The assignment, from brief to keys
We have no listings of our own, so we start with your brief. Below are eight steps, and at each: what we do, what you do and what the fee covers.
There is one fee: 70% of the monthly rent, paid once, after the lease is signed. The eight steps below are one assignment, not eight invoices.
01
Brief and the agency agreement
On our side
We write the criteria down: district, budget including bills, move-in date, number of people, pets, type of employment, documents. We say right away which of them narrow the market. The agency agreement is signed by hand, also by post (exchanging signed copies by mail or courier). The electronic form requires a qualified electronic signature; an e-mail or a scan is not enough. Without the agreement we do not start. A copy of our current OC policy is attached to the agreement: third party liability insurance for damage caused while providing agency services is mandatory, and the copy of the policy is an annex to the agreement.
On your side
You give the criteria and say which are fixed. You read and sign the agency agreement together with its annexes.
Covered by the 70%The conversation about the brief and the agency agreement cost nothing. You pay only after the lease is signed.
02
Searching the market against your brief
On our side
We go through the market against your criteria: otodom, OLX, other agencies, private ads, PRS (institutional landlords), closed groups. We have no listings of our own.
On your side
Nothing. We take this part over entirely: you do not have to refresh listings or be the first to reply.
Covered by the 70%The whole search is covered, with no extra charge for the number of sources or the time spent.
03
Screening and calling the advertisers
On our side
We filter out what does not match the brief and call the advertisers: is the apartment still free, do they accept your pet, your type of employment and your dates. You get a list of what passed.
On your side
You say what you want to see. Without your yes we book no viewing.
Covered by the 70%Screening, the calls and the shortlist.
04
Viewings
On our side
We book the slots and go to the viewings, first or together with you. We check what photos do not show: installations, damp, noise, windows, the lift, the way in. Renting remotely? We record a video with commentary.
On your side
You come with us or leave the viewings to us. After each trip you say what happens next.
Covered by the 70%Viewings and travel within Warsaw.
Outside the feeA trip outside Warsaw is arranged at your request and agreed separately, before we go anywhere: we state the cost in advance in złoty, write it into the agreement and settle it together with the fee, after the lease is signed.
05
Checking the chosen offer and the other party
On our side
Before you pay anything we check whether the other side holds title to the apartment and whether what they say matches the documents and registers that can be reached legally. Without the land-register (księga wieczysta) number some things cannot be checked at all.
On your side
You ask the advertiser for the land-register number and the document proving their title to the apartment, or you leave that to us. The decision to pay is yours.
Covered by the 70%Checking the chosen offer.
Outside the feeOfficial charges for copies of documents, if any are needed, we show you before ordering. You pay those to the office, not to us.
More about this job06
Negotiating on your side
On our side
We negotiate the rent, deposit, length of the contract, pets, minor repairs and the handover date, in the tenant’s interest. After every round you know what moved.
On your side
You set in advance the line above which you walk away, and you decide whether to accept the terms. The outcome also depends on the other party: we do not promise a specific reduction.
Covered by the 70%Negotiation. Our fee is calculated from the rent in the signed lease, so a lower rent means a lower fee for us.
More about this job07
Lease review before you sign
On our side
We read the contract before you sign and point out the clauses that tend to cost money: the deposit and its return, the notice period, how the rent can be raised, who pays which bills and repairs. We explain the difference between an ordinary, an occasional (najem okazjonalny) and an institutional lease.
On your side
You sign or you do not. With an occasional lease it is you who makes the notarised declaration of submission to enforcement and names the place you would move out to.
Covered by the 70%The lease review.
Outside the feeThis is not a legal opinion. The notary’s fee for an occasional lease and a lawyer’s fee, if one is needed, are outside our fee: you pay those to the notary or the lawyer.
More about this job08
Handover report and the keys
On our side
We record meter readings, the furnishings and every defect, with dated photos. Both parties sign the report. When the deposit is returned this is usually the only evidence of what the apartment looked like on the day you got the keys.
On your side
You take the keys, pay the deposit and the first rent to the landlord. You pay us once, after the lease is signed.
No extra charge, after the lease is signedThe move-in report with photos, at no extra charge. The agency agreement ends earlier, when the lease is signed; we do this step after it has ended.
Outside the feeThe deposit, the rent, meter charges and utilities go to the landlord or the supplier, not to us.
More about this job
We do not state how many days a step takes: it depends on the brief and on what the market has at the time. We agree on dates as we go.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the apartment search process start?
With your brief, the criteria we search for across the whole market: otodom, OLX, other agencies, private ads, PRS (institutional landlords) and closed groups. We have no listings of our own.
Do I have to go to viewings myself?
You do not have to. We go to viewings first or together with you. We do not just send links for you to check yourself.
Who negotiates the lease terms?
We negotiate the rent, deposit, lease term, and contract terms in the tenant’s interest, not the landlord’s.
What do you check in the lease before signing?
We review the lease terms, including occasional-lease pitfalls, before you sign.
What stays on my side and what do you do?
Decisions and signatures stay on your side: the criteria in the brief, choosing which offers to view, accepting the terms, signing the lease and (with an occasional lease) the declaration at the notary. The rest is on us: searching the market, contacting the advertisers, the viewings, the negotiation, the lease review and the handover report.
What does the 70% fee not cover?
Not the deposit, the rent or meter charges: those go to the landlord. Also outside the fee: the notary’s fee for an occasional lease, a lawyer’s fee and official charges for copies of documents. You pay only us, and only this one fee: there is no second invoice from another agency. If the apartment comes from another agency’s listing, we settle with that agency ourselves, out of our own fee. Travel to viewings outside Warsaw is agreed with you in advance, before the trip.