This report presents the results of a survey on the housing situation of migrants working in Poland. It was conducted among migrant workers from over a dozen countries, primarily Ukraine (78%), Belarus, Moldova and India.

The survey was conducted by the EWL Group, RentLito, and the Centre of East European Studies at the University of Warsaw on a representative sample of 400 adult migrants working in Poland. Interviews were conducted in Ukrainian, Russian and English using online CAWI surveys and face-to-face interviews.

Almost half of those surveyed (47%) were living in accommodation provided by an employer or employment agency, while 1 in 3 found accommodation on their own. The majority (72%) view employer-provided housing as a temporary solution and aim to find an independent flat for themselves.

Approximately 42% of migrant workers rent a flat with other migrants in a block of flats, so are often living alongside Poles, which serves to promote their social and cultural integration. A further 30% live in workers' hotels, while 9% live in collective accommodation such as container towns.

The majority (42%) live in single or double rooms, and 1 in 4 live with more than 3 people in one room. Over 50% of respondents said they would be willing to pay extra to live alone in a single or double room.

The integration of those migrant workers surveyed may also be positively influenced by the fact that the vast majority of respondents - 3 in 4 - do not commute for longer than 15 minutes to their place of work (38%), or are able to walk there (another 38%). The distance between their place of accommodation and their workplace was found to be very important to those surveyed when selecting housing.

1 in 5 migrants surveyed said they are not satisfied with the standard of their accommodation conditions. Only 13% rated it as 'high', while the majority (68%) rate it as 'medium'. Almost one in three declared that, on average, they spend around PLN 365 per month on improving their living conditions.

From the point of view of integration, it may be significant that half of those surveyed have not been targets of negative behaviour (such as unkind comments or aggression) at their place of residence. 5%, though, declared that they experience this type of treatment frequently.