Buying a house in Austria: clear percentages — and you only own it at the Grundbuch
Austria works with fixed, predictable percentages on a purchase: 3.5% Grunderwerbsteuer and 1.1% registration fee, paid over by the lawyer or notary who draws up the contract. As an EU citizen you buy without approval, where third-country nationals have to go past the Grundverkehrsbehörde. And just as in Germany: the signature doesn't yet make you the owner — the entry in the Grundbuch does.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Yes, as an EU citizen you buy a home in Austria without approval. It is third-country nationals, people from outside the EU and the EEA, who have to go past the Grundverkehrsbehörde, the authority that vets land purchases.
What it costs is the most predictable of all destinations. These are fixed percentages you work out to the cent in advance:
- 3.5% Grunderwerbsteuer, the property transfer tax;
- 1.1% registration fee;
- plus 1.2% for the lien if you buy with a mortgage.
On top come the costs of the lawyer or notary who draws up the contract and remits the taxes.
The pitfall is the same as in Germany. The signature under the contract doesn't yet make you the owner. The registration in the Grundbuch, the Austrian land register, does.
In your first year you don't buy. You rent, you get to know the region, and only then do you decide. Read why that order is fixed. This article is for the moment you've got that far.
Who handles the purchase, and when am I the owner?
In Austria the purchase contract is usually drawn up by a Rechtsanwaltskanzlei or a notary's office (a law firm or a notary). Both parties sign it with a certified signature.
The same drafter usually also guides the settlement: they calculate the Grunderwerbsteuer and report the purchase to the Finanzamt, the tax office. Here that's not a service but a requirement. The tax can only be declared or self-assessed in FinanzOnline, the tax authority's online portal, via a notary or lawyer.
And just as in Germany: with your signature under the contract you're not there yet. You only become the owner on entry in the Grundbuch, and that entry only follows once the Grunderwerbsteuer has been paid. Until then the property is legally not yet yours. Your drafter watches over that order.
May I simply buy as a Dutch citizen?
Yes. Every state has its own land-transfer law, and purchases by citizens from outside the EU and the EEA are in principle subject to approval there. Anyone from the EU is treated as equal to Austrians and buys a home without that approval.
For agricultural and forest land and for building plots the states do have their own rules, for everyone. Have your drafter confirm what applies in your Bundesland (state) before you sign.
What does buying a house in Austria cost on top of the price?
| Item | Rate or amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Grunderwerbsteuer | as a rule 3.5% of the purchase price | declared by the 15th of the second month after the month of purchase, via notary or lawyer |
| Registering ownership in the Grundbuch | 1.1% of the purchase price | on registration |
| Registering the lien for a mortgage | 1.2% of the amount of the lien | on registration |
| Drafter of the contract | fee of the notary or lawyer | at settlement |
| Grundsteuer | Einheitswert × municipal Hebesatz up to 500% | every year, in four instalments above € 75 |
Together with the drafter's costs and possibly the estate agent, that's the whole picture. There are no regional rates as in Belgium, and no state differences as with the German Grunderwerbsteuer.
One document belongs to every purchase: the Energieausweis, the energy performance certificate of the home.
- The seller must show and hand it over.
- It may not be older than ten years.
- The energy figures must already be in the advertisement.
If they aren't, ask for them before the viewing.
What do I pay every year after that?
The annual Grundsteuer, the property tax, goes to the municipality. The Finanzamt calculates a basis from the Einheitswert, a tax value of your land and home. The municipality applies a Hebesatz (multiplier) of at most 500% to it.
The BMF, the Austrian Ministry of Finance, works through an example itself: a basis of € 50 times 500% gives € 250 of property tax a year.
Above € 75 you pay in four instalments, on 15 February, 15 May, 15 August and 15 November. Smaller amounts you pay in one go on 15 May.
After the move, don't forget your Meldezettel either: your registration at the new address, within three days of moving in.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Austria.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Oesterreich.gv.at — buying a home (costs, contract, ownership on Grundbuch entry, Energieausweis) — oesterreich.gv.at
- USP.gv.at — the Grunderwerbsteuer (rate, payment via notary or lawyer, deadline) — usp.gv.at
- Land Oberösterreich — Ausländergrundverkehr (EU/EEA treated as equals, third-country nationals subject to approval) — land-oberoesterreich.gv.at
- BMF — the Grundsteuer (Einheitswert, Hebesatz up to 500%, four instalments) — bmf.gv.at
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