Search agents on the flat portals
The big portals for rental flats in Vienna all offer a saved search with notifications. You set it up on each portal separately, usually with its own account.
- willhaben: Suchagent by e-mail or app notification. For property you choose the frequency. The option „Bei jeder neuen Anzeige“ (on every new listing) is still in a test phase and only works in the app.
- ImmoScout24: a Suchagent that, according to ImmoScout24, sends new offers immediately by push notification or e-mail. It comes with the free profile.
- immowelt: a Suchauftrag by e-mail. You choose the frequency between immediately, hourly, every three hours, daily and weekly, and you can change the filters later.
- derStandard: a property Suchagent that, according to derStandard, sends new offers daily by e-mail. You need to log in to derStandard for it.
- WG-Gesucht: a free Suchauftrag by e-mail, mainly for WG rooms but also for flats. You unsubscribe via the link in the e-mail or under „Filter und Suchaufträge“.
What portal search agents can't do
Each search agent only reports its own portal. For the full picture you need five search agents with five logins, some flats arrive twice, and each portal filters a little differently. How to get the most out of the willhaben search agent, and where its limits are, is covered in a separate comparison.
Council flats and the Wohn-Ticket: no alerts
There are no automatic notifications for council flats or for subsidised flats offered through the Wohn-Ticket. Wohnberatung Wien says so plainly in its FAQ and advises you to check the current offer regularly yourself.
That matters more than it sounds: a flat stays online for 48 hours, and you can register for at most three at a time. Flats go by bonus points first, then waiting time. On a tie, whoever registered for the flat earlier gets it.
The only e-mail you get is a reminder before your Wohn-Ticket expires. You need a Stadt Wien account and check on meinwohnticket.wien. Because each flat is only online for 48 hours, a fixed daily look, for example every morning, helps.
Cooperatives: register directly
According to Wohnberatung Wien, the non-profit housing associations allocate most subsidised flats themselves. Each decides how it informs you. Three examples:
- Neues Leben: for projects under construction or in planning there is a non-binding online registration (Vormerkung). Once plans and prices are fixed, the cooperative informs you by e-mail, in order of registration date. It keeps no waiting list for flats that become free. For flats that are already free, you register directly on the listing, and the number of registrations is limited.
- BWSG: on its website you set up a search agent and get notified about matching new offers.
- GEWOSearch is a private service that checks the websites of 22 Viennese cooperatives. With the free account you see new offers 48 hours after they are found. Instant alerts by Telegram or browser push come with PRO for €5 a month, cancellable monthly.
Facebook and Telegram groups
In Facebook and Telegram groups, tenants share offers for a successor tenant and sublets that are sometimes on no portal. That is not a filtered alert: you see what you catch while scrolling, or you turn on notifications for the whole group.
These groups also attract fraud. Watchlist Internet names typical warning signs:
Paid add-ons
Some portals and services sell add-ons. You usually don't need them for the alert itself. What they offer, according to the providers:
- ImmoScout24 Plus: access to more than 2,000 exclusive properties, the number of enquiries per listing and a discreet proof of income. €7.50 for 30 days or €18 for 90 days, renewing automatically.
- WG-Gesucht Plus: see exclusive listings earlier and have your messages placed at the top of the advertiser's inbox. €20.90 for one month, €13.90 a month on a yearly plan, renewing automatically.
- GEWOSearch PRO: instant alerts for cooperative flats for €5 a month.
FlatDrop: five portals in one chat
FlatDrop is a free Telegram bot for rental flats and WG rooms in Vienna. It checks willhaben, ImmoScout24, immowelt, derStandard and WG-Gesucht about every 10 minutes, a little less often at night, merges duplicate listings and only sends what fits your district, gross rent, rooms and size. Every alert has a photo, an AI score from 0 to 10 and red flags such as a fixed term, key money or an agent's commission. You need no account.
What FlatDrop doesn't cover: flats through the Wohn-Ticket, the offers on the cooperatives' websites, and groups. Buying and places outside Vienna are not included for now.
All options compared
| Option | Channel | Speed | What you see |
|---|---|---|---|
| willhaben | e-mail, app push | „Bei jeder neuen Anzeige“ only in the app, test phase | willhaben only |
| ImmoScout24 | e-mail, push | immediately, according to the portal | ImmoScout24 only |
| immowelt | immediately to weekly, your choice | immowelt only | |
| derStandard | daily, according to the portal | derStandard only | |
| WG-Gesucht | no exact figure given | WG-Gesucht only | |
| Wohn-Ticket | no notifications | check yourself, 48 hours per flat | council flats and part of the subsidised flats |
| Housing associations | depends on the association | varies | only their own flats |
| GEWOSearch | Telegram, browser push | instant with PRO, free after 48 hours | 22 Viennese cooperatives |
| Groups | group notifications | no filters | whatever members post |
| FlatDrop | Telegram | checks about every 10 minutes | five portals, Vienna, rent and WG |
Which combination fits
- A rental flat or WG room on the private market: FlatDrop for all five portals, plus the willhaben search agent in the app as a direct source if you like.
- A council flat: apply for the Wohn-Ticket and check the offer yourself every day. There are no notifications.
- A cooperative flat: register with several housing associations, set up a search agent where possible and add GEWOSearch if you need it.
- Groups only as an extra, and never pay before you have seen the flat and signed the contract.