Energy voucher and renting: can a tenant apply?
Energy voucher and renting - the answer is short: yes, a tenant can apply. The act ties the benefit to the household and the place of residence, not to ownership of the property. The application goes to the municipality where the tenant actually lives, and the municipality decides about the money. Not the landlord. So if at the end of July one of your three students asks whether he can apply for support when the electricity bill is in your name, you do not have to settle anything. You only need to know where to send him and what information he may need from you.
Energy voucher and renting: who does the act grant the benefit to?
To a household that meets the income criterion. Not to the owner of the flat and not to whoever signed the contract with the electricity supplier. This is what the Act of 23 May 2024 on the energy voucher says. Its Article 2(1)-(5) describes what a single-person and a multi-person household are and how to calculate the income thresholds for 2023. And legal title to the property? It does not appear there as a condition at all.
The rules also do not require the applicant to hold the contract with the energy supplier personally. But be careful: in case of doubt the office has the final say, so it is better not to assure the tenant that he will definitely get the money. And one more thing. An energy voucher in a rented flat does not change the lease and does not go to the landlord. It is the tenant’s benefit, paid to the tenant.
Three students in one flat: one household or three?
The municipality decides that, based on the definition in the act. Not the owner. The office assesses whether the people living together actually run a household together or only share an address. One person can belong to only one household, and when several applications come in from the same household, the voucher goes to whoever applied first.
What does this mean for tenants? Before going to the office they should agree who applies for the support and for which group of people. Otherwise the second and third applications may come to nothing. A separate matter is a student listed in his parents’ household who would like to apply for the money where he rents. A general rule will not settle this question, it has to be asked at the municipal office.
Do you run room rental in a flat on separate leases? That fact alone does not mean each tenant will be treated as a separate household either. The link between the energy voucher and the household is based on how people actually live, not on the number of documents signed.
Energy voucher 2024: application, deadlines and office
There was one application window: from 1 August to 30 September 2024. The application is submitted to the head of the municipality, the mayor or the city president competent for the place of residence. This follows from Article 3(1), which you will find in the text of the act in the Journal of Laws. How much will the voucher be? Under Article 2(7)-(8) it depends on the number of people in the household, and the amount is higher when electricity is the main source of heating.
A tenant who wants to make it on time has four things to do in total:
- Agree with flatmates on the composition of the household and the person who submits the documents.
- Gather income data for all its members for the previous year.
- Check at the municipal office in what form applications are accepted and which attachments are needed.
- Submit the complete set before the application window closes.
What counts is the municipality of actual residence, that is the one where the rented property is located. And when a student is not sure which office is the right one for him? He will clear that up on the spot.
Electricity prices from July 2024 and settlements with tenants
From 1 July until the end of 2024, households were covered by a maximum electricity price of PLN 500/MWh net. It was introduced by provisions of the same act that granted the voucher. The bill is in your name, so you are the one who will see the change on the invoice and pass it on to the tenants according to the rules written in the lease.
The voucher is a completely different story: a separate benefit paid to the applicant. It does not reduce the supplier’s invoice and does not become part of the settlements between the parties to the lease. So there is no reason to adjust advance payments or charges because of it. And if the new rates prompt you to tidy up how you charge costs, utility billing step by step will help, that is a clear method of splitting consumption by person and period.
What can the owner do when a tenant asks about the voucher?
Inform. And that is basically it, because the landlord does not submit the application for the tenant and does not decide on his right to the benefit. What you can do is make things easier for him with a few simple gestures:
- pass on the application deadline and point to the right municipal office,
- confirm the address and the property details as stated in the lease,
- share information about the flat’s heating method,
- refer him to the office with questions about the composition of the household.
Three separate conversations about the same thing? A waste of time, it is better to send one message to all residents. The tenant portal in the system can be used for this, so everyone gets the same content and can come back to it. Avoid two things: promising that the support will be granted, and ruling on behalf of the office who forms a household with whom.
If a tenant asks about the energy voucher and renting, point them to the municipality where they file the application, and do not step into the office’s decision.
Frequently asked questions
The tenant can apply in the municipality where they live. The act ties the voucher to the household and the place of residence, not to the contract with the energy supplier. In the end, however, it is the office that assesses their situation.
One person belongs to only one household. If the flatmates form one together, the first applicant will receive the voucher and the remaining applications will not result in a payment. The municipality decides how to classify students who live together.
No, the act does not impose any obligations on the landlord in connection with the tenant’s application. The owner can help with information about the property and the heating. And the tenant asks about the required documents directly at their own office.
