Traismau tenants defend themselves against drastic rent increases

Traismau tenants defend themselves against drastic rent increases

In a explosive case at the St. Pölten district court, tenants of a cooperative residential complex of the WET group in Traismauer have filed a lawsuit against drastic rental price increases. These increases amount to up to 69 percent within just one and a half years, which is a significant financial risk for many residents. These problems are not new, as the case in another residential complex of the WET group in Enzersfeld shows, where tenants also reported almost 50 percent of an increase in their rent.

Christian Andre, one of the main applicants and residents of the Traismaurer plant, said that he had started to collect signatures against the rent increases. He heard many touching stories from other tenants reported by existence fears. Anita Anna Schmid, the second applicant, also expressed her concern and made it clear that she had never signed the lease if she had known about the upcoming increases. "We want to show that we don't put up with everything," added Schmid.

rental price increases and their causes

The WET group justifies the considerable rent increases with increased interest rates on a capital market loan that is used to finance the residential complexes. According to the company, interest on this loan rose to 4.5 percent. The tenants, on the other hand, argue that the WET group is obliged to negotiate the loan interest on regularly and not to increase it independently.

The company, which plays an important role in non -profit housing with around 22,500 residential units in Lower Austria, indicates that although negotiations have been made or satisfactory results have been achieved. A well-known face of the WET group, Michael Kloibmüller, got into the media in 2022 in the course of a corruption investigation committee of the ÖVP, which could increase the pressure on the company.

The court ordered a review of the credit conditions by a loan expert. This is intended to assess whether the current conditions are appropriate or whether debt rescheduling would have been necessary. The process remains posted for the time being, and the tenants hope for a fair solution in this difficult situation.