- Measure outdoor areas individually and document their legal basis.
- A loggia included in usable floor area must not accidentally be added again as additional area.
- Orientation, depth, privacy and maintenance influence usefulness alongside the number of square metres.
Area definition and market value are different questions
§ 2 WEG defines usable floor area for apartment ownership law. Open balconies, terraces and certain ancillary properties are not simply added to usable floor area. This does not yet say what a particular terrace can contribute to the purchase price. An area component excluded in law may be very attractive to buyers; it must nevertheless be considered separately and transparently.
For loggias, Vienna's guide to calculating usable floor area explains the construction conditions under which they are included. Relevant factors include the enclosing building components and direct access from the apartment. The guide is dated June 2013 and does not cover every special case. Mixed forms, glazing or conflicting plans require a specific professional assessment.
Foundations: RIS [1] · Stadt Wien, MA 25 [2]
Create your own outdoor-area worksheet
Use one row for each contiguous area. Record geometrical dimensions and the area source separately from descriptions in old listings. For an irregular terrace, a sketch with partial dimensions helps. Photographs document usable depth, passageways and obstacles. An area behind a large technical installation has different uses from an equally sized space that can be freely furnished.
| Area type | Check actual use | Documents and unresolved questions |
|---|---|---|
| Balcony | Depth, scope for furniture, noise, access | Plan: are size and construction condition documented? |
| Loggia | Enclosing construction, access, shading | Is it included in the stated usable floor area? |
| Terrace | Usable sections, drainage, overlooking | Do construction, approval and allocation agree? |
| Garden | Access, slope, upkeep, shared use | Ancillary property, use arrangement or merely established use? |
Having your own garden key does not yet prove ancillary ownership
Check the basis on which the area is used exclusively. Ancillary apartment ownership, a use arrangement over common parts and merely tolerated use are different starting points. A fence or years of maintenance cannot replace checking the documents. Other people's access rights and necessary maintenance access also belong in the area worksheet.
Under § 5 paragraph 3 WEG, registration of apartment ownership can also cover ancillary property if its allocation is unambiguously established by the apartment ownership agreement or a court decision together with the utility value assessment. Therefore, the absence of a separate garden entry in the land register is not conclusive by itself, nor is a garden reference in sales particulars sufficient. If boundaries are unclear, have it specifically established which demarcated area the arrangement covers.
Foundations: RIS [3]
How do you assess actual quality?
Describe use at different times of day: where does sunlight reach the area, where does intense summer heat develop, and which sections remain permanently shaded? Record overlooking, noise sources and the connection to the apartment. A garden accessible only through the communal stairwell fulfils a different everyday expectation from directly connected outdoor space.
For terraces and balconies, document visible cracks, damaged surfaces, standing water and unusual junction details. An owner should not derive their own waterproofing diagnosis from these. Ask about reports, previous damage and responsibility for necessary works. For areas added or altered later, compare the existing construction with approved plans. Vienna's plan archive gives authorised persons access to these building documents.
Foundations: Stadt Wien, MA 37 [4]
How to prepare a traceable assessment of value
Look for comparable apartments with outdoor areas of similar usability and similarly secured rights. A large garden requiring considerable maintenance is not simply a multiple of a small balcony. Likewise, an uplift in a utility value assessment cannot be transferred as a euro premium onto a market price. If a weighted area is used, ask what the weighting is for and which market data support its level.
Also check the calculation basis. If the adopted comparable price already includes typical balconies, an additional standard balcony amount may count the same benefit twice. If the loggia is already part of the usable floor area used, the valuation model must disclose this. Where rights of use are unresolved, the valuation should explicitly state the assumption and record its clarification as the next step.
Fictional case: 82 m² becomes three traceable figures
Hypothetical sales particulars state 82 m² total area. The area schedule obtained later shows 63 m² of internal rooms, a 5 m² loggia not yet included in that figure and a 14 m² terrace.
- In the example, professional examination confirms that the 5 m² area meets the requirements of a loggia to be included. Legal usable floor area is therefore documented as 68 m².
- The terrace remains recorded separately at 14 m². Its allocation, access and construction are checked against the contract and plan.
- For the comparison, 68 m² of usable floor area including the 5 m² loggia, plus a 14 m² terrace, are stated. The sum of 82 m² is not used as a single living-area figure.
The correction prevents double counting of areas. Whether and by how much the terrace increases market value remains a separate valuation question.
Your next assessment steps
Record what you have already clarified and which documents you still need.
Obtain an area schedule and plan with partial dimensions
Shows which areas are already included in a total.
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Your own documents, the property manager or a new professional survey.
Mark the contractual allocation of every outdoor area
Clarifies the basis and extent of exclusive use.
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Apartment ownership agreement, utility value assessment and supplementary deeds.
Record usability with photographs and brief observations
Captures depth, noise, access and privacy.
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Inspect your own area at informative times of day.
Document alterations and known damage
Shows unresolved questions about approval, condition and maintenance.
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Building documents, the manager and, if needed, a technical specialist.
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Sources and date
The following sources support this main article. For your specific property, current documents and the applicable conditions matter.
- RISApartment Ownership Act 2002 § 2: definitions and usable floor area
- Stadt Wien, MA 25Guide to calculating usable floor area under the MRG and WEG, June 2013 version
- RISApartment Ownership Act 2002 § 5: acquisition and allocation of ancillary property
- Stadt Wien, MA 37Inspecting approved building plans in the building authority archive
Editorial date: 11/09/2026. Examples explain relationships and do not contain an individually prepared property valuation. Editorial work and sources.
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