Elderly Döbling tenants fear losing homes to redevelopment

Four elderly households in a Vienna apartment building fear they may not be able to return after planned renovation work, ORF reports. The new owner plans to begin work in spring, while a second, vacant building on the property is due to be demolished.

Only four households remain in the formerly non-profit housing complex at Kreindlgasse 7 in the Döbling district; 12 flats are already empty. The remaining tenants have indefinite leases. One resident, Leonore, is 88 and has lived there for 64 years. She said the flat was her home and meant everything to her.

The two buildings originally belonged to the Gesfö housing cooperative, which lost its non-profit status in 2015. The circumstances of the sale are still being investigated by Austria’s Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation is ongoing, and the presumption of innocence applies. The current owner is part of a group of companies linked to investor Michael Tojner.

Rent limits under Austria’s Non-Profit Housing Act remain in force even after a provider loses its non-profit status, including for new tenancies. Only demolition followed by new construction would end those restrictions, according to the report.

Residents of the occupied building would have to move out temporarily during the renovation. They fear they might not be allowed back, and say moving to a different neighbourhood is not an option. Walter, who has lived in the building with his wife for 21 years, said tenants could lose their rights if construction caused a wall to collapse or made the building uninhabitable, forcing its demolition.

Georg Prack, the Greens’ leader and housing spokesperson in Vienna, said plans and checks on residents’ housing needs were raising concerns. He warned that demolition could end the rent restrictions on what he described as some of the city’s cheapest flats, currently costing about 4.50 euros per square metre. He said each flat could then be worth around 600,000 euros.