The Warsaw city council restored on Thursday the 98-percent discount for transformation of perpetual usufruct into ownership of properties. An extraordinary session, held without a debate, was called on a request by Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski who decided to backtrack on lowering of discounts.
In regard to the discounts for transforming perpetual usufruct into land ownership, we have listened to voice of the Varsovians, said the Mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski after the city council adopted a resolution granting a 98-percent discount for the said transformation.
After the vote, Trzaskowski was asked why the city authorities decided to resign from lowering of discounts and he replied that it was "because they listen to Varsovians".
"Throughout whole campaign I've been reassuring that we would listen to Varsovians and so if they claim that the discount was my election promise, despite that I've never mentioned it, we have decided to back down. The message regarding such important issue must be clear," he said.
Perpetual usufruct (right of perpetual usufruct, RPU) is the English-language term often used by Polish lawyers to describe the Polish version of public ground lease. It is usually granted for 99 years, but never shorter than 40 years, and enables leasehold use of publicly owned land, in most cases located in urban areas. Although it does not give freehold rights, buildings located on such land can be owned directly by private parties. The Act of the transformation of the right of perpetual usufruct into freehold ownership of real estate of 29th July 2005 made the transformation possible in specific cases.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, Wikipedia