First calculations

This is how much families save through rent control

Housing costs have risen sharply in recent years.(Bild: TRFilm/Krone KREATIV)

Rising housing costs are the biggest concern for people in Austria - as surveys show time and again. Under pressure from the SPÖ, the three-party coalition is now introducing rent brakes in the regulated and free housing market. The "Krone" has received initial calculations on how much each individual tenant will save as a result.

This is what the brake says: the guideline and category rents in old buildings, in council apartments and the index-linked fees in cooperative apartments may not be increased this year. This has already been decided and is effective. This benefits 2.7 million people throughout Austria. Now comes the rent freeze for next year - a maximum of one percent plus - and for 2027 with a maximum of two percent. (Non-profit apartments are no longer included because they have cost prices anyway).

First rent freeze for the independent rental sector from 2026
The rent freeze for the unregulated sector (mainly new builds) will also be introduced in 2026. Specifically, it will look like this: If inflation exceeds three percent between two years, only half of the inflation above three percent may be passed on to tenants of apartments.

Housing costs have risen sharply in recent years.(Bild: TRFilm/Krone KREATIV)

For example: if inflation is six percent, the rent may increase by a maximum of 4.5 percent. From 2028, the same conditions will apply in the regulated sector as in the unregulated sector.

Example of a family in an old apartment
The tenants' association has calculated how much a family with a rented apartment in an old building will save thanks to the government's rent package: 264 euros in the first year, 459 euros in the second, 533 euros in the third, a total of 1256 euros.

(Bild: Diverse Fotografen honorarfrei)

"In three years, the savings for a 700-euro rental apartment add up to more than 1,000 euros. This is a really big and lasting relief for families throughout Austria," says Julia Herr, first deputy chairwoman of the SPÖ.