Documents for property valuation in Vienna

AT A GLANCE

Assign a question and processing status to each document.
The land register, building plan and technical survey report answer different questions.
When requesting missing documents, specify the property, period and content required.

Start with the property and instruction

Create a cover sheet: address, cadastral municipality, land register folio number, parcel numbers and, for apartment ownership, the specific unit and ownership share. Add the extent of ownership, use, valuation purpose and desired valuation date. This helps prevent documents for a neighbouring plot, an earlier unit number or a different part of the building from entering the same file.

Give each file a clear name, document date, source and status. Useful statuses are available, requested, unclear and not relevant. Alongside these, record why you need the document. A missing document does not automatically mean a negative property characteristic; initially, it means that a particular assumption has not yet been substantiated.

These documents form the common core

The land register comprises the main register and the collection of deeds. The extract helps identify ownership and registered rights or encumbrances; the content of an underlying agreement may only become clear from the deed. The land register position is therefore the starting point for legal valuation questions. It fully describes neither the condition of the building fabric nor the approved layout.

Core documents common to all properties
Document	Valuation question	How to obtain it
Land register extract and relevant deeds	What is included in the property, and which rights are registered?	Land register inspection, the justice system or a professional legal representative
Plans and area schedule	Which areas exist and how were they measured?	Your own building documents, the plan author and authorised plan inspection
Condition documents and photographs	Which building components were inspected or renewed, and when?	Your own records, the property manager and the inspecting specialist
Overview of use and contracts	Owner-occupied, let, vacant or only partly available?	Your own contract records and property management

Foundations: oesterreich.gv.at – Bundesministerium für Justiz [1]

What your property type additionally requires

For an apartment, many value-related questions concern the whole building. Have the apartment ownership agreement, utility value documents, latest accounts and information about the reserve fund, planned works and relevant resolutions ready. The allocation of a garden or cellar should be traceable from the relevant documents. Actual established use is not, by itself, complete proof of legal entitlement.

For a house, the building history, approved plans, documents for subsequent alterations, energy performance certificate and existing technical reports are useful. For a rental apartment building, add each unit's tenancy agreement, amendments, current rent demand, payment history, vacancy and owner costs that have not been passed on. A rent roll without links to the contracts leaves important income assumptions unresolved.

For a plot, alongside parcel identity and rights, you need the applicable planning provisions, information about access and utility connections and, where relevant, surveys or existing ground investigations. Separate existing conditions from intended development. A project idea and an already substantiated permitted use rest on different foundations.

Foundations: RIS – Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes [2]

Obtaining approved plans in Vienna efficiently

The MA 37 building authority's plan archive allows owners, property managers and appropriately authorised persons to inspect approved building plans. An appointment is required; the city lists the identity and authorisation documents to bring on its service page. Check these requirements when preparing for the appointment and identify the property precisely.

Prepare a list in advance: original construction, known extensions, loft conversion, changes of use and the plan versions sought. Ongoing proceedings must be distinguished from archive inspection. According to the city, electrical and water service plans are not part of this plan archive. If you need them, continue your search specifically with the property manager or in existing technical records.

Foundations: Stadt Wien – Baupolizei MA 37 [3]

Turning missing evidence into a work plan

Prioritise by the effect on your particular decision. Unclear allocation of ownership, conflicting principal floor areas or major undocumented construction work deserve attention sooner than a missing operating manual. For each gap, note the specific question, responsible organisation, content requested and date needed. This turns a long wish list into a manageable instruction.

If a document cannot be obtained, keep the assumption visible. Describe what was inspected or otherwise verified and what remains unresolved. Have valuation-relevant alternatives presented separately rather than silently treating an unsubstantiated premise as the standard case. An organised overview is sufficient for an initial handover; personal contractual and financial documents should be sent selectively only to those involved in the instruction.

UNDERSTAND THE PRACTICE · FICTIONAL EXAMPLE

Fictional document-gathering plan before a house valuation

An entirely fictional owner has a house with a conservatory added later. An old purchase contract, photographs and the original floor plan are available.

He records the property identifiers, current valuation purpose and a list of available documents on a cover sheet.
The conservatory is absent from the old plan. The initial unresolved question is therefore: which documents record the later extension and its use?
He searches his own records for alteration documents and prepares for authorised plan inspection. In parallel, a separate area schedule is prepared for the house and extension.
The valuation professional receives the documented position, including a list of missing evidence. An undocumented approval is not inferred merely from the extension's age.

What you can take away

The work plan prevents premature addition of the areas and shows exactly which facts must be clarified before the final valuation.

FOR YOUR PROPERTY

Your next assessment steps

Record what you have already clarified and which documents you still need.

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