Over PLN 220 million of debt. What's next for municipal apartments in Katowice?

Katowice is struggling with a huge problem of public housing debt. According to the latest data, tenants already owe the city over PLN 220 million. Only until the end of October this year, 20 evictions were carried out, but from November to April there is a protective period and evictions are suspended.

Where do evicted tenants go?

As RMF FM reporter Marcin Buczek found out, evicted residents are not left homeless. The city provides them with a temporary alternative place in a hostel. Tenants also have the opportunity to choose a new place to stay on their own - they can stay with family or friends.

Among those evicted are people who owed their apartments even up to PLN 300,000.

Not only debts – also devastation

Debt is not the only problem. Many evicted tenants were a nuisance to their neighbors - they destroyed the furnishings of the apartments as well as the common parts of the buildings. Devastation of corridors, damaged doors and broken windows in staircases are unfortunately an everyday occurrence in some blocks of flats.

Abandoned premises often require not only expensive renovations, but also disinfection.

The amount of debt is huge. For over PLN 220 million, over 5.5 thousand apartments could be renovated. This shows the scale of the problem and challenges faced by the Katowice local government.