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Hygiene emergency in municipal housing: Tenant lets dogs onto the balcony!
In Leopoldau, a tenant who keeps dogs causes massive odor nuisance and health problems for neighbors.
Hygiene emergency in municipal housing: Tenant lets dogs onto the balcony!
An unpleasant problem has developed in the municipal building on Engerthstrasse, Leopoldstadt. A tenant lets her three dogs do their business on the balcony, which not only leads to an enormous smell of urine and feces, but also causes health and hygiene problems among the neighbors. The air is additionally polluted by the ventilation shafts in the apartments. This situation has already led to numerous complaints to Wiener Wohnen, but without any visible effect, as Heute reports.
The situation escalated to such an extent that the police had to intervene on May 2, 2025 due to a nuisance smell. One of the angry neighbors is Michael Niegl, housing ombudsman for the FPÖ, who describes the circumstances as a hygiene emergency. Against this background, 16 out of 25 households came together to demand the tenant's eviction.
Support for tenants
Citizens are not powerless: tenants generally have the right to request a rent reduction if the quality of living is limited. Such odor nuisances can be justified by tenancy law, especially if the nuisance is permanent and intense. As mietrecht.com explains, the notice of defects must be addressed to the landlord in order to enforce a rent reduction. Unacceptable smells, such as the constant stench of animal excrement, can also serve as an argument in court.
The intention behind this regulation is clear: tenants should be able to live in a pleasant and healthy environment. The intensity and persistence of the odor nuisance play a crucial role. Also, as mietrecht.de states, it is necessary to inform the landlord immediately about the defects in order not to lose possible claims for damages.
Intervention of the authorities
After an inspection in April 2025, the tenant's apartment was classified as dirty by the health department, but not worthy of eviction. Nevertheless, the tenant received a written request to improve the living situation, which apparently did not have any effect. What's more, the tenant hides her dogs during inspections and tries to remove carpets to cover up the odor.
In the current situation, it remains to be seen whether the neighbors' signature list will have an effect and whether the city administration will actually take further steps. Tenants in municipal housing deserve to live in a clean and healthy environment, because what could be worse than your own apartment, which should be a place of refuge and not a source of discomfort?