Sejm passes special law to suspend repayments for Czyste Powietrze fraud victims
Homeowners defrauded by contractors in the Czyste Powietrze programme can suspend loan repayments while criminal proceedings run, under a law passed by the Sejm on Thursday. The climate ministry estimates up to 8,000 families may be affected.
The vote
The Sejm passed a special law on aid for beneficiaries harmed in the Czyste Powietrze programme on Thursday, 8 October 2026. The bill drew 432 votes in favour, no votes against and 9 abstentions. The Ministry of Climate and Environment says the Sejm adopted its draft without amendments. The bill now goes to the Senate. The ministry estimates the problem may affect as many as 8,000 families.
- In favour
- 432 votes
- Abstained
- 9 votes
How suspension works
A homeowner must first report the damage to law enforcement before applying for relief. Repayments are suspended from the day the application is delivered to the fund. The suspension ends when the criminal proceedings become final. The application must be filed with the relevant voivodeship environmental fund, together with a document confirming that criminal proceedings have been opened. A final conviction of a contractor who did not complete the investment would remove the homeowner's financial liability to the fund. Under current rules, owners bear full financial responsibility, including repaying part of a subsidy if the fund finds irregularities, even when a dishonest contractor caused them.
Contractors and the fund
Contractors convicted of crimes against beneficiaries face a five-year ban from taking part in the programme. The climate ministry says some firms used prefinancing and power-of-attorney arrangements to collect subsidies without carrying out the work, leaving homeowners with debts. Once a court verdict confirming the guilt of the contractor or a third party becomes final, the beneficiary is released from returning unsettled advance payments, to the extent the contractor is responsible for them. The voivodeship fund would gain the right to pursue the contractor directly for those amounts. The ministry says these rules address people who gave powers of attorney to businesses in good faith.
Background to the reform
The ministry says the programme rules in force before the 2025 reform left room for aggressive sales techniques and dishonest practices by some contractors. A new edition of Czyste Powietrze, launched in March 2025, is described by the ministry as reducing the risk of abuse and increasing the safety of beneficiaries. The special law is aimed at people who signed contracts under the earlier arrangements and were harmed by contractors who took advance payments without completing or settling the investments.
