Rental problems? The Mieterschutzverband

Introduction

People living in rented accommodation can often find problems such as:

• the landlord won’t return the deposit

• the contract has some terms that you want to question

• the landlord won’t allow you to keep a pet

• an appliance is broken

• the heating system needs servicing - who pays?

• something is broken and the landlord won’t fix it

• the landlord is trying to throw you out

For these and many other problems, there is a great resource:

Mieterschutzverband

The Austrian Mieterschutzverband (Tenants' Protection Association) is a non-profit and unaffiliated organisation dedicated to safeguarding the rights and interests of tenants in Austria. It plays a crucial role in providing legal assistance, support, and advocacy for individuals who rent properties.

This is what the website of the Upper Austrian branch says they do:

We ... advise and support apartment owners with all problems, except those arising from re-letting. We are also the contact for tenants of business premises.

The umbrella organisation has links to the provincial associations as well as articles about tenancy law (in German but your browser will translate the site for you): https://www.mieterschutzverband.at/mitgliedschaft/

In general, membership of your provincial association will cost around €150 - €210/year and give you access to face-to-face, telephone or email support whenever you need it. There is reduced price "test" or "extraordinary membership" for people who just want to get advice once.