Estate agents in Vienna: what does an agent do, and how do you recognise a good one?

The essentials in brief

• Being an estate agent is a regulated trade in Austria: a Befähigungsnachweis (proof of professional competence) and professional indemnity insurance of at least €100,000 per claim are mandatory (§ 117 GewO).
• Whether an agent holds a licence is public information in GISA, the Austrian trade licence register.
• Commission on a purchase is capped at 3% plus VAT per contracting party (for purchase prices above €48,448.51).
• For rented flats the Bestellerprinzip (the "whoever orders, pays" rule) has applied since 1 July 2023: the party who engaged the agent pays.
• Before you sign a Kaufanbot (a binding written purchase offer), the agent must tell you the expected incidental costs in writing (§ 30b KSchG).
• Commission only falls due if the contract brokered actually takes legal effect (§ 7 MaklerG).
• ImmoLöwin advises in German, Russian, Ukrainian and English — the contracts themselves are in German.

What does an estate agent in Vienna do?

An agent brings buyer and seller — or tenant and landlord — together and makes sure the contract rests on complete documentation. The real work happens before the viewing: anyone selling needs a realistic price, a current Grundbuchauszug (extract from the land register), the Energieausweis (energy performance certificate) and, for a flat held in Wohnungseigentum (condominium ownership), the papers of the owners' association.

The purchase contract itself is not written by the agent in Austria but by a notary or lawyer acting as Vertragserrichter (contract drafter). They also run the escrow account and the entry in the Grundbuch. You will find the process step by step in our guides Buying property: the process and Selling property: the process.

What does an estate agent in Vienna cost?

On a purchase the agent may charge buyer and seller no more than 3% of the purchase price plus 20% VAT each, for purchase prices above €48,448.51. At ImmoLöwin buyers pay 3% plus VAT, unless the property is offered commission-free. Sellers pay 3% plus 20% VAT under the agency agreement.

For rented flats the Bestellerprinzip applies: if we offer a flat on the landlord's instructions, tenants pay us no commission. All maximum amounts, worked examples and the question of when a flat is commission-free are explained on our page Agent commission in Austria.

Seven steps to recognise a reputable agent

A reputable agent discloses licence, costs and conflicts of interest before you sign anything. You can check these seven points yourself:

1. Check the trade licence in GISA. The Gewerbeinformationssystem Austria shows publicly whether a company may carry on the trade of estate agent.
2. Ask about the indemnity insurance. Every estate agent must hold professional indemnity insurance of at least €100,000 per claim (§ 117 Abs. 7 GewO).
3. Demand the written cost breakdown. Before your Kaufanbot the agent must set out in writing the expected costs, their commission and any economic connection to the other side (§ 30b KSchG).
4. Have dual agency disclosed. If the agent acts for both sides, they must tell both (§ 5 Abs. 3 MaklerG).
5. Check the term of an exclusive agency agreement. With private individuals an Alleinvermittlungsauftrag (exclusive agency agreement) should not run longer than six months.
6. See the documents before the offer. Grundbuchauszug, Energieausweis and, for flats, the Rücklage and the minutes belong before the signature, not after.
7. Check reviews and how reachable they are. An entry in the Firmenbuch, a fixed address and reviews from real clients are simple but telling signals.

A Russian-speaking and multilingual estate agent in Vienna

ImmoLöwin advises in German, Russian, Ukrainian and English — from the first viewing to the handover of the keys. This is meant for buyers and sellers who live in Vienna but would rather have legal terms such as Nutzwertgutachten, Rücklage or Grundverkehr explained in their own language, and for buyers purchasing from abroad.

Worth knowing: the Kaufanbot, the purchase contract and the Grundbuch are in German in Austria. We explain every point in your language; where a court or an authority requires a certified translation, a sworn interpreter provides it. 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; statutory exceptions and exceptions under international treaties must be checked in each individual case. Russian citizens are additionally subject to EU sanctions rules. Both are explained in the guide Buying property as a foreigner.

How ImmoLöwin works

We are an agency for Vienna and Lower Austria and broker only properties in Austria. Elena Iakovleva is the managing director; Anton Iakovlev is Prokurist (authorised officer) and is responsible for business development and investment properties. Three principles apply to every property:

• Price per square metre in every listing. We deliberately do not quote an average price per district — it mixes period buildings, new builds and locations that have nothing to do with one another.
• Documents before the offer. We put the documents in front of buyers before they sign a binding offer.
• Commission only on success. If no valid contract comes about, you pay us nothing.

You can see the properties we currently offer under Buy, Rent and Commercial. Our district pages give an overview of the Vienna districts, for example Innere Stadt or Döbling.