Housing misery in Vienna

Tenants without bathrooms, hot water and heating

Judith Pühringer presented horrendous examples.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Wiener Grüne, Viktoria Graf)

Property speculators are getting rich while tenants have to live in catastrophic conditions. This is not an isolated case in Vienna. The Greens are calling for an anti-speculation package, while the city sees the federal government as having a duty.

Vienna has a problem with speculative housing, says Judith Pühringer, head of the Vienna Green Party. In recent months in particular, cases have come to light where tenants not only have to live in catastrophic conditions, but are also exploited and driven out.

The aim of this neglect is to achieve economic demolition maturity. This is followed by demolition, new construction and rental or sale at horrendous prices.

Desolate facades that are not renovated

(Bild: Grüne Wien)

Mold and wet walls in the living spaces.

(Bild: Grüne Wien)

Forcing people to move out with harassment
One example is in Rüdigergasse in the 5th district, where the apartment building is already as good as empty. The remaining tenants are being harassed to get them to move out. One tenant was forced to tear out his lovingly built bathroom because an elevator was to be installed in its place - which never came. The tenant now lives without a bathroom, hot water or heating.

The roof was removed but not replaced.

(Bild: Grüne Wien)

Plastic sheeting instead of a roof
In Spengergasse 1, also in the 5th district, the roof was removed four years ago and has since been replaced by blue plastic sheeting. Leaking gas pipes and mold plague the tenants at Rienößlgasse 24 in Wieden. The Greens had brought all these cases to the attention of the building police, but it was not possible to deal with them quickly due to a lack of staff.

Higher penalties demanded
"It is disconcerting that such conditions exist in a city that stands for social housing," says housing spokesperson Georg Prack. In their package of measures, the Greens are calling for an increase in staff, forced administration by the city for those owners who make life hell for tenants, an apartment building purchase program, higher penalties for demolitions without a permit and a financial increase in the Old Town Preservation Fund.

The amendment to the building code has brought tough tightening measures regarding demolition buildings and permits.

Wohnbaustadträtin Kathrin Gaál (SPÖ)

Bild: Jöchl Martin

Failures on the part of the federal government
According to Housing Councillor Kathrin Gaál (SPÖ), the problem of non-compliance with owner obligations is due to the federal tenancy law. The city is making every effort to mitigate the failings of the green-black federal government in terms of tenancy law. Moreover, these are private tenancy agreements. Gaál: "With Mieterhilfe, we also have an organization that provides information and represents tenants' interests in court."