💡 In Polish buildings it is usual to greet neighbours on the stairs: Dzień dobry in the morning and daytime, Dobry wieczór in the evening, even if you don't know each other.
💡 New neighbours often introduce themselves at the first meeting; you can say which flat you are from: Jestem nową sąsiadką z mieszkania osiem / nowym sąsiadem.
💡 Pomóc? and Może pomóc? are short offers of help; the answer Dziękuję, dam radę means you can manage.
💡 Poles like to chat to neighbours about the weather; they say Dzień dobry to all neighbours on the stairs, even strangers.
💡 Neighbours in Poland often help: they take in post and water plants while someone is away; a key is entrusted only to people you know well; after returning they thank you with a small gift.
💡 Night quiet (cisza nocna) in Poland usually applies from ten p.m. to six a.m.; the exact hours are in the regulamin (house rules) of your wspólnota or spółdzielnia.
💡 In Poland it is customary to warn neighbours about a party or renovation: a note on the door or a word on the stairs. It is polite and reduces complaints.
💡 The regulamin usually says where prams and bikes may stand: in a wózkownia (pram room), in the cellar or in the yard; not on the stairs for fire safety reasons.
💡 In some buildings the residents clean the stairs themselves by rota; in others a company does it and its service is included in the opłaty (charges); ask the administration how it is in your building.
💡 The regulamin (house rules) often forbids charcoal grills on the balcony and allows electric ones; a polite reply to a remark is Bardzo mi przykro, nie wiedziałem (I'm very sorry, I didn't know).
💡 Nothing is left in the stairwell or hall (it is a droga ewakuacyjna, an escape route); bikes are kept in the rowerownia (bike room) in the cellar or in the yard.
💡 In Poland rubbish is sorted into five streams: papier (paper, blue), szkło (glass, green), tworzywa i metale (plastic and metal, yellow), bio (organic, brown), zmieszane (the rest, black or grey).
💡 Bulky items (odpady wielkogabarytowe) are not simply put by the bins: they are collected on the municipal schedule (harmonogram) or through a PSZOK waste collection point.
💡 The harmonogram wywozu is the rubbish collection schedule by day and stream; it is usually sent by the city or found in an app or on the website.
💡 In Poland waste is sorted: żółty (yellow) for plastic and metal, niebieski (blue) for paper, zielony (green) for glass, brązowy (brown) for organic waste, the rest in the czarny or szary bin; check the collection schedule on your city's website (gmina).
💡 A PSZOK is a collection point for bulky and hazardous waste: furniture, electronics, batteries; it is usually free for residents, sometimes they ask for ID or the waste bill.
💡 The zebranie wspólnoty mieszkaniowej is a meeting of flat owners: they decide on repairs, the fund (fundusz remontowy) and costs; a tenant usually doesn't vote.
💡 General breakdowns (lift, stair lights, intercom) are reported to the administrator: by phone, email or at the office; the number hangs by the entrance.
💡 The key to the gate and the intercom code are issued by the administracja (administration) on the basis of the lease; the first key is usually free, a lost one is charged; ask about opening hours.
💡 The charges to the community include the fundusz remontowy (renovation fund), money for repairs of the building; the tenant pays the owner and the owner pays the community; ask in the contract what the price includes.
💡 Borrowing a small tool from a neighbour is normal; you say how long you need it and when you will return it, and thank with a gift or word.
💡 An invitation to coffee and cake (kawa i ciasto) is a common way to get to know people; you bring the hosts a small gift: flowers or sweets.
💡 In Poland people celebrate imieniny (name day); the greeting is Wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji imienin! It is common among neighbours and colleagues.
💡 At a shared barbecue (grill) everybody brings something: salad, cake or drinks; ask Co mam przynieść?, which is how you get to know your neighbours.
💡 Poles thank neighbours politely for help: an invitation to coffee or a small gift is the usual way to say thank you; to Dziękuję bardzo they reply Nie ma za co.