Living in Austria: Richtwert, Befristung and the six-month deposit
The Austrian rental market has rules that sit just differently from everywhere else: a deposit that may run to six months, fixed-term contracts of at least five years with a 25% statutory discount in regulated rents, an estate agent paid by the landlord since 2023 — and regulated rent increases capped at one percent in 2026.
4 min read
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.
The Austrian rental market is no Swedish queue and no Dutch points system. It's a system of its own, with rules you want to know before the viewing. Three of them are directly about thousands of euros:
- a deposit of three and sometimes six months' rent;
- fixed-term contracts of at least five years with a professional landlord;
- an estate agent you only pay since July 2023 if you hired them yourself.
Anyone who knows that doesn't sign in surprise.
How much deposit does a landlord ask?
The amount of the deposit is an agreement between you and the landlord. Usual is three gross monthly rents: net rent plus service charges plus 10% VAT. Up to six gross monthly rents is permitted, and more only if the landlord has a special interest in it, for example with an expensive or furnished home. So ask the amount before the viewing, and include it in your moving budget.
The deposit goes to the landlord as a savings book or as a sum of money. In the second case they must invest it at interest and separately from their own assets. When you leave you get it back with interest, minus damage that goes beyond ordinary wear and tear.
Record the condition of the home at the key handover. A dispute about the deposit doesn't fall under the rent arbitration board but goes to court, the Bezirksgericht (the district court). Photos and a handover report at the start and at the end of the tenancy are then your evidence.
Do I have to pay the estate agent?
Usually not. Since 1 July 2023 the Bestellerprinzip, the "whoever orders, pays" principle, applies: whoever hires the agent pays them. In practice that is almost always the landlord.
If you hire an agent yourself, a cap applies, in each case plus 20% VAT:
- two gross monthly rents for an open-ended contract or a contract of more than three years;
- one for a contract of up to three years.
What does a fixed-term contract, a Befristung, mean?
Fixed-term contracts are normal in Austria. If the home falls under the Mietrechtsgesetz, the Austrian tenancy act, a fixed-term contract lasts at least five years. If the landlord is not a business, it is three years. That also applies to every extension.
You can always give notice after the first year, to the end of a month and with three months' notice. Your first chance is therefore the end of the sixteenth month. An open-ended contract you generally terminate with one month's notice.
In regulated rents there is also a discount few newcomers know about: on a fixed-term main tenancy the maximum permitted rent is 25% lower. Whether your home falls under that maximum rent depends on the building and the contract. Ask before you sign.
| Rule | What it means | Amount or deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | usually three, at most six gross monthly rents | back with interest when you leave |
| Estate agent | paid by whoever hired them | if it was you: at most two gross monthly rents plus 20% VAT |
| Fixed-term contract | at least five years, three with a private landlord | notice after one year, three months' notice period |
| Discount on fixed-term contract | only in regulated rents | 25% of the maximum rent |
| Indexation | once a year, on 1 April | regulated rents: at most 1% in 2026 and 2% in 2027 |
How much may the rent rise?
Since 1 January 2026 the Mieten-Wertsicherungsgesetz, the rent indexation act, governs how a tenancy with indexation rises:
- once a year, on 1 April;
- based on the average inflation of the previous year;
- above 3% the excess only counts for half.
For rent that falls under the Austrian maximum-rent rules, 2025 inflation may be counted at most at one percent and 2026 inflation at most at two percent. Outside that, this extra brake doesn't apply.
What do you pay on average?
Statistik Austria, the Austrian statistics office, measures the average rent including service charges: in the second quarter of 2026 € 10.50 per square metre and € 694.70 per dwelling.
That average is pushed down by old, regulated contracts. A new contract on the free market, certainly in the city, is usually above it. Work out your own situation on the cost page for Austria.
How do I get a cheaper home in Vienna?
Via the Wiener Wohn-Ticket, the access to council housing and subsidised rent. The condition that hits newcomers is the length of residence: at least two years' main residence in Vienna, with breaks of at most seven days. An EU nationality is enough, and your income may not be above a limit.
So start on the free market. Get your Meldezettel (your address registration) right on day one, and put a reminder on your second year as a Viennese.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 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 — the deposit: three months usual, six permissible, disputes go to court — oesterreich.gv.at
- Oesterreich.gv.at — estate-agent commission and the Bestellerprinzip — oesterreich.gv.at
- Oesterreich.gv.at — fixed-term rental contracts: five or three years, notice after one year — oesterreich.gv.at
- Statistik Austria — average rent including service charges per m² and per dwelling — statistik.at
- Wohnberatung Wien — the Wohn-Ticket: two years' main residence in Vienna — wohnberatung-wien.at
- MRG § 16(7) — 25% lower rent on a fixed-term contract — ris.bka.gv.at
- Mieten-Wertsicherungsgesetz — indexation on 1 April, and the caps for 2025 and 2026 — ris.bka.gv.at
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