New rent guidelines: Communities will determine vacancy taxes in Tyrol in the future

New rent guidelines: Communities will determine vacancy taxes in Tyrol in the future

The Tyrolean state government plans to have a comprehensive reform of the vacancy tax in order to tackle the problem of unused properties more effectively. The draft for redesign has already been sent to the assessment and could bring enormous changes. In the future, the cities and municipalities will take responsibility for the collection of this tax.

According to the new regulations, the municipalities may request up to 30 percent of a "basic rental value" set by the country. The state government must determine the exact basic rental value by a regulation for each municipality, whereby an external company was commissioned to create a rental price. The adjustments should come into force on January 1, 2026, as recently reported by the media ORF Tirol and "Tyrolean daily"

new access to information

An important aspect of the reform is that the municipalities now have access to more comprehensive register queries that were previously not allowed due to data protection concerns. This measure is intended to help to record the number of really vacant apartments more precisely, since the owners have so far been obliged to report their vacancy independently. According to August this year, only 1,300 reports were recorded, which indicates that the actual numbers could be significantly higher.

The introduction of the vacancy tax goes back to an earlier black and green state government. The levy, which can be up to 2,200 euros per year, was often criticized as ineffectively because numerous exceptions exist. For example, apartments that are located in your own building are freed from payment if there is a detectable personal use, or if the building cannot be used due to legal or structural reasons.

Most of these exceptions should continue to exist in the new regulations. A final decision on the changes is expected in March 2025 in the state parliament, and the effects of this new regulation are pursued with great tension. From a political point of view, this initiative could be regarded as a trend -setting step in order to combat lack of living space and vacancy in Tyrol simultaneously without putting too much strain on the living situation of those affected.

Further details on this topic can be read in a comprehensive report at www.diepresse.com become.