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LIVING IN AUSTRIA

What are the laws on noisy neighbours in Austria?

Noisy neighbours? Can't sleep? Before you call the Austria police it's important to understand the law on noise complaints.

What are the laws on noisy neighbours in Austria?
Noisy neighbours can make your life a misery. In Austria, however, you do have recourse. Photo: Pexels / Atul Choudhary

Contrary to popular belief, Austria doesn’t abide by neighbouring Germany’s ‘Ruhezeiten‘ (quiet hours) when it comes to law-making – that it to say, there is no specific, countrywide legally-mandated obligation to keep noise to a minimum between 10pm and 6am. 

That’s not to say that you have no legal recourse, should you face those around you blasting techno music into the early hours. It’s just that there is a (slightly lengthier) process that you need to follow. Put simply, each case needs individually to be investigated and evaluated judging on where and when it has occurred.

According to the official Austrian government site, your first course of action should always be to make contact with your neighbours regarding the issue. If this doesn’t work to resolve things, you then have recourse to approach either the police or you local municipal authority (your local Rathaus, specifically) and file a complaint.

Most of the time this will ultimately involve the police conducting an investigation and if they judge a disturbance has occurred, a fine being issued to the culprit. The fine amount varies across Austria, from €700 in Vienna, up to €1,450 across Tyrol. However, these fines can take time to be issued, and several months before the process is ultimately completed.

Also keep in the mind that the investigation is ultimately a subjective matter, depending on where the noise infraction is considered to be taking place. The amount of noise that may be tolerated by an investigating police officer in a heavily trafficked urban environment, for example, may be more than in the countryside. Noise on a week day may be more tolerated than on a Sunday. 

If a neighbour is persistent in making undue amounts of noise, and complaints made with the police don’t appear to effective, Austrian civil law also allows you to take the matter to court. Following a successful legal action, there will be severe consequences following any further infractions by the noisemaker. While costly, it can be an effective way to ultimately resolve the matter. 

It’s also important to understand your rights specifically regarding to the noise made by lawnmowers and other sorts of loud machinery. Individual municipalities within Austria can and do regulate when you are permitted to use noisy gardening equipment and you can find the permitted hours here (Page in German, select the federal state, then the individual municipality). Should your neighbour drag the lawnower out at 6am, for example, it’s more than appropriate to contact the local police – on a non-emergency number, of course. 

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For members

PROPERTY

Why are young people in Austria so pessimistic about homeownership?

Most young people in Austria do not believe they can afford to buy their own home with their income. Here is why.

Why are young people in Austria so pessimistic about homeownership?

Only 39 percent of young professionals think they can afford their own home with their income, according to a new GPA trade union survey

Around 1000 Austrians aged 16 to 29 participated in the survey, which shows that the expectation of being able to buy property without inheritance or help decreases with age.

Austrians aged 25 to 29 are the most pessimistic

The survey shows that as life and work experience increase, the expectation of being able to buy a home from one’s salary decreases.

Younger Austrians up to 24 years old are more likely to believe they can achieve this (44 percent) compared to Austrians between 25 and 29 years old (30 percent).

The difference becomes even more significant between those still in education (59 percent) and those who are working (33 percent).

Expectations are consistent across both low- and high-income groups.

READ MORE: How can I move into affordable cooperative housing in Vienna?

Young women least satisfied with salary

More than a third of young Austrians find that they have a salary that is too low.

In the survey, 43 percent of women expressed not being satisfied with their earnings, compared to 36 percent of men.

The survey also shows that the participants prioritise choosing educational fields where it is easy to find a job after graduation (86 percent) and where they can experience good earning prospects (84 ).

High prices, rates and strict lending criteria

One of the biggest barriers to owning a home in Austria is the sky-high property prices. Over the years, property prices have increased, making it more difficult for people with an average income to afford a place of their own. 

Another factor making owning a home challenging is the increase in interest rates in recent years. As a result, both existing variable-rate loans and newly obtained fixed-rate loans have become more expensive.

Analysts expect the European Central Bank to cut interest rates by around 0.5 percent in the near future, but according to durchblicker’s calculations, this would initially only create a little relief for loan takers, where instead of around 60 percent, 55 percent of monthly household net income would be needed for debt repayment.

Difficulties obtaining a mortgage

Another issue preventing many from realising their dream to buy a home is the difficulty obtaining a mortgage.

Since July 2022, stricter rules have applied in Austria for the granting of property loans. Loan applicants must have a deposit worth at least 20 percent of the value of their property to be granted a loan.

This means that young professionals need to work for many years and earn a high income to have a chance of being accepted.

READ ALSO: Why buying property in Austria remains unaffordable for most

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