Gated residential complexes in Warsaw

In our real estate advertisements you often come across the expressions residential complex (osiedle) and gated residential complex (zamknięte osiedle).

Sometimes Poles call the residential complex - kompleks mieszkalny and zespół mieszkaniowy. The more commonly used word in Warsaw is osiedle.

Sometimes Poles call the residential complex - kompleks mieszkalny and zespół mieszkaniowy. The more commonly used word in Warsaw is osiedle.

Keep in mind that the word osiedle is also often used in Poland to refer to a specific part of a city or district, or locality with its own council and executive branch. The settlement in this case is an auxiliary unit of the gmina. These units are created by decision of the commune council.

A residential complex (osiedle) is one or (more often) several individual or multi-apartment residential buildings, united by a single, specially planned territory, built in a single architectural style and forming a single territorial and spatial integrity.

Residential complexes can be either multi-storey or have low-rise buildings. A low-rise residential complex is a residential area built within the framework of a general plan, having a common social and engineering infrastructure, a unified management and maintenance service. Many residential complexes have their own name.

An apartment complex is usually built by a single developer using just a few home design styles, so the buildings tend to be uniform in appearance.

Closed residential complex (zamknięte osiedle) is a form of residential complex that is closed to outsiders by means of fencing. Gated communities typically consist of multiple streets and include various common amenities. One of the reasons for creating gated communities is to protect apartment or house owners from street crime.

Gated communities are residential investments in single-family homes (usually located on the outskirts of cities). In Russia and Ukraine these are called cottage villages. Or these are apartment buildings (usually located near transport hubs of large cities).

These residential complexes occupy a clearly defined area, separated from the busy street and the rest of the world. Free from vehicular traffic, equipped with monitoring systems, a security guard guarding the building 24/7, and an intercom or videophone protecting access to the gate, they provide residents with a sense of security.

Gated complexes often offer concierge services that monitor the building directly. In addition, there may be other amenities. They depend on many factors, including the geographical location and structure of the complex. For smaller developments, these amenities may only include a park or other common area of the estate.

Amenities also depend on the type of residential complex. For example, single-family home communities may not have a community pool because individual homeowners may build their own private pools. On the other hand, a condominium may have a community pool, since individual residents do not have the option of creating their own pools.

Typical amenities offered may include: swimming pools, bowling alleys, tennis courts, cafes, shops, play areas, spas.

The presence of additional amenities implies a higher cost of housing, therefore, a higher social level of residents.

Interestingly, the needs of residents related to ensuring a certain level of security are not always well perceived from the outside. Gated communities create a sense of social inequality. But for many Poles, a gated community means security, privacy, their own plot and their own space.

Negative opinions about cottage communities are expressed mainly by people who do not live there. It is difficult to find dissatisfied people among residents of this type of premises. In Poland, more than half of those looking for an apartment want to live in this type of investment. Suffice it to say that in Warsaw alone there are more than five thousand residential complexes, with varying degrees of privacy.

Advantages of gated complexes

1. More homogeneous composition of residents. In Poland, the main buyers are young, educated people. Therefore, good neighborly relations are more common here. It is easier to make friends, as well as organize joint events, barbecues, etc. Very often, the administration itself is responsible for organizing events that activate the community.

2. Increased sense of security. Complexes enclosed by a mesh, wall or fence represent a closed area in which only “friends” can be present. No graffiti artists, street vendors, etc.

3. Lack of car traffic. Entrance gates that open using a remote control do not allow unauthorized vehicles to enter. Most complexes have underground parking. Vehicle traffic occurs only in the designated access area.

4. Safe area for children to play outside. Parents have no reason to worry about the safety of their children.

5. An additional advantage of gated communities is a number of amenities intended only for their residents. This is a children's playground, a recreation area with benches, a picnic area, parking for guests, and often a gym or swimming pool. Many housing investments include access to various types of educational, service, banking and medical facilities within the development itself.

6. It is easy for the administration to manage a small complex, so many issues are resolved quickly. And residents care more about common property. In gated communities, vandalism is rare (mainly due to monitoring) and any damage is quickly repaired.

Disadvantages of gated communities

True, some may consider advantages as disadvantages...

1. Lack of contact with the outside world, separation from city life.

2. 24-hour security and monitoring imply a lack of confidentiality. It's very easy to check what you were doing and where you were at a certain time and place.

3. Security measures taken by the administration of gated complexes increase the sense of security of residents, However, they do not completely reduce the crime rate. Thefts also occur in such residential areas.

The popularity of residential complexes is evidenced by the fact that around 200 new residential investments are being built in Warsaw. Most of them are closed.

Gated complexes have their own rules and they are inhabited by people of a certain type who want exclusivity. Those who value a sense of autonomy will find everything they expect in the closed investments offered by okeask at https://okeask.com/en/.