Home FAQ: Buy a house in Austria
Romex Investments has over ten years of experience in developing and selling holiday homes in the Alpine countries. We regularly receive questions about the rules that apply in Austria. In order to provide you with the best possible information, we have bundled these questions for you in this blog.
Do you live in the Netherlands for most of the year and want to buy a holiday home in Austria? Since you are a resident of the European Union, this is not a problem. Every inhabitant of Europe is allowed to buy a house in other EU Member States.
Yes. Although you as a European can legally buy houses in other EU member states, you will have to comply with rules that apply in Austria and the federal state that you have in mind. You can think of the destination of the property. The zoning plan influences the possibility of renting out the holiday home.
Roughly three different destinations are used for houses in Austria: Zweitwohnsitz, Hauptwohnsitz and Gewerbliche. Romex Investments uses the destination of a Gewerbliche home. The table below shows the difference between these three destinations quickly. Romex Investments’ Austrian projects are subject to a rental obligation. All homes must be rented all year round, which our rental organization Romex Restate will take care of for you. So there is no question of “Freizeitwohnsitz”. The Austrian authorities strictly monitor this!
| Allowed to use (by yourself) as a holiday home? | Mandatory to rent out the house? | Allowed to live permanently yourself? | Allowed to rent out yourself permanently? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Allowed to use (by yourself) as a holiday home? | Mandatory to rent out the house? | Allowed to live permanently yourself? | Allowed to rent out yourself permanently? |
|---|---|---|---|
| *No | n.a | Yes | Yes |
* These are houses for people who live in Austria themselves or for foreigners who will immigrate to Austria. Of course there are always exceptions, but in principle this destination excludes use as a holiday home.
| Allowed to use (by yourself) as a holiday home? | Mandatory to rent out the house? | Allowed to live permanently yourself? | Allowed to rent out yourself permanently? |
|---|---|---|---|
| *No | Yes | No | No |
*Of course there are always exceptions, but in principle this destination excludes use as a holiday home.
Yes. Romex Investments apartments are located only in areas where regulations allow foreigners to purchase a holiday home (see above).
Since Austria is an EU member state, you can finance your home through an Austrian bank. Of course, the conditions for this are often slightly different than you are used to in the Netherlands. When you buy a home by Romex Investments, we always assist you in tax, legal and financial matters.
If you rent a holiday home in Austria, you pay tax on the income you generate. The percentage you pay depends on several factors. Romex Investments’ tax specialists can tell you more about this.
Feel free to contact Romex Investments. We are happy to advise you and tell you more about our current and upcoming projects in Austria. You can contact us by phone at +31 (0)79 361 59 27 or by sending an email to info@romex-investments.nl.