Minimum reserve fund in Austrian condominiums: the new rate

At the turn of the year, one small number changed on the monthly statements of Austrian condominium communities, or at least it should have. The minimum reserve fund for residential property in Austria stands at 1.12 euros per square metre of usable floor space per month since 1 January 2026, up from 1.06 euros. If your January statement looks identical to December's, that is a good reason to ask questions. A quick note on scope: everything here refers to the Austrian WEG 2002 (Wohnungseigentumsgesetz), the condominium law of Austria, not to be confused with the German WEG, which works quite differently. What follows covers where the new figure comes from, what the money is for, how it is split between owners, and what you can do if your building manager has not adjusted it.

How much is the minimum reserve fund?

The legal basis is § 31 WEG 2002. Every owners' association (Eigentümergemeinschaft) must build up an adequate reserve (Rücklage) for future expenditure on the building. Since the 2022 reform of the law, that duty comes with a floor, and the floor is indexed, recalculated every two years against Austria's 2020 consumer price index.

The starting value was 0.90 euros per square metre per month.

The first adjustment lifted it to 1.06 euros from 1 January 2024; the second added roughly 6.6 percent, bringing it to 1.12 euros from 1 January 2026. This rate applies until the end of 2027, when the next indexation is due.

In practice: a 70-square-metre apartment now contributes at least 78.40 euros a month to the reserve alone, on top of operating costs and heating. Two years ago that figure was 74.20 euros; at the original rate it was 63 euros. Indexation is not a footnote: it genuinely adds up.

Note: falling below the minimum is only permitted in justified exceptional cases, such as a newly built or recently and comprehensively renovated building where no major maintenance work is expected for years.

What the reserve is for

Think of the reserve as the building's savings account. It pays for maintenance and repair work (a new roof, a facade renovation, replacing risers or the lift) and, where the community votes for them, improvements too. Without that cushion, a major defect leaves only unpleasant options: a one-off special levy that hits every owner at once, or a loan taken out by the community.

The money sits in a dedicated account, separate from the manager's own assets, and must be invested to earn interest. It belongs to the owners' association as a whole, not to individual owners.

That last point is the one sellers overlook: reserve contributions are never refunded when you sell: they stay with the building. Anyone buying an Austrian apartment should ask to see the current reserve balance and the last annual statements before signing. A thin reserve in a building overdue for renovation is a special levy with an announcement date.

How is the reserve split between owners?

Contributions follow the same key as all other building costs: § 32 WEG 2002 allocates them according to co-ownership shares (Miteigentumsanteile), which in turn are based on the utility value (Nutzwert) of each unit. The larger apartment, the terrace, the parking space with its own utility value, all of it raises your share proportionally.

A different allocation key is possible, but deliberately hard to reach: it requires a written agreement signed by all owners. A simple majority resolution is not enough: the legislator wanted to prevent a majority from shifting costs onto a few.

Can the community set a higher contribution?

Yes, and often it is the only sensible choice. The minimum rate is a floor, not a recommendation. The law still requires an adequate reserve, and adequate means calibrated to the condition of the building, not to an index value.

Three situations where 1.12 euros is almost certainly too little:

• An older building with original wiring, corroded pipes or a damp basement
• A thermal renovation or lift replacement already on the horizon
• A maintenance backlog that has been postponed for years and will come due eventually

Setting a higher contribution is a matter of ordinary administration and needs a simple majority of co-ownership shares. Experienced managers do not start from the legal minimum; they work backwards, what will the foreseeable works of the next ten years cost, and what monthly contribution gets the money there in time?

What if your property manager does not adjust it?

The increase does not appear on your bank statement by itself. The building manager (Hausverwaltung) must update the monthly prescriptions, and no resolution is needed, because the new value applies by force of law.

You can verify it in two places. First, the monthly statement itself. Second, the annual accounts, which the manager must present under § 34 WEG 2002 by 30 June of the following year at the latest: there, the actual amounts paid into the reserve are documented in black and white.

If the adjustment is missing, this order of escalation works best:

• Point the manager to the new minimum rate in writing and request a corrected statement
• Put the reserve on the agenda of the next owners' meeting, or start a circular resolution
• As a last resort, have the court review the reserve amount in non-contentious housing proceedings under § 52 WEG 2002

The first step usually settles it. A manager who stays inactive even after a written request, however, has handed you one more argument for a broader conversation about their performance at the next meeting.

The new minimum reserve is not red tape; it is a floor under the fabric of your building. Every euro set aside on schedule today spares you a badly timed special levy tomorrow. Check your statement, glance at the annual accounts, and if the new rate is missing, ask. It is your money and your roof.

Information updated July 2026. This article is for general information on Austrian law and does not constitute legal advice.