Are you planning to buy a holiday home in Austria? Then you need to make sure the house has a permit to use as a Zweitwohnsitz. Without a licence, you risk being fined.

Hauptwohnsitz vs Zweitwohnsitz

Before buying a house in Austria, you need to know carefully whether you want to use the property as a ‘Hauptwohnsitz’ or as a ‘Zweitwohnsitz’ (or ‘Freizeitwohnsitz’). In other words, are you buying the house as your main residence to stay permanently, or as a holiday home for recreational purposes? In the second case, you must have a Zweitwohnsitz permit. This allows you to use the property as a second home and usually rent it out.

Here’s the rub: not all Austrian properties can be used as a Zweitwohnsitz. Especially the western Bundesländer (Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Salzburg) have strict legislation. These areas are popular with foreigners (especially Germans and Dutch), who buy holiday homes there en masse. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult for locals to buy a house. Therefore, the issuing of new permits for Zweitwohnsitze is restricted and often involves long bureaucratic procedures.

Permit is a must

A second reason for the strict regulations is the high number of illegal Zweitwohnsitze, where the foreign owners live only during vacations and weekends. This used to be turned a blind eye but now such homes must be registered as Hauptwohnsitz. This amounts to recording, when you sign the purchase contract, that you will not use the property for recreational purposes.

The use of a property for recreational purposes without a Zweitwohnsitz permit is strictly prohibited in East Branch and can lead to heavy fines. It is therefore crucial that before buying a property in Austria you check carefully whether or not it may be used as a Zweitwohnsitz, what permits are required and what conditions you must meet. Therefore, get good advice from a reputable broker or advisor at the Second Home Fair or find a contact through the Second Home portal website. Finally, before proceeding to buy a second home, contact the municipality where you plan to buy a home.