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Storage Units and Commercial Premises – Getting More from Your Property Portfolio

Storage units and commercial premises are often underutilised or managed without a system. SmartRentier shows you the ROI on every property and helps you get more from your entire portfolio.

12 May 2026
Storage Units and Commercial Premises – Getting More from Your Property Portfolio
In this article
  1. Storage Units – Underrated Passive Income
  2. Commercial Units – Different Rules, the Same Tools
  3. One View of the Entire Portfolio
  4. ROI for Each Property Individually
  5. Maximising Income Starts with Knowledge
  6. Frequently asked questions

A 12 m² storage unit brings in PLN 150–200 a month with zero management effort. A 60 m² commercial unit in a decent location — PLN 3,500 on a three-year lease. Many landlords own these assets alongside an apartment or building and either don't let them at all, or do so with no system in place.

That's wasted potential. And wasted time when billing comes around. The same rules apply to garages and parking spaces — small assets, but ones that add up across a portfolio.

Storage Units – Underrated Passive Income

A storage unit doesn't need an elaborate contract. A simple tenancy agreement covering rent, deposit and notice period is enough. The tenant is usually a neighbour from the same building — a straightforward relationship with little conflict.

The problems come at settlement time: who paid for which month, when does the lease expire, was the deposit returned. In SmartRentier, each storage unit is its own property in the system — with a payment history, documents and a lease-expiry reminder. It works exactly like a flat.

Commercial Units – Different Rules, the Same Tools

Renting commercial premises differs from residential in several important ways: leases are usually long-term, tenants are often VAT-registered businesses, deposits tend to be higher, and utility billing is more complex — separate meters, different tariffs.

SmartRentier handles all of this without modification: you can assign any utility rate, issue a settlement for a specific period, generate a confirmation document. Whether the tenant is an individual or a company — the transaction history is consistent and accessible in one place.

One View of the Entire Portfolio

The owner of a mixed-use building can manage everything in SmartRentier at once: four flats, a ground-floor shop, a garage and two storage units. Each property with its own profile, each tenant with a complete history.

The main dashboard shows at a glance: which units are let, which are vacant, where payments are overdue, which leases expire within the next 60 days. No separate folders or spreadsheets — everything is visible on the first screen.

ROI for Each Property Individually

A commercial unit may bring in higher rent than a flat, but can also generate higher costs: property tax, business insurance, more expensive repairs. Only by setting all income against all costs for a specific property do you get a true picture of profitability.

The financial analysis module does this automatically — how to read such a summary, and which costs belong in it, is covered in the article on automatic rental yield reports. You can compare the ROI of the ground-floor shop against the fourth-floor flat — and make an informed decision about which property to develop and which to potentially sell.

Maximising Income Starts with Knowledge

A landlord who has a full picture of their portfolio — all property types, all income and costs, all tenants — can make investment decisions rather than just reacting to day-to-day problems. Raise the rent on a unit that's below market rate. Sell the property with the lowest ROI. Invest in the one that pays back fastest.

SmartRentier gives landlords that knowledge — whatever types of property they hold.

Start managing your entire portfolio in one place — the panel for owners of several properties handles flats, commercial units and storage units the same way. Sign up without a card. Your first unit is free, and you pick a plan based on how many properties you have.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Tenant Protection Act cover commercial units and storage rooms?

No. The protection covers premises serving housing needs, so a commercial unit, a storage room or a garage is governed solely by the Civil Code and the agreement. In practice that means freedom in setting increases and notice periods, and no eviction procedure with social housing — but also none of the safeguards the Act gives with a flat.

What notice period applies to an open-ended commercial lease?

Unless the agreement says otherwise and the rent is payable monthly, a lease of premises may be terminated at the latest three months in advance, effective at the end of a calendar month (Art. 688 of the Civil Code). The parties may shorten or extend that term — and in commercial lettings they usually do, matching it to the tenant investment in the unit.

Is a commercial letting taxed under the same flat rate as a flat?

For income tax, yes — private letting means 8.5% up to PLN 100,000 of income and 12.5% above, whatever the type of property. The difference is VAT: letting for housing purposes is exempt, commercial letting is not. Your only shield is the small-business exemption up to PLN 200,000 of annual turnover; above it, 23% VAT is added to the rent.

Does letting a commercial unit raise property tax?

Yes, where the unit is occupied for business activity — the highest rate then applies, many times the residential one. Rates are set by the municipal council within the maximums announced each year by the Minister of Finance. A change of use has to be reported to the municipality, usually within 14 days of the event.

Several flats, one overview

With several flats the hard part is seeing the whole picture. SmartRentier shows every unit, tenant and cash flow in one view — with yield calculated per property.