Housing in Vienna

Mandatory residence registration in Vienna

Every person who lives in Vienna must register with the Vienna Residence Registration Service Centre (Meldeservice Wien). If you move to Austria from abroad or move to Vienna from another part of Austria you have 3 business days after moving in to register.

You have to bring the following documents with when you register:

• Passport or
• photo ID showing your citizenship (birth certificate)
• Registration form (Meldezettel): a  form, which you can get directly at the Vienna Residence Registration Service Centre or online.

Before you go to the Residence Registration Service Centre, you have to book an appointment online.

Flats in Vienna

You can find information about available flats on the internet and in daily newspapers (on Saturdays or Sundays) or through real estate agents (for a fee).

What is a real estate agent?

Real estate agents ("Immobilienmakler"/"Immobilienmaklerin") act as agents for flats. They rent or sell flats and houses on behalf of the owners. In return, they receive a commission ("Provisionszahlung", "Provision", "Maklergebühr"). If you find a flat through a real estate agent, you as a tenant will have to pay their commission.

Deposit

Before you move into a rental flat, you sometimes have to pay a deposit ("Kaution"). The deposit is a security for the landlord and is agreed in the tenancy agreement ("Mietvertrag").
You should read your tenancy agreement carefully before signing it.  You can find tips regarding what you should pay attention to online at the Chamber of Labour
(Arbeiterkammer) or at Mieterhilfe.

Help with finding a flat

If you have a very low income and need help finding a flat, you can contact Wohnungsdrehscheibe.

Privately owned rental flats 

You rent a flat from a private owner (person or company)  

Municipal flats ("Gemeindewohnung") and subsidised flats 

You rent a flat from the City of Vienna.
You can rent a municipal flat in Vienna if you:

• are at least 17 years old
• your current flat in Vienna has been your main residence continuously for the last 2 years. This also applies to all other persons who are moving to the municipal flat with you.
• are an Austrian citizen, an EU/EEA citizen, are a recognised refugee, or are a third-country national and have a permanent residence card. This applies to all persons of full age who will live in the flat with you.
• earn less than the maximum income threshold

Cooperative flats ("Genossenschaftswohnung")

Cooperative flats in Vienna are built by non-profit housing cooperatives. If you want to rent a cooperative flat in Vienna, you often have to pay a so-called "financing contribution" ("Finanzierungsbeitrag"). The amount of this contribution depends on the size of the flat, age of the flat and location of the building. When you move out, you will get a large part of this contribution back.

Owner-occupied flats

If you buy a flat in Vienna, you own a certain part of a residential building (a property). If you are a citizen of a third country and want to buy a flat in Vienna, you need a permit from the Immigration and Citizenship Department of the City of Vienna (MA 35). 

When you rent a flat in Vienna, you make a verbal or written contract with the landlord. In the tenancy agreement you agree on the duration and the type of use (e.g. residential, commercial, land) as well as how much rent you pay.

Headlease ("Hauptmiete")

You are renting as headlease (you are the main tenant) if you have a tenancy agreement with  

• the owner of the building or flat
• or the tenant or leaseholder of the entire building or flat. 

Sublease ("Untermiete")

You are a subtenant if you have a tenancy agreement with the main tenant.

Protection against unwarranted eviction ("Kündigungsschutz")

Your landlord may only terminate (end) the tenancy agreement if there is a serious reason. What counts as a serious reason is regulated by law in Austria.

Help

If you are having problems with  your landlord, you can contact the following organisations:   MieterHilfe, Mietervereinigung, Mieterschutzverband.
 

Property management ("Hausverwaltung")

The property management company takes care of the maintenance of a residential building on behalf of the owners and is your point of contact for questions as a tenant.

House rules ("Hausordnung")

There are house rules for all apartment buildings in Vienna. The house rules are rules that say what people living together in a house need to do. The house rules are part of your tenancy agreement.

In Vienna you have to separate your waste. In every residential building, there are waste containers for paper (green container with red lid) and household waste (black container). For glass, plastic bottles, metal and cans, there are collection points near your house. Glass goes in the containers with white lids (colourless glass) or green lids (tinted glass). Plastic bottles, metal and cans go in the containers with the yellow lid.  
You can take your hazardous or problem waste (e.g. used cooking oil, batteries, etc.) to waste collection points free of charge. 
 

The following people can receive housing benefit for help with their housing costs:

• Austrian citizens
• EU citizens
• Citizens of third countries who have been living in Austria for 5 years, or
• recognised refugees

Whether you receive housing assistance depends on the size of your family, your income, the size of the flat and the housing costs.
The department in charge of housing benefit is Municipal Department 50 - Housing Promotion and Arbitration Board for Legal Housing Matters.