What was the exemption?
With the 2024 housing package, Austria temporarily scrapped the land register fee for buying an owner-occupied home – both for registering ownership (1.1%) and for registering the lending bank's mortgage (1.2%). The assessment base was exempt up to €500,000; properties above €2 million didn't qualify.
When did it end?
Only applications received by the land register between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2026 qualified – and the purchase contract had to be signed after March 31, 2024. For new purchases, the full fees apply again.
Important for everyone who still benefited: you have to live in the home for five years. If you sell it earlier or give up your main residence there, the fee is charged retroactively.
What does this mean for you as a seller?
For buyers of a €400,000 apartment with a mortgage, that's around €4,400 in registration fees – plus the mortgage registration fee, which can add several thousand euros more depending on the loan amount. That money comes out of the budget and affects how much buyers can spend on the property itself.
That makes a realistic asking price and a presentation that shows your property's value all the more important. And if you benefited from the exemption yourself, check before selling within five years whether you'll have to pay the fee after all.
