Buying a house in Austria: clear percentages — and you only own it at the Grundbuch

First the order that's fixed on this site: in your first year you don't buy — you rent, you get to know the region, and only then do you decide. This article is for the moment you've got that far. The good news: on the purchase Austria may well be the most predictable country of all — the additional costs are fixed percentages you can work out to the cent in advance.

Who handles it: a lawyer or a notary

In Austria the purchase contract is usually drawn up by a Rechtsanwalt or a notary's office, who also guides the settlement and pays over the taxes. 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 (the land register). Until that entry is completed, the property is legally not yet yours; your lawyer or notary watches over that order.

One step the Netherlands doesn't know: land-transfer law. Every federal state has its own Grundverkehrsgesetz, and purchases by foreigners are in principle subject to approval. For you as a Dutch citizen that's mainly good news: EU/EEA citizens are treated as equal to Austrians and buy a home without that approval — it's third-country nationals who have to go past the Grundverkehrsbehörde before the Grundbuch entry. Details differ per federal state, so have your drafter confirm what applies in your Bundesland.

The bill: two fixed percentages

On top of the purchase price come two items that are the same everywhere in Austria:

• Grunderwerbsteuer: 3.5% of the purchase price. The lawyer or notary calculates it and pays it over via FinanzOnline — you don't have to go to the tax office yourself.
• Grundbucheintragungsgebühr: 1.1% for the registration of your ownership. If you buy with a mortgage, another 1.2% is added for the registration of the lien.

Together with the costs of the drafter and possibly the estate agent this is the whole picture — no regional rates as in Belgium, no federal-state differences as with the German Grunderwerbsteuer.

And after that: a Grundsteuer that's not so bad

The annual Grundsteuer goes to the municipality and is calculated on the Einheitswert — a fiscal value far below the market value — with a municipal surcharge (Hebesatz) of up to 500%. That sounds steep, but because of that low base it comes down in practice to modest amounts, collected in four instalments a year (or in one go for small amounts). After the move, don't forget your Meldezettel either — your registration at the new address.

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.