- Contradictions remain visible with their sources until suitable evidence resolves them.
- A building cost calculation, its financing need and the apartment's possible contribution are different measures.
- A decision can improve even before a price is quoted: through clear data and targeted next steps.
The starting question: sell now or modernise first?
In the invented case, an owner plans to sell a Vienna apartment available for unrestricted use. Old sales particulars state 78 m²; she has also used this figure to prepare an initial online estimate. The kitchen is worn, the building has a lift, and the apartment has a courtyard-facing balcony. A management letter states a reserve fund of 120,000 euros. At the same time, roof renovation is being discussed.
The first question is therefore not which single price sounds most attractive. Before commissioning a kitchen, the owner wants to clarify what can actually be offered and which additional building costs are possible. The example uses a single valuation date of 1 September 2026.
The invented file receives an evidence register
Each incoming item receives an identifier, an information date and the question it is intended to answer. This prevents old sales particulars from later being reused as the latest area evidence. Verbal information is also recorded, but explicitly marked as unverified. The following table shows the key documents in this invented case and their provisional assessment.
| Identifier | Content | Question for review |
|---|---|---|
| F1 | Sales particulars: 78 m² without a clear breakdown | Have the balcony and internal rooms been added together? |
| F2 | Area schedule: 70 m² internally, 8 m² balcony | Do the plan and actual layout match? |
| F3 | Agreement and utility values identify basement compartment K2 | Is this the compartment actually used? |
| G1 | Reserve balance: 120,000 euros | Which funds are already committed? |
| G2 | Roof work: 180,000 euros estimated | Need, resolution, contract and financing? |
| G3 | Share assumed for the measure: 3.5 per cent | Is this the applicable allocation basis? |
First finding: the balcony area was included in the total
In the case, a professional commissioned for this purpose checks the plan against the actual layout. The invented review result confirms 70 m² of internal area and an open balcony of 8 m². The 78 m² figure arose by simple addition. The new file shows both areas separately; the balcony continues to be described in terms of access, orientation and condition.
This separation accords with the statutory definition of usable floor area, which excludes open balconies from WEG usable floor area. It does not mean an arithmetical loss in value equal to eight square metres of living space: the previous starting value must be reassessed as a whole using corrected data. In a real Vienna case, authorised persons can inspect approved plans in the building authority's archive. In the example, the basement compartment actually used matches K2.
Foundations: RIS [1] · Stadt Wien, MA 37 [2]
Second finding: reserve balance and available funds differ
The invented information from the property manager establishes that 20,000 euros of the reserve balance is already committed to other contracted works. Under the simplified case assumptions, 100,000 euros remains available for the roof work. The technical need has been investigated in the example; cost calculations are available, but no final financing resolution has yet been adopted.
§ 31 WEG links reserve funding to future expenditure. The account balance alone therefore does not establish whether a specific measure is financed. To allocate it to the apartment, the applicable basis under § 32 WEG must also be checked. In the case, the property manager confirms 3.5 per cent for this measure using the documents. How a later purchase agreement allocates the costs between the parties remains separately unresolved.
The decision: postpone the kitchen refit and prepare the valuation specifically
The owner does not commission the new kitchen for now. In the case, she has neither evidence of additional sale proceeds from these fittings nor final financing for the roof. Instead, she compiles the floor plan, photographs, area schedule, building documents and a short status note. For viewings, she describes the existing condition and known unresolved issues specifically.
The prepared valuation brief is: apartment at the stated valuation date, available for unrestricted use, 70 m² of internal area, 8 m² balcony, documented basement compartment and existing fittings and condition. The roof work must be included with its technical need, available funds and unresolved financing. Suitable comparable data and an explanation of how these circumstances are reflected are required. A second scenario after modernisation should be prepared only if its scope and costs are firmly established.
The process can be applied to other properties: for a house, add the building file and outbuildings; for a rental apartment building, existing agreements and income; for a plot, possible uses and rights. The shared element is the evidence register, which separates observation, evidence and assumption.
Calculation within the fictional case: 2,800 euros is not yet a deduction from value
An invented financing calculation for the roof work described above. Further contributions, interest and other new expenditure are excluded from this isolated calculation.
- A reserve balance of 120,000 euros less 20,000 euros in already committed funds gives 100,000 euros of arithmetically available funds.
- Assumed roof costs of 180,000 euros less 100,000 euros give a possible financing gap of 80,000 euros.
- 80,000 × 3.5 per cent = 2,800 euros as the apartment's calculated share of this gap. Whether and when this amount is charged depends on the financing actually adopted.
The amount describes a case assumption about funding needs. It is neither automatically deducted from the apartment's value nor counted a second time in addition to a roof-related burden already included in full.
Your next assessment steps
Record what you have already clarified and which documents you still need.
Record all starting information with source and date
This keeps contradictory information traceable until clarification.
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Create your own evidence register using the pattern shown.
Reconcile area, ancillary areas and the actual property
This defines what the valuation covers in the first place.
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Agreement, area schedule, plan and, where necessary, professional survey.
Separate the building measure by need, status and financing
This prevents confusion between a forecast and an established liability.
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Property manager and technical project documents.
Formulate the corrected valuation brief with unresolved requirements
This enables a targeted assessment instead of a new estimate containing old errors.
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Review the property file with the appointed professional.
Reading and checking are possible without signing in. Your saved checklists are private under My area. The selection does not confirm a professional assessment of your property.
Sources and date
The following sources support this main article. For your specific property, current documents and the applicable conditions matter.
- RISCondominium Act 2002 § 2: usable floor area and definitions
- Stadt Wien, MA 37Inspect approved building plans in the building authority's archive
- RISCondominium Act 2002 § 31: reserve fund
- RISCondominium Act 2002 § 32: allocation of expenditure
Editorial date: 11/09/2026. Examples explain relationships and do not contain an individually prepared property valuation. Editorial work and sources.
Report an unclear point