- 18 people have taken part in our survey on flat hunting in Vienna so far, 15 of them search on willhaben.
- Eight answers describe concretely what bothers them. Five of these name photos: AI-generated, embellished or missing altogether.
- Next come listings that were let long ago, missing addresses and missing filters.
- This is a first impression from a small, self-selected group, not a statistic about everyone searching in Vienna.
1. What we asked
The survey has two questions. The first is required: which platforms do you use to search for a flat? Several answers are possible. The second is a free text field: what annoys you most in your search for a flat? It is now optional. Taking part is anonymous and needs no sign-up; the text answers appear without names on the results page.
On platforms the picture is clear. 15 of the 18 participants search on willhaben, 10 on ImmoScout24 and 4 on derStandard Immobilien, the property section of the newspaper derStandard. Two each search through friends and acquaintances or through Wohnservice Wien and housing cooperatives (Genossenschaften, non-profit housing associations), one person each through ImmoUnited, Facebook groups or another route. Nobody in this group searches directly with agents or on Lystio. On average each person ticked two platforms. ImmoUnited was added as an option after the start; anyone who took part earlier could not choose it.
2. What annoys people: the eight answers in detail
17 people filled in the text field. The public results page shows at most twelve of them, and only those can we analyse here. One answer was submitted twice word for word; we count it once. One comes from a landlord's point of view, one says there is nothing in particular. We left out answers with no bearing on the flat search or with demeaning content. That leaves eight answers from people searching who describe what concretely bothers them. Many name more than one thing, so the counts add up to more than eight.
| Topic | Answers (of 8) | How it sounds in the answers |
|---|---|---|
| Photos: AI-generated, embellished or missing | 5 | “photos that do not match reality” (translated) |
| Listings expired or already let | 3 | “already reserved, why the ad is still there” |
| Missing or wrong details, of which address | 3, of which 2 | “missing address for some objects or wrong information” |
| Missing filters | 2 | Energy certificate, year of construction, council, cooperative or private |
| Too little time, no viewings | 2 | “often under 10 min” to get in touch (translated) |
| Mietanbot, missing translation, asking prices | 1 each | Single mentions |
Five of eight answers name photos you cannot trust. Three of them speak explicitly of AI images or photos that do not match reality, two of listings with no photo at all. One person describes the problem behind it: if you have to read the full text of every listing because there is no filter for the energy certificate (Energieausweis) or the year of construction, and then cannot trust the pictures either, you lose time you need for the good offers. Another writes that the search alert is too slow and that good flats are gone “often under 10 min”.
None of the visible answers complains about the level of rent. That does not mean rent does not matter. The question asked about annoyances while searching, and people who want to complain about prices have other places to do so. One person who wants to buy a flat is annoyed by sellers who ask nearly the same price for a flat in need of renovation as for one ready to move into. Another raises the Mietanbot (a written rental offer the tenant signs before the contract), and calls the rental system built around it a lottery that only tenants have to play.
3. What this data can show and what it cannot
The survey shows which problems people raise on their own when asked an open question. It does not show how common these problems are among everyone looking for a flat in Vienna. Those who take part read Wohni Journal or came across it through our channels, and people who are annoyed are more likely to answer. With eight usable answers, each single one stands for 12.5 percent. That is why we give counts here, not percentages.
The word “fake” is ambiguous, too. In the answers it mostly means embellished or AI-generated photos; in one it also means listings that never lead to a viewing. Whether fraud is behind them cannot be told from the answers. Fraudulent flat listings do exist in Austria, though: Watchlist Internet, the Austrian information platform on online fraud, has described the same pattern for years, with landlords who supposedly live abroad and want money before a viewing.
4. What to look out for
- Do not transfer a deposit (Kaution) or rent before you have seen the flat and signed the contract. This is the central advice from Watchlist Internet.
- Be careful if the landlord supposedly lives abroad and wants the viewing handled by an “agent” or a well-known platform such as Airbnb. According to Watchlist Internet, this is a typical sign of fraud.
- Ask for the exact address before the viewing. Without it you cannot check the location and noise yourself.
- At the viewing, compare the photos with what you see. If the pictures look strikingly perfect, ask for current photos.
- Ask briefly whether the flat is still available before you send documents. That saves time with listings that were let long ago.
Sources
- Wohni Journal, reader survey “Looking for a flat in Vienna”, public results (18 responses, 17 text answers, 12 of them public; retrieved 3 Nov 2026)
- Watchlist Internet: looking for a flat? Beware of fake listings (signs of fraudulent listings; article of 25 Aug 2020, in German, retrieved 3 Nov 2026)