Do you need permission to build a tiny house, a mobile home?

You hear more and more about the move house and you like the idea of being independent, mobile, free, but… you don’t know what using a micro house is like from a practical point of view? Where can you put up a mobile home, what formalities are involved? To make your decision to buy a mini house easier, we have prepared some answers to the most frequently asked questions.

What is a tiny house

A smart tiny house is an energy-efficient, eco-friendly house on wheels that can be used all year round. It has the same functions as a traditional house, except that its space is limited and it is also mobile.

A mini house, also referred to as a moving house, is usually a house between 20sqm and 30-35sqm in size. It is built from prefabricated modules and prefabricated components that are adapted to the owner’s needs. Its construction is unusual – it is designed on a body characteristic of car trailers. As a result, it is mobile; the owner can move with his house.

Do you need permission to build tiny homes?

According to current Polish regulations, it is possible to build a house of up to 35 square metres without applying for a building permit. And this would be enough to make the purchase of a micro house without unnecessary formalities.

However, if you register the caravan house in the transport department, the mobile home is then not treated as a building, but as a vehicle. Thus, the mobile home is not subject to the building law.

There is just one thing worth bearing in mind. If the tiny house is officially a vehicle, you must have the relevant driving licence to be able to travel with it. For cars up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) towing a trailer weighing no more than 3.5 tonnes, a B+E licence is required.

Where can a year-round mobile home be placed?

According to the regulations, tiny homes do not constitute real estate, but a trailer that is authorised for road traffic. This means that, in practice, you can put it anywhere, as long as it is not now private and an area where there is a ban on motor vehicles. So what you are most interested in is the traffic regulations.

And with this, caravan homes can be placed, for example, by a lake or in other charming surroundings.

Do you have to have a plot of land to put up tiny houses?

You do not need to own your own plot of land to be able to erect a caravan home in a particular location. All you need to do is check beforehand that the place where you want to stay is not off-limits to motorised traffic, is not private land (although in this case it is often possible to rent a specific space for a designated period of time).

How are tiny houses being built?

You already know that a caravan home means a minimum of paperwork. And how does it get built? A tiny house is based on timber-frame technology and is designed from prefabricated and ready-made modules. You can choose from pre-designed tiny homes or have it customised to your needs in terms of size, layout and number of rooms.
The construction time itself is just a few weeks. At the same time, depending on your budget, you can opt for a rough-finished mobile home or a turnkey option, i.e. ready to move in, fully furnished.