Anyone renting out a Vienna flat through Airbnb, Booking.com or a similar platform would have to register it with the city from 2027 under new rules announced by the Austrian capital.
The City of Vienna announcement on September 19th included a January 1st start date and a transition period for properties already being advertised.
The rules aren't law yet. The new Wiener Kurzzeitvermietungsregistergesetz (WKVRG) is due to be passed by Vienna's Landtag, or state parliament, in November and is intended to take effect on January 1st, 2027.
The Local reported on the register in June, when some of the details were still being negotiated.
Who would have to register?
Under the announced rules, anyone offering a Vienna flat for short-term rental through platforms such as Airbnb or Booking.com would have to register it, regardless of how often or for how long it is rented out.
That includes both individuals and companies.
New hosts would need to comply from January 1st, 2027. People who are already advertising a property would have until the end of the first quarter of 2027, meaning the end of March, to register.
The city would then check whether anything prevents the property from being legally used for short-term rental.
If the check is successful, the property would receive a registration number. This number must appear in its online listing.
Platforms would only be allowed to advertise Vienna properties with a valid registration number. Listings that remain unregistered after the relevant transition period would have to be removed.
The September 19th announcement doesn't yet spell out the application process, such as what documents hosts will need to submit.
Does registration mean you can automatically rent out your flat?
No. Registration is an additional requirement, not a replacement for Vienna's existing restrictions on tourist rentals.
Under current Vienna rules, the 90-day home-sharing exception allows people to rent out their home temporarily for short stays, subject to Vienna's Ortstaxe (tourist tax), as long as they don't permanently give up their residence there.
Companies and other legal entities can't use this exception because they can't have a residence in a flat.
Renting out a property beyond those limits generally requires an Ausnahmebewilligung, or exemption permit, which can last up to five years. But it isn't available in every case. For example, flats in designated residential zones (Wohnzonen) aren't eligible.
Other restrictions can also apply. A tenancy agreement may forbid subletting, for example, and any short-term letting of Vienna municipal housing (Gemeindewohnungen) isn't permitted.
The register would also allow the city to check whether an advertised property is eligible for short-term rental.
READ ALSO: Am I allowed to sublet my rental apartment in Austria?
What about the 90-day rule?
The registration system doesn't replace the 90-day rule.
Someone renting out their own home for only a few weeks while travelling would still need a registration number if they advertise it through one of the affected platforms, even if they don't need an exemption permit under the 90-day home-sharing provision.
Anyone wanting to rent out a property more extensively would still have to comply with the existing building-law requirements as well.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What are the new Airbnb rules in Vienna?
Vienna also wants to restrict property conversions
The second part of the package targets landlords and companies converting residential flats into accommodation businesses.
Vienna says some property owners have sought to reclassify homes as Beherbergungsstätten, or accommodation establishments, which can take the properties outside the normal short-term rental rules.
The planned changes would require at least 80 percent of the usable floor area on standard floors to remain dedicated to residential use.
The restrictions are intended to apply across Vienna, although exceptions are planned for traditional hotels and other accommodation establishments.
The City also says the new provisions will apply to conversion applications submitted since the summer. Older applications already pending would continue to be assessed under the existing rules.
READ ALSO: ‘Homes not Hotels’: Vienna party reports 1,400 illegal AirBnB properties
What penalties are planned?
Failing to comply with the registration requirement could result in fines of up to €50,000 per offence.
For repeated registration offences, the proposed rules provide for minimum fines of €2,000.
Changes to Vienna's building regulations would separately introduce minimum fines of €2,000 for repeated breaches of the city's short-term rental rules.
Hosts should keep in mind that these are the rules the City announced. The WKVRG still needs to pass the Vienna Landtag, and the final legal text will determine exactly what applies from 2027.
READ ALSO: Airbnb hosts in Vienna face stricter rules and rising penalties
Key vocabulary
Kurzzeitvermietung – short-term rental
Wiener Kurzzeitvermietungsregistergesetz (WKVRG) – Vienna Short-Term Rental Register Act
Ausnahmebewilligung – exemption or special permit
Beherbergungsstätte – accommodation establishment
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