Tenants should brace themselves for the next sharp price hike in April. According to AK, “reference rents will rise by no less than 8.6 percent” on April 1. On average, the additional costs per year and tenant are around 490 euros, the Labor Chamber announced on Tuesday.
The Labor Chamber therefore advocates a rent ceiling of two percent, an end to the rent for a definite period and a limitation to one rent increase per year. AK expert Thomas Ritt says, “It’s fast and it works.”
776,000 tenants in Austria affected
The increase affects approximately 776,000 tenants. “You have about 162 million euros extra costs due to this price increase,” Ritt calculated on Tuesday. He gives two examples: with an average apartment size of 65 square meters in a private old building, the average additional costs across Austria are just under 490 euros per year. A family in an apartment of 90 square meters will pay about 620 euros more in rent in Vienna and about 960 euros in Vorarlberg.
Three out of four rental contracts only for a definite period of time
Three out of four new leases in the private segment are available for a limited period of time, “not counting the illegal surcharges for new, limited rents in old buildings, which make living very expensive,” says Ritt. And anyone who sues for his too high rent and therefore his rights must fear that the contract will not be renewed.
Guideline values vary depending on the state
The Ministry of Justice published the increase in benchmarks in March. Anyone who has signed a lease after March 1, 1994 in a private old building – built before 1945 – falls under the benchmark system. The increase therefore affects all contracts concluded in the past 27 years, as they (often) contain corresponding adjustment clauses in the contract, as well as new contracts. The benchmarks vary from state to state.
There is no rental ceiling in Austria as other countries have introduced. In France, for example, the National Assembly had already voted in favor of a rent ceiling in July 2022.
SPÖ application for a special session on inflation
In view of inflation, the SPÖ on Tuesday requested a special session of the National Council for the coming week. The SPÖ wants, among other things, to request a rent freeze until 2025, a gas price cap and the establishment of an “anti-inflation committee”. “We are in a dramatic situation and have a federal government that does not recognize or does not want to see this drama,” said vice club boss Jörg Leichtfried.
“What we are experiencing in the fight against inflation is the worst of both worlds,” said the deputy club boss with conviction. “One-time payments don’t lower prices, one-time payments fuel inflation.” The second “huge” problem besides inflation is the sharp rise in rents. “We propose to freeze rents until 2025 and to increase them in the future not according to the consumer price index, but according to the ECB’s key interest rate and by a maximum of two percent,” confirmed Leichtfried.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
