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Today in Austria: A round-up of the latest news on Monday

Find out what's going on today in Austria with The Local's short roundup of the news.

Published: 19 April 2021 09:27 CEST
Police
Austrian policemen near the Grand Hotel Wien talking to a protester in Vienna. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

Hard lockdown ends in Burgenland 

The hard lockdown has ended in Austria’s Burgenland at midnight, but not in Vienna and Lower Austria, broadcaster ORF reports.

Non-essential retail, schools and hairdressers will reopen in Burgenland. A new measure includes a mask requirement in the outdoor areas of three large shopping centres in Oberwart, Mattersburg and Parndorf.

People from the lockdown regions of Vienna and Lower Austria are not allowed to go to Burgenland to shop there. There will be police checks.

Police next to be vaccinated

The police will be the next group to benefit from the increased delivery of corona vaccines to Austria. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) announced on Friday evening that 10,000 doses of the corona vaccine Moderna will be delivered to the police next week.

Registration for vaccinations starts next week and will be done voluntarily and anonymously. The vaccination of the thousands of police officers will begin around a month later than originally planned, the Wiener Zeitung newspaper reports. 

On Friday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz promised that all teachers and police officers would be vaccinated by the end of April. 

Doctors start to vaccinate in their practices

Vaccination starts today in doctor’s offices in Vienna, broadcaster ORF reports. However, it has started later than originally planned (the end of March) and not nearly as many doctors can vaccinate as originally thought.

More than a thousand doctors in Vienna want to vaccinate, but as of today, just 560 doctors can actually participate. There are only 10,000 vaccination doses available for doctors to use in April.

For the time being, only lung specialists and internal medicine specialists will receive the AstraZeneca Covid 19 vaccine, and Johnson and Johnson once it is approved.  

Seven day incidence at 197

According to the AGES database, the seven-day incidence, or number of new coronavirus infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the past seven days, is 196.8. Around 2,076 new infections were reported. There are currently 2,011 people in hospital treatment due to the coronavirus, 546 of them in intensive care units.

Berlin renters envy Viennese

The Wiener Zeitung newspaper reports on the decision to stop the Berlin rent cap, saying tenant associations are looking enviously at Vienna’s comparatively cheaper housing.

It reports after the Constitutional Court stopped the cap, many tenants in Berlin now have to pay more money. It also says many Berlin tenants now have to pay back rent despite having lost income during the pandemic. 

READ MORE: Is Vienna really a renters’ paradise?

Criticism of Chamber of Commerce

Austria’s Chamber of Commerce has been criticised in a recent audit office report, Der Standard newspaper reports. It says Viennese undertakers were funded to take a trip to Athens and school fees are paid not only for the offspring of business delegates abroad but also for children in Austria.

The report also contains a number of references to the need for reform of the legal representation of interests of Austrian entrepreneurs due to a rise in consulting costs. 

Entrepreneur suggests recovery strategy

Entrepreneur Georg Knill says he wants the government to lower non-wage labor costs, and says costs of the pandemic could be “earned back through growth” in an interview with the Wiener Zeitung newspaper. He adds the recently expired investment bonus could be extended and new aid be made available.

He also suggests reducing corporate tax, a long-term demand from the Federation of Industry, it is reported. 

Austria’s ‘comeback plan’ to be decided.

The first specific projects of the Austrian government’s economic “comeback plan” are to be decided upon and presented on Tuesday, broadcaster ORF reports. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has said Austria will invest “massively” in digitization and greening, according to APA.

This will increase the budget deficit by a further €8 billion. This year’s budget will have €5.5 billion in additional expenditure and €2.6 billion in shortfalls, according to Finance Minister Gernot Blümel . 

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RENTING

‘Betriebskosten’: What are the extra costs renters must pay in Austria?

Renting an apartment in Austria means you’ll have to budget not only for the rent, but other somewhat hidden monthly costs and expenses.

Published: 30 April 2024 11:29 CEST
'Betriebskosten': What are the extra costs renters must pay in Austria?

Understanding operating costs or the specific expenses landlords or property agencies charge renters, is crucial for staying on top of your monthly payments when renting a place in Austria. These extra costs, known in German as Betriebskosten, are strictly regulated by Austria’s Tenancy Act. 

Here are the operating expensses that are chargeable to tenants, according to the MieterHilfe Public Association:

  • Water/wastewater and costs of leak testing, plus excess consumption due to burst pipes, but does not include disproportionate additional consumption for commercial operations;
  • Rubbish removal (and also clearing out floors and cellars);
  • Clearing out abandoned property;
  • Pest control, with costs such as extermination and periodic inspection or removal of pigeon droppings. Installation of pigeon screens is not included;
  • Sweeping fees (chimney sweep);
  • Electricity for lighting and communal facilities, such as the stairwell, but also replacement of light bulbs, fuses or switches;
  • Insurance premiums for fire, liability and water damage;
  • Insurance premiums for glass breakage and storm damage provided that more than half of the tenants have agreed to this being passed on;
  • Management fee (there is a set administration fee per square metre of usable space and building construction year)
  • House cleaning, including wages and social payments if there is a caretaker, plus materials; 
  • Public charges, unless there is a prohibition on passing them on – offsetting of property taxes is permitted;
  • Ongoing operating costs for communal facilities (lift, heating, playground, green areas, common rooms, etc.).

However, costs such as maintenance and repair work can never be charged under operating expenses.

The same goes for any ‘disproportionate additional costs or consumption due to commercial operations ‘, which refers to costs that are significantly higher than what would be considered normal for residential use or costs that are incurred due to the operation of a business within the rented property. 

READ ALSO: Tenant or landlord – Who pays which costs in Austria?

Vienna’s association for tenants MieterHilfe has a calculator that uses average values to show whether the Betriebskosten you pay are comparatively low, medium or high. The association notes, however, that even low values could be considered unauthorised billing in some cases. In contrast, high values could be correct – the calculator only shows if you are paying too much compared to other properties in the city.

You can check the values HERE. You will need to know either the total usable area of the building or the usable area of the flat and the operating cost share—this information is usually shown in a payment statement you receive from property management. 

What if I believe I am being unfairly charged?

If you think you are paying too much, but the charges are legal – such as for water electricity etc, then you would need to raise this issue with property management. They could take measures to save on operating costs, such as replacing old light bulbs with more energy-efficient ones or setting lights to a timer instead of a traditional light switch, for example.

There are many possible reasons for high or low values, according to the City of Vienna. For example, you may pay comparatively low for water one year because of a small number of residents, while the following year, there are leaking sanitary facilities and a burst water pipe that raises costs.

Buildings with many communal areas and green spaces often tend to have higher operating costs, especially for water, electricity, and housekeeping. 

However, things are different if you think you are being unduly charged—that is, there are charges in the operating costs that do not belong there, such as unapproved construction repair.

READ ALSO: Renting in Austria – The key things foreign residents need to know

If you are unsure of the costs, there is a significant deviation from average prices for no particular reason, or you believe that you are being charged for something not legally admissible as an operating cost, you could have a free check carried out by MieterHilfe or a tenant protection organisation. 

If there is a suspicion of unauthorised billing that cannot be dispelled between tenants and the property management company, this will be clarified at the arbitration board. The arbitration board is an independent body that mediates disputes between tenants and landlords. It is a point of contact before the courts in case of difficulties or legal disputes, and its decision is legally binding.

Property management companies and landlords must settle the operating costs for the previous year by 30 June at the latest and disclose them to tenants. This deadline is set to ensure that tenants have sufficient time to review their cost statements and raise any concerns before the new rental year begins. All expenses must be itemised in the statement, providing transparency and allowing tenants to see exactly what they are being charged for.

They are obliged to provide tenants with a detailed summary of the statement and the invoice documents. If the operating costs per square metre exceed €2, a more detailed review is recommended, according to the City of Vienna.

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