Poland's deputy minister sold micro-apartments to brother before steering short-term rental law

The property dealings

Ireneusz Raś, deputy minister of sport and tourism and the official responsible for drafting Poland's short-term rental legislation, purchased three micro-apartments in 2020 in a Lodz tenement house divided into 55 rental units. The building, at Poznańska Street, now operates as the Boat City Aparts aparthotel, with apartments bookable on popular platforms. According to the Lodz City Council, the building does not appear in any official accommodation register, neither the municipal hotel register nor the central list maintained by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism.

Three months before joining the government in December 2023, Raś sold two of the apartments to his brother, Father Dariusz Raś, former parish priest of St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow. The third micro-apartment went to his former wife as part of a property settlement. As an MP, Raś declared income from rental properties in his asset declarations: 1,800 zloty monthly, rising to 16,200 zloty in 2023. The income ceased in September 2023 when the properties were transferred.

The legislation at stake

The government adopted the short-term rental bill in mid-July 2026. The original draft allowed municipal councils to designate zones where short-term rental would be prohibited, but this provision was deleted just before the cabinet meeting. Raś argued that such zones were unnecessary, claiming that short-term rentals are mainly used by Polish families who cannot afford hotels. The Ministry of Sport maintained that the regulation was not needed.

Since 20 May 2026, an EU regulation has required all short-term rental property owners to register their activity. Poland still lacks a national law implementing these rules. Penalties for non-compliance can reach 50,000 zloty. Raś stated he informed neither the prime minister nor the sports minister about his property holdings and sees no conflict of interest, despite family members owning units in a building functioning as an aparthotel.

Raś responds

On Monday 27 July, Raś published a statement on social media calling the WP.pl reports "untrue and manipulated." He insisted that all legislative actions on short-term rental are conducted transparently and in line with procedures, and that the bill is the result of months of public and industry consultations.

Linking state decisions to the property situation of legally independent persons is completely unfounded, and connecting this fact with my current function and the reform being conducted constitutes an overinterpretation.

Raś maintains that his apartments were rented exclusively on a long-term basis, though the website of the company with which he signed a contract states it also handles short-term rentals.

Political firestorm

The revelations triggered sharp reactions across the political spectrum. Przemysław Czarnek, Law and Justice candidate for prime minister, demanded Raś be removed from the bill.

This is not the first classic conflict of interest in this government, and that is why Mr. Raś should be completely removed from handling this matter and this bill.

Czarnek added that PiS would seek amendments allowing housing communities, not just municipalities, to decide on banning short-term rental in specific areas. He said he was ready to "enter a coalition even with Prime Minister Donald Tusk" if Tusk supported his party's proposals.

Coalition partners also voiced criticism. Minister of Funds Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz of Poland 2050 wrote that the government should have adopted her party's amendments "giving rights to residents and local governments." Jan Szyszko, deputy minister of funds, wrote he now better understood why lobby groups seemed to know more about the bill than ministries. Daria Gosek-Popiołek of Lewica pledged that parliament would ensure communities can decide on short-term rental and municipalities can establish rental-free zones.

Calls for resignation

The Razem party was among the harshest critics. MP Marcelina Zawisza asked Prime Minister Donald Tusk: "Are these your standards?" MP Maciej Konieczny wrote ironically that the minister "has no rental apartments because he transferred them all to his wife (now ex) or sold them to his brother (current) right before joining the government."

City activists also demanded Raś step down. Miasto Jest Nasze organised a conference and happening at Plac Pięciu Rogów in Warsaw on Monday, highlighting the growth of short-term rental in Śródmieście and its impact on housing prices and availability. Chairwoman Aleksandra Lelito said if the reports were confirmed and Raś had indeed rented out micro-apartments himself, he should resign as he is not a credible person to work on the law.

If this information from this morning is confirmed and it turns out that he indeed conducted such activity and rented out micro-apartments, in our opinion he should resign.

Aleksandra Owca, Razem's candidate for Krakow mayor, called for Raś's immediate dismissal and the restoration of the provisions deleted from the draft by the last self-amendment, calling the situation "a complete disgrace for this government."