How much does it cost us
to maintain an apartment or house? Even
if we do not count all our expenses scrupulously, we know that we are spending
more and more, because there are constantly growing fees for water, electricity
and gas.
It is easier to control
residents of blocks and multi-family buildings, which pay rent to the
administration at a fixed rate, much more difficult - the inhabitants of
single-family houses where the costs seem uncountable.
Inevitable taxes
The amount of property
tax depends on the qualification of the land. If
our house is on a building plot, we will pay a much higher tax than if we built
it on an agricultural plot. The
maximum tax rates in 2016 are 0.75 PLN / m2 for residential buildings, 0.47 PLN
/ m2 for land having the qualification of a building plot. However, if even a part of the
building is intended for running a business, we will pay a higher tax (maximum
PLN 22.86 / m2). The amount of
property taxes is determined by the municipality, so here we will not save. There are also many municipalities in Poland,
where landlords are burdened with additional fees, e.g.rain tax. It is a fee for draining rainwater and
snowmelt from our property. Fees
can amount to as much as 5.20 PLN / m3 of discharged water. Only those who pour down rainwater and
snowmelt from the impermeable areas are released from the property.
Heat is getting more and
more expensive
Heating fees are
variable because many factors affect them. We
will lower them, providing
insulation for the building, replacing old windows and external doors. Then we can replace the fuel for
cheaper - the cheapest is heating solid fuels. If we want to stay with the fuel used
so far, replace the boiler with a more efficient one, with automatic
temperature regulation. Conducting
all thermomodernization works is an expenditure of several dozen thousand
zlotys. It is worth deciding,
however, by spreading the work even for a few years. In the final calculation, the costs of
thermo-modernization will be paid in heating bills. Not all works will bring the same
significant savings in heating costs - the most profits, as many as 40% will
replace the installation, automatic regulation - 15%, insulation of external
partitions - 10%.
Costly electricity and
water
Electricity charges
increase low-energy light sources and outdated household appliances. But we also pay for comfort. Higher fees are waiting for homeowners
equipped with additional sources of electricity: eg mechanical ventilation,
gates with drive or external lighting. Electricity
bills will reduce the beneficial energy seller's choice. Price differences may vary from 5 to
10%, but within a year the profit may reach several hundred zlotys. When there are many sources of
electricity in the house at night, it is worthwhile to order a two-zone tariff. Replacing light bulbs with
energy-saving ones will save up to 80% of the energy used for lighting.
Water and sewage are
another major expense in home use - an average of PLN 80-100 per month. Fees increase in the summer even twice
when we use water for watering the garden. Using
our own well, we will be exempt from paying for water, but its construction
costs, however, several thousand zlotys.
You also need to
remember about the costs of electricity that will consume the pump, as well as
the disposal of sewage - a one-time visit to the szomiarki 80-160 PLN.
Expensive consumption
Disposal of garbage (PLN
70-100 per month) is another cost that can not be avoided. By introducing selective waste
collection and so-called organic
recycling, or composting, we will reduce bills for waste disposal by up to 25%.
Security also costs
We will pay PLN 50-100
for monthly monitoring of security agencies, depending on the location of the
home and the number of interventions. The
cost of alarm installation from approx. 3000 PLN. The price of property insurance
depends on the total amount of insurance for a house - for a medium-sized home,
it ranges from PLN 500-1,500 per year.
