📋 Tender Overview
Viennas unique cityscape and the rent caps in old buildings are a major reason why Vienna is a serial winner in the election of the most livable city in the world. The major amendment to the building regulations in 2023 also takes these circumstances into account. Since its introduction in December 2023, not a single economic demolition readiness has been granted. The reason for this is the new regulations, which have tightened the underlying calculations.
The amendment to the building regulations has been a really big hit, and it is slowly showing its effects. The stricter regulations regarding short-term rentals are mobilizing vacancies and improving the living situation of local tenants. The effect is even more evident in the protection of old buildings: since the introduction of the stricter assessment, not a single economic demolition readiness has been granted. In this way, we are not only protecting Viennas unique appearance, but also securing urgently needed affordable housing.
But if you say A, you have to say B, and not least by expanding the funding for building renovations, we are making renovations and decarbonization of old buildings easier to finance. So that we remain informed about the acute situation of Wilhelminian-era houses, the building screenings of the Offensive for the Protection of Old Buildings are being expanded further directly in the neighborhoods, said Deputy Mayor and Housing Councilor Kathrin Gaal.
Stricter regulations for the preservation of Wilhelminian-era houses
The amended building regulations take the protection of Wilhelminian-era houses into account in several respects and thus largely put a stop to demolition. The assessment of the economic reasonableness provided for in the constitution is tightened in that possible funding amounts for the renovation of the building, any additional income from up-categorization and costs incurred through culpable behavior in the maintenance obligations are included in the calculation. In addition, with the building sticker or the building book, there are now mandatory regular checks and a documentation requirement regarding the rectification of building defects.
The city is making record amounts available for the renovation and decarbonization of old buildings
In order to enable the renovations and to make the building stock fit for the future, the City of Vienna is investing a record amount in subsidies for renovations and decarbonization. The renovation and decarbonization ordinance will provide additional budget funds of up to 120 million euros in 2024 alone. This is accompanied by a paradigm shift in the funding system, which aims to accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels in addition to renovation. This is particularly evident in small-volume funding cases, where the previous years full-year record level was almost reached in the first half of 2024 with around 1,500 cases. Hauskunft - the City of Viennas advisory center for renovation concepts and funding models - has recorded an average of 615 consultations per month, more than double the number of consultations compared to the previous year. Building screenings of the Old Building Protection Offensive have now been expanded to 9 districts At the same time, the Old Building Protection Offensive, in which interlinked teams from the building police and the emergency measures group check existing buildings directly in the neighborhood, is being expanded to 2 new target areas with Floridsdorf and Hietzing.
The preservation of our city and the quality of life of our citizens are our top priority. With the Old Building Protection Offensive, the City of Vienna is taking action against the neglect of Wilhelminian-era buildings. We set clear rules to ensure that these buildings are well maintained and preserved. Anyone who does not follow the rules must expect consequences, says Walter Hillerer, head of the Emergency Measures and City Services Vienna group. Since its inception, the Offensive for the Protection of Old Buildings has already inspected almost 4,000 houses in 9 districts on 35 action days. There were 740 complaints due to structural defects, fire safety defects or poor sanitation. On the action days, the teams are supplemented by the Health Department of the City of Vienna. The City Services mobile operations office provides information at a fixed location in the district about services, subsidies and benefits of the City of Vienna. Suspected cases and grievances can also be reported to the permanent service hotline 01/4000-4001.
