New building in the Airbnb war: District boss fights for housing for the population!

New building in the Airbnb war: District boss fights for housing for the population!

October 1, 2025 will be dominated by the housing shortage in Vienna. In a symbolic action, the district leader of Neubau, Markus Reiter (Greens), removed a key box from a fence. These boxes are not only plain, but also a sign of the growing problem caused by short-term rentals via platforms like Airbnb. Reiter describes it as a “symbol of the loss of affordable housing,” which only increases residents’ concerns. He reports increasing difficulties in finding one's own four walls as Airbnb-like services take away living space and drive up average rents. As heute.at notes, the number of short-term rentals in new buildings has increased from around 100 to over 700 in the last ten years, which accounts for more than 5% of the total living space.

In a district like Neubau, where almost every family is looking for affordable housing, the current situation couldn't be more urgent. The Academy of Sciences data supports Reiter's claims that the short rentals are not just a fad, but are also having a significant impact on local rental levels. In the worst case scenario, current building regulations could even allow up to 3,000 Airbnb apartments in the district. This development not only means that existing tenants are being pushed out, but also families who want to move to Vienna are being put on the spot.

The call for a ban

Markus Reiter calls for a clear ban on short-term rentals in residential zones. His voice is supported by other Greens, such as Georg Prack, who emphasizes the importance of protecting housing for the local population. “We need housing for the people who live here, not for the tourists,” says Prack. Other cities are not far from this argument. The conversion of regular apartments into holiday accommodation is a Europe-wide problem, leading to the displacement of tenants and noise pollution from tourists, as alloggia.de reports.

The new EU rules, which will come into force from May 2024, are also in the context of this debate. These regulations aim to create a digital infrastructure for the control of short-term rentals. A central digital access point for authorities and a digital registration process for hosts and accommodations should help to better regulate the market. These measures could allow cities to more effectively control the increasing number of short-term rentals, which is of great interest for a city like Vienna, as the Federal Ministry of Economics reports, that almost a quarter of all overnight stays in the EU are now processed via such platforms.

What's coming to the city?

The increasing pressure on the city government is obvious. Reiter submitted an application to remove the key boxes in the spring, but the result remains to be seen. While hotels and guesthouses operate within the law, many of the illegal Airbnb landlords secretly collect profits at the expense of the public. This dynamic could be shaken by the new regulations that have already been discussed at EU level.

Overall, there is a clear trend: cities like Vienna are faced with the challenge of securing the need for affordable housing for their population while at the same time not losing the advantages of tourism. As Reiter makes clear, he will continue to take active action against key boxes and unregulated short-term rentals, because there is a lot at stake for the future of the housing situation in Vienna.