Vienna improves living allowance: strong relief for families and single parents!

Vienna improves living allowance: strong relief for families and single parents!

Heiligenstädter Straße 31, 1190 Wien, Österreich - On March 27, 2025, the 39th meeting of the Vienna State Parliament took place, in which an essential draft was decided to amend the Vienna Wohn Aid Act (WRWBG). LAbg. Georg Prack from the Greens emphasized that important criticisms from the first novella were addressed. The aim of the new law is to secure the living allowance against increasing inflation and to relieve households with people with disabilities more.

An important feature of the law are the improvements for single parents who can now receive up to 320 euros per month. Independent single parents also have the opportunity to apply for support. The amount of the living allowance was raised to up to 247 euros per month, which is an important financial relief for many Viennese families.

challenges when applying

Despite these positive developments, the possibility of retrospective application was created, but long processing times were criticized. The application requirements are clearly defined: Applicants must have the main residence in Vienna, be tenants of the apartment and must not be entitled to minimum security. The City of Vienna provides details on information procurement in the form of Wohnenupe-checkers Read.

The merging of rental allowance and residential allowance was also addressed, but failed due to the administrative sovereignty of the responsible departments and a lack of joint IT system. Prack demanded that this topic should be treated in the next legislative period.

criticism and outlook

In the debate, the criticism of the existing rental price cover was also discussed, which does not record the highest rents in the new building. The SPÖ Vienna cautiously commented on possible claims towards the federal government regarding rental price adjustments. In addition, non -profit residential builders see the current regulations, which leads to cuts in renovations and a decline in new buildings.

The new provisions for residential allowances come into force on March 1, 2024 and promise higher financial support and a simplified calculation. These changes are currently of great importance, since the amount of the living allowance depends on various factors, including household income, household income and gross rents.

The session ended at 3:16 p.m. and brought unanimous resolutions, while two applications from the Greens to introduce a uniform housing benefit and the tenancy law reform found no majority. Another request from the FPÖ, which demanded a coupling of social housing to Austrian citizenship, was also rejected.

The City of Vienna offers comprehensive information and support for all Viennese who are interested in applying for residential allowance. Applications can be made online at any time, and the necessary documents are clearly defined.