Rent Price Rip-Off in Vienna: Recover an Average of 5,000 Euros with the "Rent Check"
The Tenants' Association and various private companies are not the only ones offering support in the field of tenancy law. The Vienna Chamber of Labour (AK) also launched the free "rent check" a year ago. This service allows tenants to have their rental contracts for old buildings reviewed, resulting in an average refund of 5,000 euros, as reported by ORF.
Landlords exploit lack of transparency in benchmark rent
So far, 1,400 tenants in Vienna have taken advantage of this opportunity. The Chamber of Labour criticizes that the law on benchmark rent with its permissible surcharges and deductions is unclear and complicated. Some landlords of old buildings exploit this lack of transparency by setting excessive rent prices.
On average 5,000 euros back
The Chamber of Labour does not shy away from taking legal action when necessary. Currently, about 300 cases are pending in court or at the arbitration board. A remarkable success in a specific case from Leopoldstadt shows that tenants receive an average of 5,000 euros back. In another case, the rent increased by 28 percent over nine years, leading to a claim of almost 16,000 euros.
The Chamber of Labour has clearly positioned itself in demanding more transparency in tenancy law. This includes the abolition of fixed-term contracts and the introduction of a rent cap, even for freely agreed rents.
(Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.