Job Discussion Forums

[oipivo]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to give a reminder to everyone to read their rental agreement throughly. If your landlord is says makes statements about the apartment, be 100 % sure that it is in the contract. Find someone Polish to help you. Hell, pay someone to read it for you and make sure it looks good.

I genuinely like my landlord and he has been quite helpful. Unfortunately, my wife and I decided to relocate and needed to terminate our contract early. When we moved in, our landlord stated that giving him two months notice is enough is we want to leave early. He also re-stated this when we resigned for another 12 months. We didn't double check that this was actually written in the agreement and now we're paying for it. I gave him three months and we've come to an agreement, but it is FAR from ideal.

He also slipped in something about the tenant having to pay to repaint the apartment. This was another unpleasant revelation and when he was showing us the contract never once mentioned this fact.

Be careful! Make sure that someone Polish is helping you.

[Master Shake]

Sorry to hear you got hosed, oipivo.

I've heard before that if a foreigner signs a contract written only in Polish, it is not valid and the contract is not binding. There must be a copy translated into English (or other native language) for the foreigner to sign.

I've never had to put this to the test, but you might try telling your landlord this, especially since he was not upfront with you about these hidden costs.

[oipivo]

Hmmm...that's pretty interesting. I have a lawyer student I can email about that. I'll look into it. Thanks!

[spiral78]

That painting clause has become pretty ubiquitous in the region - it's pretty common here in the CR too. I resent it; just because a few piggy expats messed a place up, landlords feel free to hose the rest of us on principle.

Thankfully, I don't have to rent from a stranger, having family with flats, but I know lots of people who've been taken this way.

[dragonpiwo]

In Poland the painting thing isn't just for or because of piggy expats, rather it's quite common.

One landlady told me she wanted the flat painted because of a tiny tyre mark on one wall.

[delphian-domine]

[ecocks]

More likely is that they do no want the contract seen by the judge where it might find its way to the tax office.

[Master Shake]

[MuscatGary]

So tell him you're going to check with the tax people if he's been declaring his income.....see if he changes his ways then!

[scot47]

Can I assume that Polish landlords are all crooks ?

[delphian-domine]

[ecocks]

Several of us, myself included had no problem with our landlords. As happens most often you hear about the bad ones but the normal ones are not noteworthy.

[simon_porter00]

This is not a question of anyone being 'hosed' or a dodgy landlord, just someone not reading the contract. The landlord has no obligation to tell you everything in the contract - as an adult you should be aware of what you're signing.

As to the suggestion that a foreigner signing a polish contract and then the contract not being valid .... Utter bollocks. By law, unless specified otherwise in the contract, the Polish contract will prevail over the foreign language contract. If the contract is only in Polish it therefore follows it must be binding.

[delphian-domine]

Simon, have you seen any contracts where the English has differed to the Polish?

I was presented with one once, and a quick scan of the Polish showed some clauses that didn't seem to be in the English version. I asked the guy exactly what he thought he was playing at, and I got a stammered 'err..natives don't check the Polish version normally' reply.

[NilSatis82]