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Almost a year after the expiry of the KIM Ordinance, the perception of many Austrians with regard to real estate financing has hardly changed. According to a recent Gallup poll1 commissioned by Raiffeisen Immobilien Österreich, only 18 percent of respondents believe that home loans have become more easily available again since the end of the regulation. 34 percent see no relief, while 48 percent cannot give an assessment.
At the same time, financing remains one of the biggest challenges when buying real estate. 49 percent of those surveyed cite the financing of a property as a major difficulty in the purchase of residential property.
The KIM Ordinance was introduced in August 2022 and expired at the end of June 2025. The aim was to limit risks in the Austrian credit market and to ensure sustainable lending. Even if the legal requirements no longer apply, banks must continue to be guided by proven standards in credit and affordability checks.
"The results show that many people still assume that financing home ownership is particularly difficult. In fact, however, banks have gained a lot of experience in recent years and have found good ways to accompany customers in the acquisition of property even under challenging conditions. Anyone thinking about buying a property should therefore talk to their bank at an early stage and explore their options," explain the two spokespersons of Raiffeisen Immobilien Österreich, Peter Weinberger and Peter Mayr.
However, the Gallup study also shows that cheap mortgage loans from banks are one of the most important measures for 48 percent of respondents to make it easier to purchase residential property. A further 42 percent see subsidized loans from the federal states as important support.
"Many people prematurely exclude themselves from the purchase of property. Practice shows that more is often possible than initially assumed. Subsidies, different financing models or individual solutions can make the decisive difference. However, the prerequisite for this is that you actively seek dialogue with the financing experts. If you don't ask, you often don't even find out what options actually exist," says Weinberger.
The 3rd Salzburg Real Estate Forum of Raiffeisen Immobilien Salzburg at the beginning of June also showed how high the need for information continues to be. Questions about housing loans, affordability and the effects of the expiration of the KIM Ordinance were among the most discussed topics of the evening.
"The great interest shown by the public at the Salzburg Real Estate Forum has shown that many people continue to seek guidance in real estate financing. Home ownership remains an important life goal for many Austrians – and increasingly also a central component of private retirement provision. Our current Gallup survey shows that 42 percent of prospective buyers already explicitly consider a property as a provision for old age. This makes it all the more important to examine all financing options openly and individually. Good solutions are usually created in personal dialogue between customers and bank advisors. Professional advice with a lot of experience pays off and that was valid during the time of the KIM regulation as well as currently," says Prok. Peter Mayr, spokesman for Raiffeisen Immobilien Österreich.
[1] Austrian Gallup Institute, Multi-Topic Survey Spring 2026; CAWI interviews (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing), n = 1,000, representative of the Austrian population aged 20 to 65, survey period February/March 2026.
