Frequently asked questions about real estate in Austria

In eight steps: clarify financing, check the property and documents, submit a written purchase offer, finalise the loan, sign the purchase contract with a notary or lawyer and an escrow account, obtain approval if you are a third-country buyer, take over the property and have your ownership entered in the land register. Without an approval requirement, it usually takes four to eight weeks from the accepted offer to the entry. How a property purchase works

Yes. Once the seller accepts your written offer, the purchase contract is already concluded. The later contract drawn up by the notary or lawyer only puts it into the form the land register needs. That is why conditions such as a financing proviso belong in the offer itself.

Only in narrow cases. If you signed as a consumer on the day of the first viewing and are buying for your urgent housing need, you can withdraw in writing within one week (§ 30a KSchG). A condition in the offer itself is more reliable, for example that the purchase only applies if financing is approved.

With the entry in the land register. Neither the signature, nor the payment, nor the handover of keys makes you the owner. The purchase price is usually handled through the notary's or lawyer's escrow account and paid out only once the conditions agreed in the escrow instructions are met — in particular the buyer's entry and the release of encumbrances (Lastenfreistellung). For developer projects, the special payment rules of the Bauträgervertragsgesetz apply.

The land register (Grundbuch) is the public register for real property. It has three parts: sheet A (plot and area), sheet B (owner) and sheet C (encumbrances such as liens, rights of residence or pre-emption rights). Before any purchase offer, you should see a current extract, especially sheet C.

At least the land register extract and the energy certificate. For flats, also the condominium ownership agreement, the utility value assessment, the minutes of owners’ meetings, the level of the reserve fund and the latest annual operating cost statement. The full checklist is in the guide How a property purchase works.

The reserve fund is the owners' association's joint savings account for repairs and renovations. Since 1 January 2026, the statutory minimum for the reserve fund has in principle been €1.12 per m² of the total usable area of the condominium units per month. The contribution of an individual flat depends on the allocation key; § 31 WEG provides for exceptions. A low reserve ahead of planned renovation means later top-up payments for the buyer.

Around 10% of the purchase price, around 11% with a loan. The biggest items: 3.5% property transfer tax, 1.1% land register entry, up to 3% broker commission plus 20% VAT, and about 1–3% for the contract and escrow. With a loan, 1.2% of the registered lien amount is added. Purchase costs

No. The exemption for the main residence applied to applications received by the land registry court by 30 June 2026. For new purchases, 1.1% of the purchase price applies again.

For purchase prices above €48,448.51, at most 3% plus 20% VAT, for each of buyer and seller. The commission is only earned once an effective purchase contract exists. Before your offer, the agent must state all expected costs of the purchase, including the commission, in writing.

The seller, not the buyer, must provide the energy certificate. It may be at most ten years old, must be presented in good time before the buyer or tenant makes a binding contractual declaration — i.e. before a binding purchase offer (Kaufanbot) — and handed over after the contract is concluded – within 14 days; statutory exceptions remain unaffected. Listings must state the legally required energy indicators: since 1 July 2026, § 3 EAVG names heating demand, final energy demand and the overall energy efficiency class; for existing certificates § 10a still allows HWB and fGEE.

Banks often expect around 20% equity plus purchase costs of roughly 10%; the exact amount depends on the bank, your credit standing and the collateral. The Financial Market Authority's benchmark is at least 10% equity, an instalment of up to 40% of net income, and a term of at most 35 years. Property financing

No. The KIM regulation expired on 30 June 2025. Since 1 July 2025, its benchmarks – 90% loan-to-value, 40% debt service ratio, 35-year term – are only a recommendation from the FMA. Banks may deviate case by case.

Most buyers choose a fixed rate: at the end of 2025, according to the OeNB, 86% of new housing loans were fixed. Important for 2026: for fixed-rate contracts up to 31 December 2026, early repayment costs at most 1%; for contracts from 2027, up to 3%.

Yes, but on stricter terms. In our experience, banks require 40–50% equity from buyers without Austrian income. Income from the EU is recognised more easily than income from third countries.

Whether a foreign person needs approval depends on the federal state and on their personal status. In Vienna, EU and EEA nationals are in principle exempt from the approval requirement. Third-country nationals generally need approval – in Vienna from the MA 35, in Lower Austria from the state government; statutory exceptions and exceptions under international treaties must be checked case by case. Without approval, the contract does not take legal effect. Buying property as a foreigner

The purchase itself is not prohibited. But under EU sanctions law, banks may not accept deposits over €100,000 from Russian citizens or persons resident in Russia; exceptions exist, among others, for holders of a residence permit in an EU state. Payment and escrow must therefore be clarified in advance with the bank and notary.

No. Austria does not grant a residence permit for buying property. Ownership can serve as proof of accommodation in an application, but it does not replace any of the statutory requirements.

As a rule, 30% real estate gains tax on the profit. For properties bought before 1 April 2002, a flat 4.2% of the sale price – 6% for purchase contracts from 1 January 2027. The notary or lawyer calculates the tax and deducts it from the purchase price. How selling a property works

If the flat was your main residence: continuously for at least two years since the purchase, or continuously for at least five of the last ten years, and you give it up with the sale. A building you built yourself is also tax-free if it has not been let for ten years – the land, however, is not.

The purchase price is usually handled through an escrow account and paid out once the conditions agreed in the escrow instructions are met — in particular the entry of the buyer in the land register and the release of encumbrances; any outstanding loan is paid off from it first. Where no approval for a third-country buyer is needed, it usually takes four to eight weeks from the offer to payout.

Your broker commission of at most 3% plus VAT, the energy certificate, certification of your signature, possibly compensation for early loan repayment, and the real estate gains tax. The buyer pays the transfer tax and the land register fee.

A flat bought for long-term letting, usually new from a developer. Landlords who let with VAT can reclaim the input VAT from the purchase price. For property, the input-tax deduction is subject to an adjustment period of 20 years. If the tax use changes during that time — for example because you move in yourself — the input tax is adjusted pro rata. There is no obligation to actually let the flat continuously for 20 years. Rental income and appreciation are not guaranteed – we calculate both with you before the purchase.

Since 1 July 2023, the Bestellerprinzip (whoever commissions the agent pays) has applied to rental flats, so in most cases the landlord pays. Tenants pay only if they themselves commissioned the agent to find them a flat.

Rental income counts as income and is taxed at your personal income tax rate. Building depreciation, loan interest, operating costs you bear yourself, and maintenance reduce the profit. A tax adviser is best placed to calculate this for your situation.

We are licensed estate agents under Austrian trade law and members of the Austrian Economic Chamber (Wirtschaftskammer). We advise in German, Russian, English and Ukrainian, focused on Vienna and Lower Austria. For the contract and escrow, we work with vetted notaries and lawyers who work quickly and charge fair fees.

For the properties we sell, a buyer's commission of 3% of the purchase price plus 20% VAT, unless the property is offered commission-free. The commission is only due once the purchase contract becomes effective.