Buying in Vienna: the back story

About Buying in Vienna: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Vienna Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Most Viennese rent, and the city has a long tradition of public and cooperative housing. Buyers look first at the Altbau, the 19th- and early 20th-century apartment buildings with high ceilings and double doors, in the inner districts; at the villas of Döbling and Hietzing on the edge of the Vienna Woods; and at the new quarters, such as aspern Seestadt.

Where people buy

The Innere Stadt and the Ringstrasse for prestige; Wieden, Josefstadt and Neubau for Altbau flats near the centre; Döbling and Hietzing for villas and gardens.

The rules for foreign buyers

Under the Vienna act on land acquisition by foreigners, buyers from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland generally need approval from the City of Vienna (Municipal Department 35), or a confirmation that none is needed. The city’s website explains the process (wien.gv.at).

Ask early whether you need the city’s approval: for non-EU buyers it can decide the timetable.

Signing and the Land Register

Ownership is entered in the Land Register (Grundbuch). Buyers pay the real estate transfer tax and the registration fee; confirm the current rates with the Federal Ministry of Finance or your lawyer.

Our advice: work with a lawyer or notary from the start.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Buying in Vienna: the back story before you go.