Can I keep a pet if the contract says nothing about animals?

There is no safe yes. The law neither bans nor expressly allows pets: a tenant must use the flat as the contract provides and, if it is silent, in line with its purpose (art. 666 of the Civil Code). If the landlord objects later, the outcome depends on the facts. Do not rely on silence: ask, and put the consent in writing. Checked 7 October 2026.

How much deposit can a landlord ask for?

At most 12 times the monthly rent for an ordinary lease (art. 6(1) of the Tenant Protection Act) and at most 6 times for najem okazjonalny (art. 19a(4)). In our reading of the law, the whole deposit counts towards that cap, including any sum "for the pet". It is returned within a month of vacating the flat, minus what you owe under the lease (art. 6(4); for najem okazjonalny art. 19a(5)). Position on 7 October 2026.

We found no statute that requires a tenant or the owner of a dog or cat to be insured. Such cover is not among the compulsory policies in art. 4 of the Act on Compulsory Insurance, nor in the separate statutes that article refers to (point 4). A landlord may ask for it in the contract, as their own condition. What a policy covers (damage to others, to the flat, the animal itself) is set out in the policy. One related rule: keeping a dog of a breed classed as aggressive needs a permit from the local authority (art. 10(1) of the Animal Protection Act; the breed list is in a ministerial regulation). Checked 7 October 2026.

A tenant answers for damage to the flat but not for wear from normal use (art. 675 §1 of the Civil Code). Minor repairs to floors and doors and repainting walls fall on the tenant under art. 681 of the Civil Code, and art. 6b(2) of the Tenant Protection Act says the same. That second article is only a default rule: the contract for a privately owned flat may split repairs differently (art. 6f), and in najem okazjonalny it does not apply (art. 19e). Where wear ends and pet damage begins is often disputed, and a move-in protocol with photos helps. Position on 7 October 2026.

Can I hide a pet from the landlord?

We advise against it. If the contract bans animals and you keep one, you are using the flat contrary to the contract. After a written warning the landlord can terminate the lease, with one month's notice ending at the end of a calendar month (art. 11(2)(1) of the Tenant Protection Act; art. 667 §2 of the Civil Code is the general rule), and you still answer for any damage. Agreeing in advance is simpler and safer. Checked 7 October 2026.

Renting in Warsaw with a dog or cat: are pets accepted, deposits and what the contract should say

Yes, you can rent a flat in Warsaw with a dog or a cat, but the landlord decides: the law does not oblige anyone to accept a pet, so you ask before the viewing and put the consent in the contract. Polish law has no separate “pet deposit”. In our reading, whatever sum a landlord holds as security is a deposit (kaucja), and one cap covers all of it: 12 times the monthly rent in an ordinary lease and 6 times in najem okazjonalny. The condition of the flat at move-in goes into a handover protocol, ideally with photos, because that document settles most disputes when the deposit is returned.

This is general information, not legal advice. The rules were checked against the primary sources on 7 October 2026, with links at the end. Where something is our own estimate rather than a sourced fact, the text says so.

Do landlords in Warsaw rent to tenants with pets?

Many do, and demand for such flats is rising. According to Otodom (publication of 12 May 2026), the share of searches in which people mention being able to live with an animal grew from 6% in 2024 to over 8% in 2025 and to 12% in April 2026. The number of such searches in April 2026 was more than 50% higher than a year earlier. These are figures for all of Poland; the publication gives no separate number for Warsaw. Otodom also calls a landlord’s willingness to accept pets the simplest way to shorten the time a listing stays without a tenant.

Nobody officially counts how many Warsaw flats accept pets. The aggregator znajdznajem.pl showed about 4,970 listings marked as pet-friendly out of 43,600 on 7 October 2026, roughly 11%. This is our estimate from someone else’s data: the aggregator also counts listings with “flexible” wording, not only an outright “zwierzęta akceptowane”.

That does not mean the other 89% or so are closed to you. Landlords often just do not mention pets in the ad (our estimate), so you ask directly. The decision is theirs: the law gives a tenant no right to insist that a pet is accepted.

Can a landlord charge an extra deposit for a pet?

The law does not name such a sum. There is one deposit, and art. 6(1) of the Tenant Protection Act sets its ceiling. The law does not deal with a deposit “for a pet” directly. Our reading is that if a landlord asks for “another deposit for the dog”, that money sits under the same cap rather than on top of it.

Type of lease	Deposit cap	Example at rent of 4,000 zł
Ordinary najem	12 × monthly rent (art. 6(1))	up to 48,000 zł
Najem okazjonalny	6 × monthly rent (art. 19a(4))	up to 24,000 zł

Do not mix the two limits up: 12 is for an ordinary lease, 6 only for okazjonalny. The cap is calculated on the rent in force on the day the lease is signed. In an ordinary lease the deposit is returned within a month of the flat being vacated, after deduction of what you owe the landlord under the lease (art. 6(4)); in najem okazjonalny the same one-month deadline comes from art. 19a(5). In Warsaw practice the deposit is usually one or two months’ rent (our estimate); more in our article on deposits. There are no data on what landlords typically ask “for a pet”.

If a landlord asks for a monthly surcharge on the rent instead, that is a matter for agreement: make sure it is named in the contract and included in the total price. A one-off non-refundable “pet fee” is not described in the law (our estimate), so we suggest asking for any such amount to be drawn up as a deposit with clear return rules.

What should the contract say?

A verbal yes means little if the landlord changes or remembers it differently. Put in writing:

Which animal. Species, name, breed, age, weight, microchip number, vaccinations. How many animals. A second pet needs fresh consent.
The landlord’s consent, in one sentence: they allow this particular animal in the flat.
The deposit. The amount within the cap, the return deadline (a month after vacating) and what the landlord may deduct for.
Damage. What counts as normal wear and what as damage. A tenant is not liable for wear from proper use (art. 675 §1 of the Civil Code).
House rules. A tenant must follow the building’s house rules and have regard for neighbours (art. 683): barking at night or mess on the stairs can lead to complaints.
The protocol. Who draws it up, when, and what it covers. The Act provides for a handover protocol (art. 6c), but that rule is a default one: the contract may change it (art. 6f), and in najem okazjonalny it does not apply (art. 19e). So write the protocol into the contract yourself.

A sample sentence in Polish to show a landlord (adapt it, do not treat it as a ready clause): “Wynajmujący wyraża zgodę na utrzymywanie w lokalu jednego psa (rasa: …, imię: …, wiek: …, waga: …). Zgoda dotyczy wyłącznie tego zwierzęcia. Utrzymywanie kolejnego zwierzęcia wymaga odrębnej zgody Wynajmującego.” For a legal review of the contract, see a lawyer. What a lease should cover in general is in our article on tenancy agreements.

How do you protect yourself when the deposit is returned?

It all comes down to the paperwork from day one.

A note on the rules below. Arts. 6b–6e of the Tenant Protection Act are default rules. In a lease of a privately owned flat the parties may agree otherwise (art. 6f), and in najem okazjonalny those articles do not apply at all (art. 19e): the Civil Code and the contract itself decide. So check which type of lease you are signing, and write the protocol and the split of repairs into the contract explicitly.

Move-in protocol. Under art. 6c, before the flat is handed over the parties draw up a protocol of its technical condition and the wear of fittings, which is the basis for settlement when the flat is returned (a default rule, see the note above). Add dated photos and video: floors, doors, window sills, wallpaper, corners. Note old scratches. More: the handover protocol.
What falls on you. Minor repairs to floors and doors and repainting walls are the tenant’s (art. 681 of the Civil Code, which applies to every lease; art. 6b(2) as a default rule), and after the lease ends the tenant must refresh the flat and do the repairs that fall on them (art. 6e, also a default rule). Marks from an animal on walls and doors are therefore usually your concern (our estimate).
The same photos at move-out. A protocol and pictures on the day you hand back the keys.
Deadlines. The landlord returns the deposit within a month, deducting only what they are owed under the lease (art. 6(4); for najem okazjonalny art. 19a(5)). A landlord’s claim for damage to the flat becomes time-barred one year after the flat is returned (art. 677 of the Civil Code).

Liability for harm an animal does to other people, such as a neighbour, a passer-by or a guest, is a separate matter. Whoever keeps the animal must make good that harm whether or not it was under supervision or had strayed, unless neither the keeper nor anyone they answer for was at fault (art. 431 §1 of the Civil Code). Third-party liability insurance helps here, but it is not compulsory (see the FAQ below).

What if the listing says “bez zwierząt”?

That is the landlord’s condition, not a ban in the law. The line is sometimes added out of habit (our estimate), so if the flat suits you it is worth asking. What may improve your chances, as an estimate with no guarantee:

describe the animal briefly: species, size, age, neutering, vaccinations, chip;
offer to introduce the landlord to the animal or to show its documents;
suggest a protocol with photos, a deposit within the cap and clear rules on damage in the contract;
if you have one, attach a reference from a previous landlord.

If the landlord says no, that is their right. It is better to keep looking than to hide the animal; the FAQ explains what can follow.

How do we look for flats with pets?

We ask the landlord about the pet before the viewing, so you do not make a trip for nothing. If they agree, it goes into the lease. The decision stays with the landlord: if they refuse, we offer other options. We search to your brief: we call landlords and check the terms. We do not have a ready database of “pet-friendly” flats and do not promise one. We help you negotiate terms, read the draft lease and explain its clauses in your language: our agents speak Ukrainian, Russian, English, Polish, German, Italian, Spanish and Turkish. This is not a sworn translation and not legal advice.

Have a pet: where do you start?

Fill in the form on the page for tenants: district, rooms, budget, move-in date. The form has no separate field for a pet yet, so describe the animal (species, breed, size, age, vaccinations) when you speak to an agent, or write to info@allproperty.pl. We will ask the landlord before the viewing. We work under a brokerage contract (umowa pośrednictwa), which must be in writing or electronic form (art. 180(3) of the Real Estate Management Act) and sets out the scope of work and the fee. The fee is 70% of one month’s rent (czynsz najmu; the administrative rent, czynsz administracyjny, and utility payments are not counted), paid once after the umowa najmu is signed, invoice without VAT. Example: with czynsz najmu of PLN 3,500 the fee is PLN 2,450. Phone: +48 666 866 468.

Sources

Checked 7 October 2026.

Otodom, press release on the rental market, April 2026 data, published 12 May 2026: media.otodom.pl
Act on the Protection of Tenants’ Rights, arts. 6, 6b, 6c, 6e, 6f, 11, 19a, 19e (consolidated text Dz.U. 2023 item 725; no later amendments according to ELI): eli.gov.pl
Civil Code, arts. 431, 666, 667, 675, 677, 681, 683 (Dz.U. 2026 item 795): eli.gov.pl
Act on Compulsory Insurance, art. 4 (Dz.U. 2026 item 783): eli.gov.pl
Animal Protection Act, art. 10(1) (consolidated text Dz.U. 2023 item 1580): eli.gov.pl
Real Estate Management Act, art. 180(3) (Dz.U. 2026 item 399): eli.gov.pl
znajdznajem.pl, Warsaw listings marked for pets, 7 October 2026 (aggregator, estimate only): znajdznajem.pl