Owners Tips

Austrian Property Owners Tipps © Austrian Property Owners Tipps
We have introduced this Questions and Answer page to to make life
a bit easier and help those buying property in Austria
Property for Sale in Austria

We hope on these pages that we can answer most of your queries about Property for Sale in Austria, and the buying and owning a property in Austria. Once you become an owner, that is just the beginning! And unlike owning a holiday property in the UK, where you can pop to the nearest B&Q or MFI, it is helpful to know where to get what!!

We have listened to many new owners questions and also some of the helpful tipps supplied by our property owners. Then decided to add them to our website, so that anyone considering buying can be one jump ahead when it comes to being ready to rent or just enjoy your new purchase in Austria. If you have a particular query then please ask. info@amazingaustria.com - WE will answer it and also add it to this page as a guide to other owners and potential buyers.

Q - I have just bought in Austria and need to replace the furniture...is it better to bring it from the UK?

A - Not unless you are bringing your own furniture it is not worth the hassle. It is just as cheap if not cheaper to buy furniture and furnishings in Austria. There are department stores such as Kika, Leiner and Lutz. These are are large stores along the lines of Debenhams..but without the ladies clothes!! They are situated in all the major towns, and in the holiday areas..Salzburg...Zell am see..Innsbruck...Graz, Vienna, etc.

We bought a few sofabeds for the apartment for 199 Euro each in the recent Sale!! The stores have sales quite often...just as in the UK.

There is also a chain called Mobilix, these stores tend to be at the cheaper end of the scale and have some very good prices. They do not have the fancy room layouts of the other stores and the style is more warehouse, but if it is cheap furniture you are looking for, then they are worth a visit.

And you will be pleased to know that all the stores lend you a Van for free, to transport your DIY furniture. The only thing you have to pay for is the insurance and currently this is about 14.90 Euro for the day.

And...if you can't live without your IKEA store, you will be pleased to know that there is a large branch at Salzburg.

Q - I have just bought a ski apartment and would like to rent it for holidays, do I need to have insurance?

A - Yes. In your betriebkosten (the monthly management fees) you will be covered for any damage to the building, but not any of the contents. It is best to have your own insurance to cover this and also for 'third party liability' Be careful though..you can get cheap insurance but that is what it is!! You need to have an insurnace that covers 'new for old' oherwise you will end up footing the bill yourself when the insurance company offer you a pitance for your damage claim!! A good insurance should cost about 15 Euros per month for contents on a one bedroom apartment.

Q - I have just bought a house and need to have some House and contents insurance,. Is it the same as the UK?

A - NO! Be careful of this. The system here is that you take insurance and the contract lasts for up to 10 years. What you have to be care about is that...when you buy a house the insurance goes with it!! But this might not suit you or your insurance needs. You have 28 days after completion of your purchase to cancel the old existing insurance and find your own. You can of course just leave it with the old insurers.So, remember to mention this point to the Notary if you want to change. We are happy to point people in the right direction to get insurance quotes. email us: info@amazingaustria.com

Q - I would like to buy a new fridge and TV for my apartment but prices seem to be quite high? Is there anywhere I can get cheaper items?

A - Yes.. I guess the UK market is spoiled when it comes to cheap electrical goods. But the prices are not so bad. I myself bought a 15" flat screen TV, with intregated DVD player for 279 Euros?

There is the 'Media Markt 'chain of stores across Austria. They are a bit like a Comet Store in the UK and have some good very prices. But don't forget to look at what the department stores have on offer..they have very good specials every now and again.

Q - I would like to know if I can bring my car and keep it in Austria.

A - Well, you are certainly entitled to drive to Austria and stay with your car for up to 3 months...this is because your own UK insurance entitles you to 90 days abroad. There are problems inviolved with UK registered cars, as you need to keep it MOT'd and insured. This you would have to do in the UK, so it is ok if you are constantly driving back and forth between the countries, you can arrange for this between trips, but realistically it is easier to buy an Austrian vehicle.

Be prepared for higher prices!! Many cars that you would not pay a few thousand Euros to buy in the UK,...sell for up to 5,000 euros!! There is a different criteria here in Austria. They have no problem with 'I must have the latest 'V' reg in September!! or whatever the letter!
They simply have a car and it is based on the mileage or kilometres on the clock! No funny registration plates, that only the owner understands!!!

Q - I need to have some refurbishment work done on the apartment I bought, but I am not sure what I should be paying a tradesman??

A - Going rate is about 35 - 40 Euro per hour for an Austrian tradesman. They are very meticulous and you will get a very good job for your money. You can find cheaper, but you get what you pay for!! Be aware that many of the new states that have joined the EU have people working in Austria..you can get a Romanian painter or Hungarian plumber on the cheap and pay cash, no questions asked....but remember...you have no come back.

Q - I need to get hold of some DIY stuff, is there an equivalent to B&Q or Homebase, in Austria.

A - Yes. There are quite a few large DIY stores. They are called 'Bau Haus' and 'Bau Max'. Bau is the Austrian word for 'Build' - they sell absolutely everything that a DIY enthusiast could ask for! From a few screws & nails to complete bathroom & plumbing fittings. They tend to be situated in the large towns.

But you do not need to make a trip to the city all the time as there are the Lagerhaus chain of stores. These are situated in or just outside almost every village in Austria. They tend to be geared more to the Farmer but they carry a large range of items from electrical fittings to DIY tools and Garden machinery...in fact almost everything you might need to fix a problem around the house/apartment.

Q - I have just bought a lakeside apartment and would like to bring my boat. Can I do this or are there regulations?

A - As with any fresh water areas there are rules. Just as you have in the UK..for example..I think in the lake district you cannot have a motor powered boat. Lots of boat owners in Austria have electric outboard motors.

Each Gemeinde(council) has it's rules and it is always best to checki before you bring a boat. In many cases the restriction is more to do with available moorings!!

Q - I am interested to bring my small business to Austria. I work from home as a freelance Web designer and am concerned that this would be allowed.

A - If you are going to work as a freelance, self employed person, this is no problem...but again just as in the UK, you cannot set up a Haulage Business with lots of trucks or a manufacturing business with lots of noisy machinery.

Q - What about the tax situation of earning in Austria, as I also have a UK income.

A - Well, you have to pay tax somewhjere in the EU..and if you are domicile in the UK, then all your earnings worldwide would be taxed in the UK, when you declare them. Everyone's tax situation is different and we would advise that you discuss this with an Austrian Aaccountant. WE can point you in the right direction if you have a personal tax query. Just email us at info@amazingaustria.com

Q - I am a a cash buyer and about to buy a property in Austria, but was told I might be better with a mortgage at the moment.

A - Austrian mortgages are cheap in comparision to the UK, so it can make sense to keep your cash on deposit in the UK in a high interst account and pay off an Austrian mortgage with the interest gained. Or if you are renting your apartment for holidays then rental income would cover a mortgage.

Q - I do not speak any German, will that be a problem with owning a property in Austria.

A - Well it is always nice to be able to converse with people in their own language, but you do not need too worry to much as English is the common denominator for all of Europe. It is the language of the Airline industry, the Financial markets, the computer industry, Tourism etc. Just be pleased that you can speak it!! When you become an Austria property owner..it will come to you naturally to start learning and speaking the German language as you go shopping and mix with the Austrian people.

Q - I would like to buy an apartment but why are the monthly costs different for all the apartments I have viewed?

A - The monthly costs vary depending on what services and facilities are available in the apartment building. For example, some buildings have a lift and this makes it a little more expensive. Then you can find that apartment owners in a building have voted to have new windows all round. If there is not enough money in the Building fund, this cost is normally met by borrowing the money from the bank and of course, the loan payments must be met, so you can find that the monthly management cost can be more over the period of the loan, then it reduces after the loan is paid off. So you have nice new windows for a few euros extra each month.

There is also different forms of heating in buildings. In many holiday apartment buildings, the heating is Night storage, so that you only switch it on when you need to. Then you have buildings where the heating is from a central unit in the basement. This means the building is heated all year round and although this can be a little more expensive than, the night storage, it makes for more comfort. In buildings with the night storage heating, there is more problems with damp, as the landings are not heated, also you can arrive to find your apartment is showing signs of damp as it is not heated or aired.

Q - What is included in the monthly management fees?.

A - There are some variations, but generally, they include:
Building insurance(not the contents of your apartment)
Some include the water supplied & heating.
Services of a house manager;
to keep the building clean and in a state of good repair.
Putting out the refuge each week
Snow clearing in Winter
Grass cutting in Spring and Summer

There is an Owners meeting with the management company each year, at which you can contribute your ideas of what you might like to have done to the building for the coming year. Many people forget that as an Owner they own part of a building in conjunction with other Owners, and it is up to all Owners to get together to discuss looking after their Building!!

Q - I need to get rid of a lot of old furniture that came with the property I bought. Are there any re-cycling areas?.

A - Yes, most villages have a re-cycling Hof. This is where you can take your old furniture or items for re-cycling. But be aware, that although the first load is free, if you turn up again the same day with more loads, they will charge you. It is normally charged by the weight, per Kilo of rubbish to get rid of for all extra loads. For example a few loads of old furniture, sofas, beds etc could cost about 65 euros. Still cheap and you are saving the planet!! If you are doing any building or renovation work, the builder will takle the rubbish away for you, but it will cost even more...this is because a builder has acommercial license to dispose of rubble etc, and it is expensive! Always ask what it is going to cost you!!

Q - I would like to rent out my apartment for holidays in Austria. Is there anything special I need to do?

A - Yes. you need to go to the local Gemeinde and get a Kurtax book. This is an NCR duplicate pad, which your rental guests must complete to pay their tourist tax. The book costs about 2 euros. The tourist tax at the moment is 1.15 euros per night for Adult over 15 years of age.

Q - I would like to rent out my apartment in Austria long term. What costs are involved and are there short term rental contracts like the UK?

A - No, the minimum rental term in Austria is 3 years. This is to protect the tenant & their family and make life more secure than the uncertainty of the 6 month rental contract that is the norm in the UK. The tenant has the cost of the contract and the owner has the commission to pay to the Estate agent. It is normally 3 months rental as a commssion, more or less a month for each year! but this can be negotiable depending on the rental income of the property.

Q - I am about to purchase a property in Austria, and have been told there is cheaper ways to transfer money, than my own bank?

A - Yes. this is very much the case. All the high street UK Banks have their own charges which can be quite expensive. It is best to use a specialist currency supplier. You can save literally thousands of £'s, depending on how much your purchase is of course. You can open a currency account (it is free!!) and with it, you can buy all currencies of the world. So it is not only useful for your property purchase but for your holidays to other countries. For complete details, click on the link at the bottom of our property pages.

Q - I would like to get a a phone installed in my Austrian apartment, is this difficult?

A - No not really, you need to go to your local Post office to make your request for a phone line to be installed. The service is provided by Telekom Austria..pretty much on a par with BT!! You can fill in all the forms at the Post office and normally it is about 5 working days for them to contact you and let you know when the phone will be installed. They do not provide a handset and you need to order this separate or buy one at a local shop.

Also when you place an order you also sign to have a direct debit for the payment each Quarter. You can also ask for an internet connection at the same time. There are various packages on offer, for phone and internet and it is no more expensive than in the UK.
There are also plans like 'Friends and Family' where you have discounted phone calls, and also cheap calls to other countries...ie..the UK.

Q - I would like to bring my business to Austria, but as we send out lots of mail, need good Post service?

A - Normally, it takes up to 48 hours to get a letter back to the UK..that is better than second class UK post and probably on a par with First class post!!

Q - I have just bought an apartment and would like to rent it long term, 6 months or more. what problems might I come across?

A -Well for a start, the minimum contractual rental term in Austria is 3 years! Many owners are surprised by this but it does make for a stable village society if tenants can stay for more than 6 months at a time. But not every landlord wants to tie their property up for 3 years. Tenants have the right to stay for 3 years but can leave at any time as long as they give one month's notice. This is also to help the work force, when they get offered a new Job in a different part of Austria. This can happen quite a lot as Austria is based on Tourism jobs. On the plus side, Owners have an income for 3 years plus the tenant pays all service bills.

Q - I would like to buy an old property Austria to renovate, but I am concerned about Builders, Building regulations or problems should I attempt to do myself. Can you advise?

A - That is quite a tall order. To start with, we would suggest that you have an Architect to oversee the work and act as site manager. They know the rules and have direct contact with the local Gemeinde to ensure you do noy have problems. They also know the local builders and can recommend who to use. An Architect will normally charge 10% of the work cost as his fee to manage any renovation..it is money well spent as he can pay for him/herself with the discounts they can get out of builders and tradesmen.

If you decide to do it yourself, then go to the local Gemeinde and speak with them. They will advise and might even be able to put you in touch with reputable Builders.

Q - I have been told that there is a high tax if you sell your property in Austria. What is this and how much?

A - Austria has what is called a speculation tax. It is there to try and stabilize the property market. Unlike the UK, where you can buy a an old property, renovate and sell on in a few months. The tax you pay is simply down to your tax banding.

In Austria if you keep your property for 10 years there is no speculation or capital gains tax. All the profit you make is yours.
This is good for long term investment, but not so much if you want to sell sooner. If you sell before the 10 years there is a 50% tax on the profit if you take the money to spend or out of the country. If you invest in another property in Austria, it is only 7%. So this is a very good incentive to invest long term, as you can rent out your property to have an income then when the 10 year limit is up...sell and take your profit relatively tax free.

Q - I have sold my B&B in the UK and am looking for a Guesthouse in Austria. I have found that prices vary quite a lot between regions, why is this?

A - Well just as in the UK, there are popular tourist areas and not so popular tourist areas. Think about the West Country which is a great holiday regionthe prices can be quite high compared to the depths of Wales. Many clients have viewed properties in the Karnten area of Austria, where the prices are very cheap, but there are not so much tourist trade as near to the Salzburg or popular well known ski areas. Quite simply you get what you pay for!! Although you pay more in the popular tourist areas, you also make more profit!! Very important if paying a mortgage.