According to the AK and tenants' association, twice as many people are likely to be evicted this year as in 2020. One of the reasons for this is the consequences of the corona crisis.
976,000 people in Austria are unemployed or on short-time work. And yet with 1. April the benchmark rents will be increased by 2.9 percent. In Vienna alone this affects 580,000 residents of old buildings; throughout Austria it is 750,000. Georg Niedermühlbichler, president of the tenants' association, assumes additional costs of up to 280 euros per year for an 80 square meter apartment.
As if that weren't enough, the rent deferrals expire at the end of March. In other words: All those who owed up to three months' rent due to corona in spring 2020 will have to pay. The AK and the tenants' association fear that the misery will get 50,000 households in trouble. In addition, without countermeasures, the number of evictions is likely to double compared to 2020 to 17,000.
The tenant protectionists are now calling for the benchmark increase to be suspended “for an indefinite period”. In addition, a support fund should be set up, which “takes over the rent payments for those affected for a while”.
