Reader question: Does owning a second home in Austria give me the right to live there?
Austria is a popular second home destination, but what rights do you get as a second home owner?
Austria's value as a holiday destination has seen it become a popular place for people wanting to buy a second home.
In fact, some Austrians - a majority it seems - would argue that buying a second home here is a little too popular, which may justify all of the restrictions which have been put in place.
As we tackled in our explainer on this topic, buying a second home is restrictive even for Austrian citizens, let alone people living abroad.
READ MORE: How can I buy a second home in Austria?
What rights do I get as a second home owner?
Provided you have purchased the property in a legal fashion, you will accrue various rights as a second home owner in Austria.
If it is designated as a 'second home' (Zweitwohnsitz), you will be allowed to live in it for all or part of the year, or to rent it out.
If it is designated as a 'fully managed' property, you will be able to live there for a maximum of five weeks per year and it will need to be rented for the rest of the time (or left vacant).
Will owning a second home give me special residency rights?
Unfortunately for non-citizens and non-residents, buying a home does not generally confer any additional rights with regard to residency.
If you are an EU citizen, then you will be able to live in Austria under freedom of movement rules.
EXPLAINED: How to apply for a residency permit in Austria
If you are not - and that, remember, includes UK citizens - then you will usually only be able to spend time in Austria under the 90/180 rule.
This means that you can spend a maximum of 90 days in Austria out of 180 consecutive days.
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Austria's value as a holiday destination has seen it become a popular place for people wanting to buy a second home.
In fact, some Austrians - a majority it seems - would argue that buying a second home here is a little too popular, which may justify all of the restrictions which have been put in place.
As we tackled in our explainer on this topic, buying a second home is restrictive even for Austrian citizens, let alone people living abroad.
READ MORE: How can I buy a second home in Austria?
What rights do I get as a second home owner?
Provided you have purchased the property in a legal fashion, you will accrue various rights as a second home owner in Austria.
If it is designated as a 'second home' (Zweitwohnsitz), you will be allowed to live in it for all or part of the year, or to rent it out.
If it is designated as a 'fully managed' property, you will be able to live there for a maximum of five weeks per year and it will need to be rented for the rest of the time (or left vacant).
Will owning a second home give me special residency rights?
Unfortunately for non-citizens and non-residents, buying a home does not generally confer any additional rights with regard to residency.
If you are an EU citizen, then you will be able to live in Austria under freedom of movement rules.
EXPLAINED: How to apply for a residency permit in Austria
If you are not - and that, remember, includes UK citizens - then you will usually only be able to spend time in Austria under the 90/180 rule.
This means that you can spend a maximum of 90 days in Austria out of 180 consecutive days.
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