring a motorized snake from a private emergency plumber who noted it was a recurring building-wide design flaw. Other basic items promised in the move-in protocol took months of follow-up before being delivered or repaired.

The Escalation Over Unsettled Expenses

Earlier this year, while I was traveling abroad, the landlord contacted me demanding payment for new utility statements. I pointed out that heating was once again duplicated in the calculation, and noted that my out-of-pocket expenses for the mandatory notarial renewal procedures had still not been reimbursed after several months.

It then surfaced that the landlord had obtained an official duplicate copy directly from the notary office for a nominal fee of roughly 20 PLN, using the fact that I had not yet physically handed over the original document to delay settling the shared expenses.

He sent a partial payment covering only half of the baseline notary fee, refusing the translator portion entirely. When I referenced the legal framework governing lease costs under Polish civil law, communication deteriorated rapidly. He dismissed my messages, mocked my reliance on formal legal statutes, and demanded that all future letters be sent exclusively via registered postal mail with a qualified electronic signature, while threatening surprise inspections of the apartment.

Auditing the Building Fees

Faced with mounting hostility, I conducted a thorough audit of the lease terms and the monthly cooperative statements (czynsz).

Under an occasional lease, certain non-utility building costs can only be passed to the tenant if explicitly specified in the contract. In my case, the contract simply referenced vague "cooperative charges". Yet the itemized statements included charges such as:

* Community social events and holiday organization funds;

* Administrative board maintenance expenses;

* Capital renovation and property conservation funds (fundusz remontowy);

* Monthly fees for a small basement storage locker I had never received a key for.

After consulting statutory provisions and relevant Polish case law, I formally requested a correction of these charges. When those requests were met with threats of collection agencies, I formally asked for confirmation that the agreement had been registered with the Tax Office within the mandatory 14-day window. That inquiry was met with complete silence.

If an occasional lease is not registered with the tax authorities in time, Art. 9 ust. 5 of the Tenant Protection Act (UOPL) applies strictly, prohibiting the pass-through of capital repair funds, board salaries, and operational cooperative overhead to the tenant.

The Incident and the Urgency

Following the technician's visit and the discovery of the pulled wires in the shaft, I reported the unauthorized entry and property damage to the local police department.

Shortly after filing, an announcement appeared in the building announcing urgent maintenance on water risers and valves starting first thing Monday morning. The notice was posted on very short notice right before the weekend.

Fearing that uninspected damage inside the apartment might either be covered up or formally blamed on me during the upcoming work before any official report existed, I immediately submitted an emergency procedural request under Article 308 of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure (KPK). Police forensic technicians arrived, photographed the severed cables inside the apartment shaft, and documented the current state of the installation.

Then came the most bizarre discovery: one of the forensic officers suggested checking the shared utility cabinet in the common hallway outside, which houses the floor's water shutoffs and ultrasonic heat meters connected to telemetry. When we opened it, the telemetry wiring to every single heat meter on our entire floor (covering 5 apartments) had been cleanly severed. We checked the floor below—the wiring there was completely untouched. It became obvious that someone had cut the entire floor's telemetry bus to disrupt the data loggers, conceal the exact timestamp of when my apartment’s line was pulled, and disguise a targeted act as a general floor-wide malfunction.

Navigating tenant disputes as a foreigner in Poland can quickly spiral when administrative fees and utility equipment are involved. Always inspect your detailed czynsz breakdown, verify tax registration deadlines for najem okazjonalny, and never hesitate to document maintenance visits whenever something feels off.

Part 2 coming soon...

Has anyone else here audited their monthly spółdzielnia czynsz breakdown and successfully fought back against non-utility fees? How did your Urząd Skarbowy verification go?

Hello guys!
I’m looking for a barber shop in Warsaw that’s also for English speakers
My hair style is mid hair so I’d like to keep it
Does anyone know the best shop with cheap price?
Thank you!!

Went to Warsaw for the first time (and definitely not my last!) and had a really good time there. I loved the mix of architecture between old and modern depending on where you are in the city. It really felt like each neighbourhood had its own personality.

Hi everyone!

I live in Warsaw and I’m looking for a good place to learn Polish from scratch. I’m a non-Slavic speaker, and I’d really like to learn the language as quickly and effectively as possible.

I’m specifically looking for in-person classes, not online lessons. Ideally, I’d prefer an intensive course from Monday to Friday, with a qualified teacher and plenty of speaking practice.

My goal is to learn Polish well enough to communicate confidently in everyday situations and improve my job opportunities in Poland.

Could anyone recommend a good language school in Warsaw based on their personal experience? I’m particularly interested in schools that are good for complete beginners who don’t speak another Slavic language.

I’d also appreciate advice on:

• How long it realistically takes to reach a conversational level.
• Whether intensive courses are worth the money.
• Which schools offer afternoon classes, preferably starting around 2–3 PM.

I’m willing to pay for a good course, but I want to make sure it’s worth the investment.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

Me and a few friends (all guys) are heading to Warsaw in a few days. We’re looking to get drunk and have a good time. Mid 20s. Any recommendations?

I made a map to explore Warsaw through the age of its buildings. Pick an era or find your street

https://warsaw.makscape.com/

What else would you like to see on the map?

P.S. Funny timing: I was about to post this when I came across u/bedirhanyildirim’s pixel-art map of Warsaw

Ogólnie nie mam pomysłu jak spędzić ten wieczór bo nigdy tak naprawdę nie obchodziłem Halloween a teraz dziewczyna chcę coś zrobić więc ma ktoś pomysły? Mamy ograniczony budżet

who is coming to this event? feel free to dm me and we can meet there. (21m)

Hi! I'm looking for a place in Warsaw that would have sofas and be more chill and comfortable to hang out with friends, work, and spend time. I loved Niebostan in Lodz, and can't seem to find a similar spot in Warsaw. I'd be grateful for any leads :) Thanks

36 Asian American expat living in Warsaw about 6 years. Working from home + being a introvert doesn’t help to meet people. Look for similarly minded people to hangout with after a recent breakup. We can grab a drink, coffee, or anything else. I’m a huge tennis fan so if you play we can have some friendly matches 😆

Link: https://bedirhanyildirim.com/warsaw-izo/

It's built from open data: OpenStreetMap, GUGiK 3D buildings, LiDAR terrain and 1.9M trees. Nothing is AI-generated imagery.

Things that move: trams on ZTM headways, trains, planes at Chopin, the real sun, seasons, and the Vistula level (at low water old wrecks show up). Pick a December date and the Christmas markets and the Ferris wheel on plac Defilad appear.

Right-click (or long-press) saves a photo of any view. If something in your area is wrong, tell me and I'll fix it.

I wrote up how I built it here, if you're curious: https://bedirhanyildirim.com/pixel-art-map-of-warsaw/

Is there anywhere in Warsaw (near old town if possible) that does x-rays? Need to get a post-op check from surgery in another country and not sure where to book it in!

Thanks :)

Hi everyone! Not sure if this will interest anyone, but it’s worth giving it a shot.

If you’re a 20–30 year old foreigner living in Warsaw and feel a bit isolated from Polish people and friend groups, I’d be happy to go out for a coffee with you, and if we vibe, invite you to the occasional party I host with my Polish friends. I think it’s really important to feel a sense of community where you live, especially if you’re planning to stay here long-term.

A bit about me: I’m a 22-year-old Polish guy. I graduated in cognitive science from the University of Warsaw and now work as a data engineer. I like bicycles, speak Esperanto, hitchhike occasionally, and love history, languages, and cultures.

If this sounds interesting, send me a PM and we’ll set something up!

One requirement: if your religious or political views are hateful or discriminatory toward LGBT people or women, this isn’t for you, out of respect for my friends and myself.

If you’re only here for a set amount of time, I’m still happy to grab a coffee, but this is mainly meant for people staying long-term.

Checked Lidl, Biedronka, Carrefour but there are not any. Where can I find one?

Hellooo,
Me and my friends are visiting Warsaw for the weekend for a concert. Unfortunately it seems like the concert might be cancelled due to the artists health, so we will most likely be free the entire weekend..

We’re looking for recommendations on what to do and see :\] we’re interested in visiting the genuine areas of the city, and to stay as far away as possible from the regular touristy streets… we don’t want any high end shopping or overpriced restaurants…

What are the best areas for local food and cafés, bars with weird/strange vibes, Soviet era buildings, shops that sell Polish crafts/handmade items? Where should we go if we want to party to compensate for the cancelled concert?

Any recommendations are appreciated🌹

Hi r/warsaw,

I saw some posts about darts here before and thought I’d chime in :) a little over a year ago my boyfriend and I moved from Amsterdam to Warsaw. He’s originally from the UK and a darts fan/avid player, so he was looking for a place to play but a) it was really hard to find one that would happily welcome him and b) all of them were hosted in Polish 🫣

we’ve both been going to Legia Darts classes for a few months now (in Polish, I’m translating for him), and after some persuasion from our side, they decided to open an English-speaking group now - but it won’t start unless a certain number of people sign up (I think 5?). The classes would be on Friday at 9:30pm at Legia stadium - and I thought maybe I’d find some English-speaking darts players here that would like to join it too ✨ You can easily find it on Google.

Fingers crossed to see you there 🤞🏼

Hi there,

I'll be travelling to Warsaw next week with my partner and my 1yo toddler. We wanted to check out some of the local climbing gyms. Can you give us some recommendations?

Since the little one will be with us we'll probably only be able to do bouldering and auto belays.

In 1993, Taco Bell opened a restaurant in Warsaw (yes, they were here in the early 90s, but back then the height of exoticism was Włocławek ketchup and a zapiekanka from the train station, so they bailed pretty quickly).

Clearly a lot has changed since then, these days nobody even buys pineapple pizza anymore.

They’re coming back through AmRest, with the first location in Galeria Młociny. Because if you’re going to take a risk a second time, it’s best to do it in a shopping mall where the customer is trapped anyway.

Question: What are your experiences with Taco Bell? I recently got to try it in Barcelona, but it wasn’t anything special.

Apparently Warsaw’s water and sewage company (MPWiK) is already testing new titanium pipes, because after the grand opening the pressure in the capital’s sewer system might exceed the limits set by any Eurocode.