Which bank for a mortgage in Poland 2026? Margin, APR, commission
Author: Tacjana MasiukiewiczMortgages~14 min read
Which bank for a mortgage in 2026? There is no single "best bank" – an offer that is favourable when repaid over 30 years may be unfavourable if in 5 years you want to overpay the loan or move it. So instead of a ranking we show the method: how to read the ESIS information form, what the APR really says, how to calculate the margin, commission and the cost of additional products – and on the example of two offers for 600 thousand zł we check why a lower margin does not always win.
Key facts
- Compare offers on the information forms (ESIS) – the bank must issue them before you apply, and the information in them is binding for at least 14 days (art. 11 of the Mortgage Loan Act).
- The APR (RRSO) is the total cost of the loan expressed as a percentage a year – it includes interest, commissions and mandatory insurance, but not notarial and court fees.
- The average interest on new home loans in zloty in July 2026 was 6.07% (NBP).
- The bank gives the credit decision on the 21st day after the application (unless you agree to earlier), and it is binding for at least 14 days – that is the time to compare offers.
- With a variable rate the bank may demand compensation for early repayment only within 36 months of concluding the agreement and at most 3% of the amount repaid.
Why is there no "best bank for a mortgage"?
Rankings usually calculate offers for one model client: an employment contract, a large deposit, 25–30 years of repayment. Meanwhile which bank will be cheapest for you – and whether it will give you a loan at all – is decided by your parameters: the source of income, deposit, repayment term, primary or secondary market and plans for overpayments. A bank with an excellent margin at a 20% deposit may have an average one at 10%.
In addition banks regularly change margins and promotions. The sensible question is therefore: "which offer, given my data and plans, costs the least?". The answer comes from comparing several ESIS forms. We described the whole process – from capacity to the release of tranches – in the guide a mortgage in Poland step by step.
The ESIS information form – where to start when comparing offers
The ESIS (the European Standardised Information Sheet) is a uniform document whose template is annex no. 1 to the Mortgage Loan Act. Every bank, intermediary and agent must provide it on a durable medium as soon as it learns your needs and financial situation – at the latest before you submit a loan application (art. 11). Every bank fills in the same sections in the same order, so you can compare the forms point by point. It is forbidden to charge for providing this information (art. 10).
For the comparison to make sense, ask all banks for an ESIS on the same parameters: the same loan amount, term, deposit and the same type of interest (fixed or variable). Below is where to look in the form for the most important information.
| Parameter | Where in the ESIS | What to watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Interest and margin | Section 4 "Interest rate and other costs" | With a variable rate: the reference rate + the margin; check whether the margin is fixed for the whole term or promotional for a few years |
| The APR and the total amount payable | Section 3 "Main features" (the total amount payable) and section 4 (the APR and its components) | Compare the APR only at the same amount and term; with a fixed rate for 5 years the APR is calculated from the rate of that period |
| Commission and one-off fees | Section 4, the item "Other components of the APR" – one-off costs | Commission, valuation of the property, fees for processing the application; whether the commission can be financed |
| The instalment | Section 6 "The amount of each instalment" | Whether the instalment contains only interest and principal or other costs too; how high it may rise if rates rise |
| Insurance, account, card, inflows | Section 8 "Additional obligations" | How long you must maintain them, what they cost and by how much the margin rises if you give them up |
| Early repayment | Section 9 "Early repayment" | The amount of compensation and how long the bank may charge it |
The APR – what it is and why looking at the mortgage margin is not enough
The APR (RRSO), the annual percentage rate of charge, is according to the Act the total cost of a mortgage expressed as a percentage of the total loan amount per year (art. 4 pt 17). The total cost includes interest, fees, commissions, taxes and margins, as well as the costs of additional services – in particular insurance – if they are necessary to obtain the loan or to obtain it on the terms offered. Notarial and court fees stay outside the APR (art. 4 pt 5).
So the margin shows only part of the cost. An offer with a low margin but a high commission and expensive insurance from the bank may have a higher APR than an offer with a higher margin "with no extras". You need, however, to know two limitations of the APR:
- It assumes unchanged interest for the whole term (art. 20 sec. 2). With a variable rate the bank must therefore state in the ESIS an additional, illustrative APR showing the effects of a significant rise in rates – it is worth reading.
- It assumes repayment to the end of the agreement. A one-off commission is "spread" in the APR over 30 years. If you plan to overpay the loan or refinance it after a few years, a commission paid at the start weighs much more than the APR suggests.
We discuss the choice between a fixed and a variable rate in the article a fixed or variable mortgage rate. Do not set the APR of a fixed-rate loan against the APR of a variable-rate loan – they are calculated on different assumptions.
An example: two offers for 600 thousand zł over 30 years – which is cheaper?
A loan of 600 thousand zł is roughly 80% of the median price of a 2-room flat in Warsaw in our offer – 755,824 zł according to data from the TM Invest offer, as of 27 September 2026. Let us compare two hypothetical offers (they are not offers from specific banks), both with equal instalments, over 30 years:
- Offer A: interest of 5.90% (a lower margin), a 2% commission (12,000 zł, payable up front), mandatory extras – life insurance from the bank and an account with a card – together 120 zł a month for the whole term.
- Offer B: interest of 6.20% (a higher margin), no commission and no mandatory additional products.
| Item | Offer A (a lower margin) | Offer B (a higher margin) |
|---|---|---|
| The principal-and-interest instalment | 3,559 | 3,675 |
| Monthly with extras | 3,679 | 3,675 |
| Interest over 5 years | 171,161 | 180,177 |
| The cost of 5 years (interest + commission + extras) | 190,361 | 180,177 |
| Principal to be repaid after 5 years | 557,632 | 559,688 |
| The total cost over 30 years | 736,375 | 722,933 |
| The APR (indicative) | approx. 6.59% | approx. 6.38% |
Offer A has an instalment lower by 116 zł, and that is what the advertising highlights. But with the extras (120 zł a month) you pay practically the same as in B, and the 12,000 zł commission means that over the first 5 years A costs about 10 thousand zł more, and over 30 years about 13 thousand zł more. The APR shows this at once: 6.59% against 6.38%. A would win only with clearly cheaper extras or the option of giving them up without a rise in the margin – that is why section 8 of the ESIS is as important as section 4.
What the instalment will be at other amounts and terms you will see in the tables in the article mortgage instalment on 500, 600, 700, 800 thousand zł.
The loan commission and cross-selling – what they really cost
The commission for granting the loan is a one-off percentage of the loan amount. You can often choose a variant "with a commission and a lower margin" or "without a commission and with a higher margin". A practical rule: the shorter the horizon over which you will really repay this loan (an overpayment, selling the flat, refinancing), the more the variant without a commission pays. Also check whether you pay the commission in cash or it is added to the loan – in the second case you pay interest on it.
Cross-selling of a mortgage, that is a reduction of the margin in exchange for an account, a card, regular salary inflows or insurance from the bank, is legal but has limits. The Act prohibits tying (the loan available only in a package), except for an account serving the handling or repayment of the loan which the bank maintains free of charge. Bundling is allowed – but then the bank must inform you that the loan is also available without the additional products and at the same time provide an ESIS for the offer without them (art. 9). So always ask for both forms and calculate how much the margin reduction costs you.
For every condition check: how much it costs a month, how long it must be met and by how much the margin rises if you stop. The requirement of "inflows" must also be watched after a change of job.
Don't want to set several ESIS forms side by side yourself? Book a consultation with a mortgage expert – we will compare offers from several banks on your parameters, taking into account commission, insurance and the cross-selling conditions.
Insurance with a mortgage – which is mandatory
- Property insurance – the bank may require a policy and the assignment of rights under it to itself, but must inform you that you can choose any insurer meeting the minimum scope the bank accepts (art. 9 sec. 2–3). An outside policy is sometimes cheaper than a bank package.
- Life insurance – most often an element of the margin reduction, not a necessary condition. Compare its cost with the difference in the instalment.
- Bridging insurance (until the mortgage is entered) – the Act lets the bank charge an additional cost until the mortgage is entered in the land and mortgage register, but after the entry it is subject to refund or credit towards repayment (art. 29 sec. 5a–5b). The details for buying under construction are in the article on a mortgage for a flat from a developer (in Polish).
- Low-deposit insurance – according to Recommendation S a loan may reach 80% of the property's value, and up to 90% if the part above 80% is additionally secured. With a deposit below 20% check how the bank handles it (insurance, a higher margin, a guarantee) and what it costs.
Early repayment, the fixed-rate period and the decision time
Early repayment. You have the right to repay the loan in whole or in part at any time (art. 38). With a variable rate the bank may stipulate compensation only for repayment within 36 months of concluding the agreement, in an amount not higher than the interest on the amount repaid for a year and not higher than 3% of that amount. With a fixed rate compensation may be charged for the whole fixed-rate period, but may not exceed the bank's costs directly connected with early repayment (art. 40).
The fixed-rate period. If you choose fixed interest, check for how many years it applies. With a period of at least 5 years the agreement must state how the new rate will be set after it ends and what happens if you do not reach agreement with the bank; the bank may not charge a fee for setting the new rate (art. 29 sec. 3–4). Compare offers with the same fixed-rate period.
The decision time. The bank gives the credit decision on the 21st day after the application – precisely so that you can compare it with others – unless you agree to an earlier delivery. The decision is binding for at least 14 days, and with an earlier delivery this period lengthens (art. 14). When buying from a developer the deadline in the agreement is pressing you, so submit applications in parallel. After signing the loan agreement you have 14 days to withdraw without giving a reason (art. 42).
Income requirements – employment, B2B, sole trader
The cheapest offer is no use if the bank does not accept your income. All banks apply the KNF's Recommendation S (including a buffer of at least 2.5 percentage points with a variable rate and calculating capacity for a maximum of 25 years), but they differ in their approach to sources of income: the required length of business, how income from lump-sum tax or a B2B contract is calculated, acceptance of contracts for specific work. Details: a mortgage for sole traders and B2B and documents for a mortgage. How much you can borrow you will calculate in the article on borrowing capacity.
You can do the comparison yourself or with an intermediary – how a mortgage intermediary works and who pays for their services we write in the article is it worth using help with a mortgage (in Polish). If you are only looking for a flat, see the current new flats in Warsaw and in Wrocław.
Frequently asked questions
Which bank has the lowest mortgage margin in 2026?
There is no single answer – the margin depends on the deposit, the amount, income and whether you accept additional products, and banks change it even several times a year. Compare the APR and the total cost from ESIS prepared for your parameters.
The APR – what is it in a mortgage?
The APR is the annual percentage rate of charge – the total cost of the loan (interest, commissions, margin, mandatory insurance) expressed as a percentage of the loan amount per year. It does not include notarial and court fees. It assumes unchanged interest and repayment to the end of the agreement.
Does a loan with a commission and a lower margin pay?
Only if you intend to repay the loan for a long time and without large overpayments. The commission is paid at the start, and the saving on the margin is spread over years – if after a few years you overpay or refinance the loan, the variant without a commission usually comes out cheaper. Calculate the cost of the first 5 years for both variants.
Can the bank force me to buy insurance?
The bank may require insurance connected with the loan, e.g. of the property, but must inform you that you can buy the policy from any insurer meeting its minimum requirements. A loan may not be made conditional on buying other financial products in a package, apart from an account for handling the loan held free of charge.
Can I apply for a loan at several banks at once?
Yes, and when buying a flat this is common practice – it lets you compare binding decisions and protects you against one bank's refusal. Submit the applications at a similar time – binding decisions have a limited validity period.
Summary
Instead of looking for the "best bank", ask for an ESIS from 3–4 banks on the same parameters (for offers with extras – also without them). Compare the APR, the total cost and the cost of the first 5 years, check sections 8 and 9, and finally whether the bank will accept your income and manage the decision in time. Our example shows that an offer with a lower margin may be about 10 thousand zł more expensive after just 5 years.
If you want someone to do this comparison for you: book a consultation with a mortgage expert – we will compare offers from several banks, calculate the total cost and the cost of the first years and help you prepare the documents. We have been on the market since 2016 in Warsaw and Wrocław.
Legal status as of September 2026. The calculations are indicative, offers A and B are hypothetical and are not an offer from any bank or financial advice. The final terms and the credit decision are set by the bank.
Sources
- Act of 23 March 2017 on the Mortgage Loan and on Supervision of Mortgage Credit Intermediaries and Agents, Journal of Laws 2025 item 720 – art. 4 pt 5, 17–19, art. 9, 11, 14, 20, 29, 38–40, 42, annexes no. 1–2 (the ESIS form)
- NBP – MIR interest rate statistics, new home-loan contracts in PLN (July 2026)
- KNF – Recommendation S on good practices for credit exposures secured by mortgage
- Flat prices: the TM Invest catalogue of developments, as of 27 September 2026
