Secrets You Need to Know While Leasing in Vienna

What can be better than spending a relaxed time in Vienna? Only spending it in Vienna, staying in a cozy and affordable location, of course. This beautiful city is known for terrific summer vacations, long lunch breaks, short workdays, and a total lack of haste, so fascinating for the tourists and expats living here.

Too good to be true? Well, Vienna is also known for its high prices for apartment leasing, which is quite frustrating. So whether you’re planning to visit Vienna for a job, to start a company, or to enjoy a relaxed lifestyle, finding an apartment can be harsh.

Nevertheless, we are here to uncover some tips for successful apartment leasing in Vienna and guide you through some of the most important things to know about renting.

Where to start?

The process of renting an apartment in Austria is honestly relatively easy and not complicated at all since many good rental properties are administered by real estate agents & apartment providers. And though you will have to pay some additional fees, you can still be 100% sure that you will have an expert helping you throughout the process.
⦁ Subletting
In Austria, it is legal to sublet an already leased apartment or room, and in that case, there is no need to use the real estate agents’ services since you can easily find those listings online.

The thing is that leases in Austria are typically long-term – three years, on average – and that is why it is possible to find an apartment with one or two years left on its lease and with the current renter of which you can bargain directly. Also, a good and trending option is to find and rent a furnished apartment in Vienna, in the case of subletting for a limited time, without having to spend extra money furnishing and decorating the property you will stay in.

⦁ Negotiate or Not?
This is not typical for Austria, but why not? It doesn’t hurt to try to ask your real estate agent to conduct some negotiations for you. But don’t be too optimistic, since the rental market in Austria is relatively stable, having 40% of people renting vs. buying. In addition, most landlords are not open to bargaining, having a long line of potential renters longing for the best apartments.

The reason why working with an agency is better is that they also use a creative management platform to keep all processes organized and neat.

⦁ Proof of Income
Usually, almost any landlord will demand proof of income, and so do subletters. Usually, they will also ask for a valid Austrian work visa.

Rules of Leasing in Austria

The rules of leasing in Austria are pretty much the same as in other countries. Tenants should sign a lease agreement, and both the tenant and the landlord bind themselves by that document—the advice of the day: read it carefully before signing. The arrangements are more or less standard, but you are the one bearing the responsibility to ensure you’re not getting a bad deal.

For example, check if there is a clause in the lease agreement about notifying the landlord in writing three months before the early termination of the lease agreement. If no such clause is included in your agreement, then there may be a “chance” that you will have to go through court to have your contract terminated earlier.

Tenant’s Responsibilities

Usually, you should pay a deposit, which will be reimbursed when you move out. This will happen, of course, if you leave the apartment in the same condition as when you rented it. If not, then be ready to bear the cost of repairs that will come out of your deposit. It is a common practice to pay the deposit in the same amount as your monthly rent. But it may vary from half a month’s rent to two months’ rent.

To secure yourself from unexpected complaints and payment of extra money, you should be very attentive before moving into the apartment and signing the agreement. An ideal option would be to take photos of every single, even tiny, defect that you can find in the apartment. The images will be of much help if your landlord decides to count them against you when your lease is coming to its end.

Good news: there is always a possibility that when you move out, you may also get some extra money from the landlord if you made some improvements to the apartment like if you had the floors replaced or installed new appliances or anything else.

Also, a good option would be to have insurance, though sometimes it is not an option but an obligatory requirement from the landlord. In any case, go for it to be protected from theft and loss of property. An important notice: you should pay the utilities of the apartment you rent, like water, gas, and Internet.

Questions to Ask:

⦁ Can I do some improvements to the apartment?
⦁ Pets: allowed or not?
⦁ Am I allowed to sublet the apartment via Airbnb or any other online service when I’m out of town?
⦁ Who should pay the utilities?
⦁ Who is in charge of maintenance?
⦁ The consequences of breaking the lease agreement by both the landlord and the tenant
⦁ Any other questions you can think of which will ease your life in future in your relations with the landlord will work

Wrapping up

Vienna is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. So don’t let the heavy thoughts about renting ruin your beautiful days, months, or years staying in the city since the options of finding a good place to live are quite many.

Make sure you follow the tips mentioned above and enjoy your stay.