Vienna's Greens demand stricter rules against short-term rentals and more pressure on platforms

According to the Greens, more than 14,000 apartments in Vienna are permanently offered as tourist apartments. Entire residential buildings are being converted fully or partially into accommodation establishments, the party criticized. In this context, Kraus spoke of entire neighborhoods suffering from the development, saying: "Das zerstört inzwischen ganze Nachbarschaften." This removes housing from the regular market, further exacerbating the situation for the city's residents.

Criticism of Mayor Ludwig

Parliamentary group leader Prack attacked Mayor Ludwig's announcement directly. Ludwig had recently stated that conversions should continue to remain possible for a share of 20 percent of apartments. Prack described this plan as a genuflection to the platforms and demanded an immediate halt to the so-called circumvention constructions. He said verbatim: „Diese Umgehungskonstruktion muss dringend gestoppt werden." The Greens see this as a loophole that undermines the existing rules.

Specifically, the Vienna Greens demand that a conversion into accommodation establishments should only be permitted in the future if this is expressly provided for in the respective building regulations for the area concerned. This is intended to curb the current practice of marketing apartments via tourist platforms without a building-authority permit for such use. The party invokes a corresponding EU regulation that is intended to enable a comparison between officially approved accommodations and the listings offered on the platforms.

In the Greens' view, previous rules are not working

According to the Greens, 305 applications for conversion were submitted in 2025, of which 132 have already been approved. The party interprets these figures as evidence that the existing instruments are insufficient. The 90-day rule for short-term rentals applicable in Vienna has also not, in the Greens' observation, led to a numerical decline. The existing regulations are being circumvented in many cases, which is why additional regulatory interventions are necessary.

In addition to the register, the Greens are demanding more far-reaching obligations for platforms such as Airbnb and booking.com. Kraus explained that the planned register would also enable the building police to take more consistent action against illegal providers. A mere adjustment of registration requirements is not enough to noticeably regulate the market.

Demands on the city and on platforms

With their demand to close the legal loophole on conversions and impose stricter requirements on online platforms, the Vienna Greens are increasing the pressure on the city government. The criticism of Mayor Ludwig is outspoken: the party accuses him of prioritizing the interests of rental platforms over those of Vienna's population by sticking to the 20-percent rule. Whether the city will respond to the demands and present the register this summer remained initially open.

The press conference at which Kraus and Prack set out their position took place on Tuesday. It was aimed both at the city's own administration and at the providers of online booking platforms. The Greens announced that they would continue to pursue the issue in Vienna's upcoming political debates.