Finding an apartment in Vienna can be difficult. The housing market is pretty complex and fast-moving.
Here some pages where you can search for apartments in Vienna:
If you need help with finding a flat fill out the contact sheet below and we'll try to help you with your search:
Personal contacts
Whatever you need or search in Austria, always ask all your friends first. Tell everybody you know that you are looking for an apartment and what your preferred areas are. This way you might be able to get to know when someone moves out, even before the apartment is advertised in the newspapers. Even if you already have an apartment but are looking for a better/bigger/cheaper one, inform your friends. It can take time, but the best results are always achieved through personal relationships in Austria.
Apartment prices start at around €400 per month for rent, excluding utilities.
Rental contract:
A standard rental contract is signed for a period of three years. Once you have your apartment, you are legally well protected and your landlord will not be able to easily kick you out. You would not believe it, but if you do not have a rental contract, the situation is even better for you. Therefore, landlords carefully select potential candidates, and you better try to appear as a trustworthy person with sufficient financial power to pay your rent on time.
When you get accepted and have the rental contract on hand – how can you make sure everything is OK? Get it checked by an Austrian friend who knows about the issues, or contact the appropriate institution called Mietervereinigung at http://www.mietervereinigung.at
For a small annual fee you get full support and consultation in all legal aspects concerning your rental contract.
A Deposit in the range of one to three monthly rents is standard in Austria.
For getting large, mainly older apartments, landlords sometimes will ask you to pay an Abfindung – this is a one-time payment and it is generally not legal! One-time compensations can only be claimed for respective value added to the apartment, e.g. when new furniture has been added. If you pay such a fee, make sure that your payment is well documented. In case you find out that it was not appropriate, you may be able to claim it back. However, especially in Vienna, people sometimes prefer to pay the Abfindung in order to get a large apartment for a small monthly rent.
When you move into your new room or apartment, we recommend you take photos to document the state of the property. This may help you get back your deposit afterwards, if the landlord claims money for renovation or repairs.
Student Appartments:
Student Apartments
Students have the opportunity to apply for a moderately priced apartment through the Non-profit Student Housing Service (SWS). Appropriate apartments in older buildings including furniture can be rented from the SWS for one year, which may be extended as long as positive marks are achieved.
Students are required to show adequate study progress at the university (freshmen only need to present their A-levels), as well as their income situation and/or that of their parents.
Communal Apartments
A tenancy agreement (or rental contract) for communal apartments can either be limited or unlimited.
The following types of tenancy agreements are possible:
- One person enters into a tenancy agreement, and the others move in as co-tenants. Disadvantage: If the person who negotiated the contract moves out, the tenancy agreement might not be transferred to another member of the commune and everybody may have to move out.
- All members of the commune sign the tenancy agreement, and thus enjoy equal legal protection as tenants. If one member of the commune moves out, this does not change the tenancy agreement for the rest of the group. Students should, however, make sure that the rights of the person moving out are transferred to the remaining tenants.
- Separate tenancy agreements concerning the rooms in which the individual members of the commune live are made with the landlord.
Student Dormitories
In all cities with a university, there are a number of student dormitories (Studentenheime) which are built and administered by various associations, foundations, and public corporations.
Important : Students must register for student dormitories one semester before they begin to study at a university.
Please note : The Austrian Student Union (ÖH) ( Österreichische Hochschülerschaft) of your university provides information on the apartments listed in this section.
Notice boards: There are notice boards ( Schwarze Bretter) in universities and many research institutions, usually to be found in canteens and other busy locations. They are often plastered over several layers deep with apartment notices and are accessible to all students and employees and cover a wide variety of needs. However, most advertisements are for single rooms in shared accommodation.
Useful Links:
Short term accommodation:
The right accommodation for for you depends on your individual professional and personal needs. We have compiled a comprehensive overview of the different options.
Shared apartments
For those who are coming to Austria alone, WGs or Wohngemeinschaften(shared living arrangements) are often a good option as you can live cheaply and meet new people. WG's are most common among students and young professionals, but you can also find shared apartments among older ones. Living in a WG obviously means sharing kitchen and bathroom. Be aware that WG-Zimmer is often not furnished. The main challenges are to find a place and to make sure you are going to be able to get along with who you are living with. Have a good talk with your prospective flatmate/s to make sure your lifestyle expectations match. Conflicts (concerning cleaning up, using the bathroom, cooking…) are all easy ways to get into uncomfortable arrangement. So watch out before moving to somebody you might not get along with or it can also be a good idea to draw up a plan.
Temporary accommodation
If you intend to stay in Austria for a limited time, you can consider temporary accommodation, which is also a solution as an interim solution before settling in more permanently. In Austria, tenants are often allowed to sublet their apartment for a limited time. Since many young people travel a lot, this is actually quite common. Sublets can generally be found under the terms Untermiete or Zwischenmiete. This means that the flats or rooms are sublet with a contract signed with the tenant, not the landlord.
Mitwohnzentralen - a fast way to find accommodation
A good way to find temporary accommodation is to contact the localMietwohnzentrale if there is one in your town. These agencies concentrate on finding furnished rooms in Wohngemeinschaften and furnished apartments for limited periods of between one month and one year. They charge a fee for their services.
Mietwohnzentrale Vienna
If you’re searching for a small apartment, a room or a shared apartment in Vienna, the accommodation centre will help you to find it. Either for short or long time, close by the city or metropolitan area. Ask for an accommodation request form (Vermittlungsauftrag) to be sent to you. It is worth following up your request with all the agencies at regular intervals. Do not pay any charges in advance, agencies are only allowed to charge commission once a legally binding rent agreement has been signed.
Information: www.mwz.at
Jugendwohnhäuser
(Accommodation possibilities for young people)
Another possibility to find a cheap short term accommodation is aJugendwohnhaus. The city Vienna offers therefore young people under the age of 30, which are working ore training here in Vienna a place to live. The kinds of accommodation are single bedrooms, 1-room studios and 2-room-studios. The housing units are generally equipped with telephone as well mainly SATV. Further facilities like laundry, sauna, gymnastic room and library can be used by the inhabitants. Furthermore contains the monthly amount all working expenses, consumption fees for electricity, warm and chilled water as well as central heating.
Further details: www.kwj.at , www.oejab.at , www.kolping.at
Austrian property market:
Austria has some of the highest property prices in Europe. As the demand for properties continues to increase, prices are unlikely to lower in the foreseeable future.
Contrary to many other property markets in Europe, Austria has proven to be resistant to global recessions so far and is seen as one of the most stable and steadily developing property markets worldwide.
This is good news for investors, but expats hoping to buy a house might find that real estate prices are higher than in their home countries. There is a steady demand for accommodation, so current home owners have no problem selling their houses at higher prices.
While people from all nationalities purchase real estate in Austria, Germans are the largest group of foreign property buyers, followed by Italians.
Property Prices
Prices vary depending on quality and location, but you can roughly count with the following cost:
- Studio apartments: from €70,000
- Small apartments: from €80,000
- Larger apartments (120 square metres): from €130,000
- Detached homes: from €300,000
Keep in mind that in larger cities like Vienna, property prices are usually significantly above the national average.
Accommodation located in the mountains is valued according to the quality of the local skiing and its rent potential. Even if you don't plan on renting your property, buying in a popular resort area is more expensive than elsewhere.