What does renting a room in Warsaw look like from the perspective of an international student who has never been to the city before? Below we describe an example, hypothetical situation: the character and the events are made up and do not describe any client or real person. They serve to show the order of the steps, the mistakes worth avoiding and the places where the law helps.
In the 2024/25 academic year 108.6 thousand foreigners studied in Poland, including 5.2 thousand from Turkey [1]. The main character of our example comes from there.
Key takeaways
- The whole rental process can be started and signed remotely, if the agreement is available in a language the student understands.
- A deposit may not exceed twelve times the monthly rent and must be returned within a month of vacating the premises [2].
- A handover protocol with photos on move-in day protects against liability for wear resulting from normal use [3].
- After arrival, registering a temporary residence is done in person at the municipal office, and a student from outside the EU usually arranges health insurance before arrival or through the NFZ [4][5][6].
What is the starting situation in our example?
Aylin (a fictional character) is 20, comes from Turkey and has been admitted to study in Warsaw. She chose a programme taught in English, and the academic year starts in three months. She does not know the city, speaks Polish at a basic level and intends to live in a room in a flat with other students.
What Aylin needs
She needs a room close to campus or with good transport, an agreement in English that she can sign from home, clear deposit rules and knowledge of the formalities waiting after arrival. She has a limited budget and wants to avoid unexpected fees. Many international students ask similar questions.
What Aylin is afraid of
She fears two things: fraud when renting remotely and a dispute over the deposit at move-out. That is why she starts with the article on renting a room safely.
What does Aylin do before arriving in Warsaw?
Before arriving, Aylin chooses her university, compares addresses, asks for the terms in writing and signs the agreement remotely. In our example the whole process takes place online.
Step 1: choosing a room by university
Aylin starts with the list of rooms near universities in Warsaw, picks her university and looks through the current offers on its page. She checks the commute time for a specific address using the tips from the article how to assess the commute from a room to university.
Step 2: written arrangements before payment
Before paying the deposit she writes to the operator and asks for answers to three questions: what the rent covers, how long the agreement runs and how the deposit is returned. She saves the answers in a folder together with the listing. As she reminds herself, the deposit may not exceed twelve times the monthly rent [2].
Nearby Campus expert tip: As an operator, we recommend doing the same as Aylin in the example: put the arrangements in one message and keep it together with the agreement. That way, after a few months you rely not on memory but on a document.
Step 3: an English agreement and remote signing
Aylin signs the agreement remotely. At Nearby Campus it is available in Polish and English and signed at a distance, and the operator does not charge a commission. The reservation details are described in the article student room reservation step by step.
What is the first day in the room like?
On the first day Aylin records the condition of the room, takes photos and signs the handover protocol together with the person handing over the room. It is the most important hour of the whole tenancy.
The protocol and photos
She goes through the room wall by wall, checks the furniture, windows, kitchen and bathroom and notes everything that raises doubts. She takes photos of the meters and keys. She knows that after the tenancy ends she returns the room undeteriorated, but is not liable for wear resulting from proper use [3]. The list of things to check is suggested by the room viewing checklist before renting.
The first reported defect
After a week she notices that the bathroom tap is leaking. She writes to the operator with a short description and a photo. She reports it without delay, because it is the tenant who notifies the landlord of the need for repairs [7]. Minor expenses related to ordinary use of the item are borne by the tenant, but repairing a leaking tap is usually a matter to report, not to replace the fittings yourself [8]; in case of doubt Aylin asks about the rules in the agreement.
What formalities does Aylin handle in the first week?
Aylin handles registering a temporary residence and health insurance. She also checks the rules on legalising her stay with the international students’ office at her university.
Registration
She will live in one place for more than 3 months, so she should register a temporary residence no later than on the 4th day after she starts living in Poland [4]. She goes to the municipal office in person, because a foreigner’s registration cannot be done online [4]. She takes the form, her passport, a residence document and the rental agreement, and the operator confirms on the form that she lives at the given address [4].
Health insurance
A student from outside the EU/EEA usually takes out private insurance before arrival or a voluntary agreement with an NFZ branch [5][6]. Aylin chooses voluntary NFZ insurance: she needs a passport with a document of legal stay and a certificate from the university, and she pays the monthly contribution herself [5]. She checks the current amount of the contribution with the NFZ before signing the agreement.
| Stage | What Aylin does | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Before arrival | written arrangements, remote agreement, deposit | deposit up to 12 months’ rent [2] |
| Move-in day | protocol, photos, meters | returning the room undeteriorated [3] |
| First week | in-person registration, insurance | registration by day 4 [4], NFZ insurance [5] |
| Moving out | comparison with photos, deposit return | return within a month [2] |
Source: [2], [3], [4], [5]
What happens at move-out and when the deposit is returned?
After the tenancy ends, Aylin and the operator compare the condition of the room with the protocol from several months earlier, and the deposit returns to her within a month of vacating the premises. Everything rests on the documents that Aylin collected at the start.
Handing back the room
Aylin cleans the room, returns all the keys and records the meter readings. She compares the condition with the protocol and photos. Normal wear, such as light scuffs on the desk after a year of studying, is not grounds for a deduction [3].
Settling the deposit
A deposit secures the landlord’s claims arising from the tenancy that exist on the day the premises are vacated, and is returned within a month, after those claims are deducted [2]. On return the amount is indexed and cannot be lower than the deposit collected [2]. We describe the settlement rules in the article security deposit for room rental in Warsaw.
Nearby Campus expert tip: As an operator, we recommend leaving yourself a spare day before travelling home: cleaning, photos and recording the meters take longer than you think. If you fly out in the morning, do everything the day before and ask whether you can leave the keys at an agreed place.
What does this situation teach? Lessons for international students
There are three main lessons from the example: stick to documents, take photos from day one and handle the formalities in the first week. All these steps are also available to people who do not yet live in Poland.
Three lessons from the example
Written arrangements, a protocol and copies of documents are the cheapest protection in a rental. A remote agreement in English lowers the barrier to entry, but does not release you from checking the terms. It is worth handling registration and insurance right away, not weeks later.
Where to look for a room
If you are looking for a room in Warsaw, see rooms for rent by district or start from the home page of Nearby Campus.
Summary
Aylin’s example shows that renting a room in Warsaw from abroad can be arranged in four stages: arrangements and agreement, move-in with a protocol, formalities after arrival and settling the deposit. What matters are documents, photos and deadlines.
This is only a hypothetical illustration; check your own legal situation, especially regarding residence and insurance, with the office or at your university. If you are looking for a room with an agreement in Polish and English, see rooms for students in Warsaw in the Nearby Campus offer.
FAQ
Is this story true?
No. It is a hypothetical situation created for educational purposes: the character Aylin and the events described are made up. They do not describe any client or real person.
Can an international student sign a rental agreement remotely?
Yes, if the landlord offers remote signing. At Nearby Campus the agreement is available in Polish and English and signed remotely.
How quickly does a student from abroad have to register?
A foreigner from outside the EU and EFTA who lives at one address for more than 3 months should register no later than on the 4th day after starting to live in Poland, in person at the municipal office [4].
What health insurance does a student from outside the EU have?
Usually private insurance taken out before arrival or a voluntary agreement with an NFZ branch [5][6]. The requirements depend on the basis of your stay, so check them at the university.
How much can a deposit be?
No more than twelve times the monthly rent [2]. It is worth asking about the specific amount before signing the agreement.
When is the deposit returned after moving out?
Within a month of vacating the premises, after the landlord’s claims are deducted [2].
What is a tenant not liable for when returning the room?
For wear resulting from proper use of the item [3]. The tenant is, however, liable for deterioration of the room’s condition beyond that wear.
Do I have to pay a commission for renting a room in Warsaw?
It depends on the landlord. At Nearby Campus there is no commission, because we are an operator, not an agent.
Sources
- GUS (Statistics Poland) – Szkolnictwo wyższe w roku akademickim 2024/2025 (Higher education in the 2024/2025 academic year), 16 June 2025. https://stat.gov.pl/files/gfx/portalinformacyjny/pl/defaultaktualnosci/5488/8/11/1/szkolnictwo_wyzsze_w_roku_akademickim_2024-2025.pdf
- Act of 21 June 2001 on the protection of tenants’ rights, the municipal housing stock and amending the Civil Code – art. 6 (security deposit). https://standardyprawa.pl/akt/148/art/21538 (retrieved 2026-10-08)
- Civil Code – art. 675 (return of the leased item). https://lexlege.pl/kc/art-675/ (retrieved 2026-10-08)
- gov.pl – Register your permanent or temporary residence (for foreigners). https://www.gov.pl/gov/zamelduj-sie-na-pobyt-staly-dla-cudzoziemcow (retrieved 2026-10-08)
- Ministry of Health, pacjent.gov.pl – Health insurance for students, 10 October 2025. https://pacjent.gov.pl/ubezpieczenie-zdrowotne-studenta-co-warto-wiedziec
- Study in Poland – Health insurance. https://study.gov.pl/pl/ubezpieczenie-zdrowotne (retrieved 2026-10-08)
- Civil Code – art. 666 (manner of using the leased item). https://lexlege.pl/kc/art-666/ (retrieved 2026-10-08)
- Civil Code – art. 662 (obligations of tenant and landlord). https://lexlege.pl/kc/art-662/ (retrieved 2026-10-08)
