What is Richtwert rent in Vienna?

A legally mandated benchmark rent per square metre for category A Altbau apartments (built before 1945), strictly enforced by the Vienna Arbitration Board (Schlichtungsstelle).

Who pays broker fees (Maklerprovision) for rentals in Austria?

Under the Austrian Bestellerprinzip enacted in 2023, the party who commissions the real estate agent (almost always the landlord) must pay the broker commission.

Austria · EUR

Rentin Vienna

Renting in Vienna is strictly governed by the Austrian Tenancy Act (Mietrechtsgesetz - MRG), capping base rents on pre-war buildings (Altbau) under the official statutory Richtwert system.

Registry path

Title checked

3D map

3.5%Grunderwerbsteuer, national

1.1%registration on top

3 yrstandard lease term

Reasonfixed-terms need statutory cause

What a purchase really costs

€ 500.000 home in Vienna

Grunderwerbsteuer (3.5%) + registry (3.5%): € 17.500
Notary & Grundbuch (≈0.3%): € 1.500
Cash needed at closing: € 519.000

≈ +3.8% over the price. Austria charges 3.5% Grunderwerbsteuer plus 1.1% registration — uniform nationally (the old family-exemption loopholes were cut). New builds from VAT developers carry 20% VAT on the build share instead. Foreigners (EEA) buy freely; Vienna’s cooperative/gemeindebauten stock is rental-only heritage, which shrinks the sale stock.

Rentals run on rules

The rent side, in three lines

Deposits run one to three months.
Leases commonly run 3 years (fixed-term needs a reason since 2021 reforms).
Richter’s clause: indexation must be in the contract — verbal indexation is void.

Vienna prices off the world’s most livable ranking; Innsbruck off Alpine scarcity; Salzburg off festival tourism.

Neighborhoods

Areas in Vienna

Premium districts with price anchors, walk and transit scores.

Under full MRG protection, landlords cannot exceed the statutory reference rent (Richtwert) plus legally permitted location surcharges (Lagezuschlag). Rental deposits (Kaution) are standardly 3 gross monthly rents, held in an interest-bearing escrow.

Fixed-term rental contracts (befristeter Mietvertrag) must be set for a minimum duration of 3 years, with tenants holding the statutory right to terminate after 1 year with 3 months notice.

FAQ

What is Richtwert rent in Vienna?: A legally mandated benchmark rent per square metre for category A Altbau apartments (built before 1945), strictly enforced by the Vienna Arbitration Board (Schlichtungsstelle).
Who pays broker fees (Maklerprovision) for rentals in Austria?: Under the Austrian Bestellerprinzip enacted in 2023, the party who commissions the real estate agent (almost always the landlord) must pay the broker commission.

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