Bring this to a viewing
- Passport or ID card, and your residence permit if you are not an EU citizen.
- Your last three payslips, an employment contract, or proof of a scholarship or other income.
- A credit report from KSV1870 (Selbstauskunft, you can request it yourself) if the landlord asks.
- Your current Meldezettel, and a guarantor's declaration (Haftungserklärung) if your income is low.
- A short self-introduction: who moves in, job or studies, why this flat.
Ask these questions
- Exactly how much is the warm rent, and what is included (heating, hot water, electricity)?
- Is it a main lease (Hauptmiete) or a sublet (Untermiete)? For how long?
- How much deposit, and is there any Ablöse or fee?
- What type of heating, and what is the energy rating (HWB value in the Energieausweis)?
- When can I move in, and when will you decide?
Warning signs of a scam
- The landlord is “abroad” and wants to send the keys after you pay.
- Deposit or first rent before any viewing, via Western Union, crypto or a “trust service”.
- A central, large flat far below the usual price: the median here is €22.2 per m², so a deal at half that is suspicious.
- Pressure to decide today, or a copied passport sent to “build trust”.
After the viewing
Send a short thank-you message the same day with your documents. Pay nothing before you have signed a contract and seen the flat. If something feels wrong, check Watchlist Internet, which collects current scams in Austria.