You are moving out of a flat in Poznań, the handover is in two weeks, and the landlord has mentioned “the walls”. This is the single most common reason expats call us in summer — and the answer is usually cheaper and simpler than people fear.

What the handover protocol actually says

Most Polish tenancy agreements (umowa najmu) reference a handover protocol — a document signed when you moved in, describing the state of the flat. It is the only thing that matters in a deposit dispute. Before you order any painting, find that document and read three things:

What condition the walls were in at handover. If the protocol says “walls painted white, good condition”, that is the state you owe back.
Whether the colour is specified. If it is, repainting in your own colour without written consent is a genuine breach — even if the finish is beautiful.
Whether there is a wear-and-tear clause. Polish law distinguishes normal use from damage. Faded paint after three years is normal use; a hole in the plasterboard is not.

What a landlord can and cannot deduct for

Under the Polish Civil Code, a tenant returns the property in the condition resulting from proper use. In practice:

Usually a fair deduction:

Holes from shelves, TV mounts and heavy fixings
Marks that will not clean off — grease, crayon, scuffs from furniture
Walls painted a strong colour without the landlord’s agreement
Damage from unreported damp or a leak you did not flag

Usually not a fair deduction:

General fading after years of occupancy
Small nail holes from pictures, if the agreement allows hanging them
Repainting the whole flat because of one marked wall
“Refreshing” a flat that was already tired when you moved in

If a landlord withholds a deposit for ordinary wear, that is a dispute you can win — but the protocol and photographs are what win it.

Photograph everything, twice

Take dated photos on the day you move in and the day you move out, wall by wall, including close-ups of anything already damaged. This costs ten minutes and settles almost every argument. If you did not do it on the way in, do it now anyway: photos of the state you are handing back are still evidence.

When repainting is worth it

Repainting makes financial sense when the likely deduction is larger than the cost of the work. In Poznań the arithmetic is straightforward:

A single room repaint falls under our PLN 2,000 net minimum order.
A 50 m² flat with three rooms is about PLN 3,300 net at the middle rate — roughly PLN 4,050 gross.
A 38 m² flat is about PLN 2,390 net.

So if your deposit is PLN 3,000 and the landlord is threatening to keep all of it over paintwork in a two-room flat, a professional repaint costs about the same and leaves you on far better terms — including a written handover you can point to.

If the issue is one wall or a few marks, do not repaint the flat. Fixing the specific problem is cheaper and equally acceptable.

Do it before you move the furniture out — or after?

After. An empty flat is the cheapest possible painting job: nothing to mask, nothing to move, and we can use airless spray at PLN 12–20/m² instead of PLN 15–25/m² by roller. Plan the repaint for the gap between your furniture leaving and the handover appointment, and tell your landlord that is what you are doing.

Getting the colour right

If the protocol specifies a colour and you no longer know the code, take a photo of an unpainted patch — behind a radiator or inside a wardrobe — and we will match it. Where nothing is specified, a washable white or off-white emulsion satisfies almost every landlord, and it is the shade most flats were handed over in.

What to ask the contractor for

Whoever you hire, insist on three things: a written quote splitting labour and materials, a fixed completion date that lands before your handover, and an invoice. If you are claiming the cost back or arguing about the deposit, an invoice from a registered company is evidence; a cash job is not.

Do it in English

We handle the quote, the contract and the work in English, and we can talk directly to a Polish-speaking landlord or agency on your behalf about what the protocol requires. That conversation is often the part that actually saves the deposit.