Tenants' Association Demands Heat Protection in Tenancy Law: Air Conditioners Should Be Easier to Install

Niedermühlbichler verbatim: „Das ist ein Teufelskreis: Verkehrsüblich wird ein Split-Klimagerät erst, wenn viele eines haben. Installieren darf es aber niemand, solange es nicht verkehrsüblich ist." The Tenants' Association sees this as a hurdle that weighs increasingly heavily in light of hot summers.

Specifically, the question is when a device is considered customary. Only once sufficient prevalence has been reached in comparable residential buildings does the landlord's consent come into consideration at all. In practice, this means that air conditioning units are blocked precisely in old buildings and inner-city locations.

Greenpeace and City of Vienna See Need for Action

The Tenants' Association argues that heat protection at the rental property has meanwhile developed into a basic requirement. Those who have to endure temperatures well above 30 degrees in a top-floor apartment in summer can no longer rely on the classic minimum standard.

Greenpeace Austria also supports the call for swift adjustments. The environmental organization points out that passive heat protection – such as external roller shutters, sun protection films, or sufficient insulation – is often lacking, making active cooling the only short-term solution.

Political Support and Next Steps

In this context, the City of Vienna points to ongoing subsidies for thermal renovation and to heat protection measures in public spaces, such as drinking fountains and cool spots. From the Tenants' Association's perspective, however, this is not enough as long as effective cooling is not possible within the apartments themselves.

The initiative is receiving political support from the SPÖ. The party announced it would bring the issue into the upcoming deliberations. The Tenants' Association is calling for a clear legal provision that allows tenants to install air conditioning units under defined conditions.

Niedermühlbichler emphasizes that the aim is not to curtail landlords' rights. The goal is a modern, climate-fit interpretation of tenancy law that takes into account both the interests of the landlord side and the health protection of tenants.

The Tenants' Association announced it would present further details of its proposal in the coming weeks and engage with stakeholders from the housing industry, administration, and politics. Until then, the OGH decision on Vienna's inner city remains the legal baseline.

Tenants who want to cool their apartments are advised by the Tenants' Association to seek legal advice beforehand. Portable devices without fixed installation remain permissible, but often reach their limits in densely built inner-city areas – for example due to noise or a lack of exhaust options.