Grants and funding - housing

Wohnbeihilfe (housing benefit)

The City of Vienna supports its low-income residents with a housing benefit scheme. If you are not an Austrian citizen, you must have had your legal residence in Austria for at least five years to be eligible for housing benefit. Also, the subsidy can only be granted for flats in which you and your relatives have your primary place of residence. If you live in a shared flat, you are still eligible to apply. In general, the rent subsidy can be granted for subsidised flats as well as for flats rented on the private market. Under certain conditions it is even possible to receive housing benefit for a flat you own by yourself.

Whether your request for a housing benefit will be approved depends on the following factors:

• Size of your family/number of people living with you
• Family income (income of all people living in the same household)
• Size of the flat
• Housing expenditure (Wohnungsaufwand)

Please note that only the person who is named in the tenancy agreement or sales contract can submit the application. In Austria, tenancy agreements are subjected to a fee (Vergebührung), which has to be paid to the tax authority (Finanzamt). You can only submit your application for housing benefit if this fee has been paid.

Further information and application details

• Municipal Department 50 - Housing Promotion and Arbitration Board for Legal Housing Matters (MA 50) (German)
  • 1190 Vienna, Heiligenstädter Straße 31 / Stiege 3 / 2nd floor
    Public transport information
  • Phone: +43 1 4000 74880
    Calls are answered from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 1 pm, and 2 pm to 3 pm.
  • E-mail: wohnbeihilfe@ma50.wien.gv.at
  • Office hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8 am to 1 pm. Thursday, 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm.
    Last admissions: 11 am and 5 pm.

Application for housing benefit (German)

Structural grants

If you need to improve your current housing situation or need information on grants for newly constructed buildings, you will find information about the individual divisions and units of Municipal Department 50 - Housing Promotion and Arbitration Board for Legal Housing Matters (MA 50) on the following websites:

• MA 50 – overview of grants (German)
  A list with links to grants concerning construction and housing
• MA 50 – housing promotion (Wohnbauförderung) (German)
  General information provided by Municipal Department 50 - Housing Promotion and Arbitration Board for Legal Housing Matters (MA 50)
• MA 50 – financial support for newly constructed buildings (German)
  General information, requirements, types and amount of grants, contact details
• MA 50 – financial support to improve your current living situation (German)
  General information, requirements, types and amount of grants, contact details
• MA 50 - loan as a substitute for own funds (Eigenmittelersatzdarlehen) (German)
  When buying a subsidised flat, you need to pay a share of the total construction costs. The so-called Eigenmittelersatzdarlehen is a loan offered by the Federal Province of Vienna to support individuals in covering these costs. However, there is no legal entitlement which guarantees this loan. Applications have to be submitted directly to the financial institution of your choice.

Wohnfonds Wien - Fonds für Wohnbau und Stadterneuerung (fund for housing construction and urban renewal)

The fund for housing construction and urban renewal is a non-profit organisation, which coordinates property developers, house owners, municipal departments and the City of Vienna’s service centres.

• 1010 Vienna, Lenaugasse 10
  Public transport information
• Phone: +43 1 403 59 19 – 0
• Fax: +43 1 403 59 19 – 86 659
• E-mail: office@wohnfonds.wien.at
• Office hours: Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 5 pm. Friday, 8 am to 12 noon.