Coworking or your own lease? Read the contract first
A Polish office lease usually means rent in euro, yearly indexation and five years with no easy exit. At Workin you rent a desk by the hour or an office from one month, on a contract in English or Polish.
- Contracts in English or Polish
- Team speaks EN, PL, UA, RU
- Offices from 1 month
- Desks by the hour
Expats who come to Poland to work or to start a company usually compare two prices: a desk in a coworking space and a few square metres of their own. The bigger difference sits in the contract: who carries the currency risk, how long you are bound, what you pay to leave and in which language you sign.
This guide walks through those terms line by line, gives a checklist for a Polish office lease, and shows when each option fits. For the cost side for companies, see our guide to serviced offices in Poland.
Office lease vs coworking, term by term
- LengthFive years dominate, sometimes seven or tenFrom one month for an office; desks by the hour
- CurrencyRent usually quoted in euro per m²Flex prices in Warsaw are quoted in PLN per desk
- IndexationYearly, usually on 1 January, to euro-area inflation (HICP)Agreed per contract; ask at renewal
- Early exitOnly in the cases the contract names (Civil Code, art. 673 § 3)Hot desks usually run on a month’s notice
- SecurityBank guarantee or deposit, negotiatedCheck the deposit in the offer
- Fit-outMarket budget EUR 250-750 per m² in new buildings; about seven months to fit outFurnished from the first day
- Running costsService charge of PLN 18-38 per m² a month on topUtilities, internet, cleaning and reception in one invoice
- Moving outReturn the space in unworsened condition; the landlord may ask you to undo improvements (art. 675-676)No fit-out of your own to take apart
- LanguageAgree which language version prevailsEnglish or Polish contract at Workin
- VAT23% on rent and service charges23% on the invoiced service
Lease terms: Colliers Global Occupier Guide (length, security), Cushman & Wakefield (indexation), Knight Frank Q1 2026 (fit-out budget, service charges), Newmark Polska via Rzeczpospolita (fit-out time), Civil Code. Flex: Colliers Flex Guide 2026 and Workin’s own terms. The yellow mark shows what Workin’s price already includes.
Eight things to check in a Polish office lease
If you do go for a lease, these are the clauses that cost expats the most when they are missed.
Money
- Currency: if rent is in euro and your income is in złoty, you carry the exchange rate for five years.
- Indexation: which index (HICP for euro rents, Polish CPI for złoty rents), on which date, and whether there is a cap.
- Service charge: what it covers and how it is settled. Colliers expects 1-3% growth in 2026 after a third over four years (Colliers).
- Rent-free: new buildings offer about 1.5-2 rent-free months per lease year; the service charge usually still runs.
Commitment
- Term and break option: without a break clause a fixed-term lease cannot be ended early.
- Security: amount and form (bank guarantee or deposit), and when it is released.
- Reinstatement: what you must remove or rebuild when you leave.
- Language and invoices: a bilingual contract with the prevailing version named; invoices from KSeF, Poland’s e-invoicing system, sent to foreign buyers as agreed, for example as a PDF.
What you commit to: a small team’s example
Monthly bills are close. Over five years the lease commits you to almost 50 times the serviced office’s monthly fee.
- 36 m² at the centre’s EUR 23 midpoint plus PLN 28 service charge
- About PLN 4,630 a month before furniture, internet, cleaning
- Exit only on the contract’s terms
- Three desks in a private office at about PLN 1,900
- Furniture, internet, cleaning and reception included
- At Workin: from one month
Our arithmetic on market averages, net of VAT, EUR 1 = PLN 4.375: Knight Frank Q1 2026 (rent, service charge), Colliers (12 m² a person within its 10-15 m² range; desk prices). New buildings rarely lease units this small, so a small lease is often in an older building.
Which one fits you?
Desks by the hour or a private office from one month. You can move to a lease later, once the team and the budget are settled.
At that size and horizon the lower rent per desk can outweigh fit-out and commitment. Negotiate a break clause.
An address for the company, mail scanning and forwarding, from PLN 239 net a month at Workin.
Settling in as a freelancer or remote worker? Our coworking guide for expats covers the practical side, from transport to meeting people.
Start flexible at Workin
Hot desk
- Booked online by the hour, 9:00-17:00
- Coffee, tea, printing included
- No membership
Serviced office
- From one month
- Contract in English or Polish
- 24/7 access for tenants
Virtual office
- Registered address at Senatorska 2
- Can be signed while the company is in formation
- From PLN 239 net a month
Questions expats ask about coworking and leases
Can a foreigner rent an office in Poland?
Yes. A company or a person can sign a lease or a coworking contract. For a business, citizens of non-EU countries can set up and hold shares in a limited company (sp. z o.o.) without a residence permit; a sole trader business needs a residence title that allows it (biznes.gov.pl).
Are office rents in Poland paid in euro?
Office rents are usually quoted in euro per m² and indexed once a year to euro-area inflation. Flexible offices and coworking desks in Warsaw are quoted in złoty.
How big is the deposit on a Polish office lease?
It is negotiated: usually a bank guarantee or a deposit, and sometimes none for tenants with strong credit (Colliers). Ask for the amount, the form and the release date in writing.
Can I end an office lease in Poland early?
A fixed-term lease can be ended early only in the cases the contract names (Civil Code, art. 673 § 3). Agree a break option before you sign.
Is VAT charged on coworking and office rent?
Yes, the standard 23% applies to office rent, service charges and coworking. Ask the operator how it will invoice a foreign company.
Can I sign the contract in English?
At Workin, yes: contracts are in English or Polish, and the team speaks English, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian.
Can I register my company at a coworking address?
At Workin, yes: a virtual office or a serviced office can be your registered address. Steps and fees are in our company setup guide.
Start with a desk or an office, decide on a lease later
Tell us how many people and from when. We reply the same day, or the next business day at the latest, in English.