Vienna Bauwerksbuch: Preparer and Cost Drivers

Anyone who needs a Bauwerksbuch (building logbook) in Vienna usually asks three things: who may prepare it, what drives the cost, and is there a template. Some answers are in the law, some are not, and this article keeps the two apart. The legal basis is Section 128a of the Vienna Building Code, Vienna state law and not an Austrian federal statute; the text is on RIS. Which deadlines apply to which buildings, and what the electronic-keeping duty means for a Hausverwaltung (property manager), is covered in Bauwerksbuch Section 128a: Deadlines, Content, Electronic Record.

Who prepares the Bauwerksbuch in Vienna?

For new builds, additions and conversions, Section 128a(2) requires the owner to have the Bauwerksbuch prepared ("erstellen zu lassen") before the completion notice, by

• a Ziviltechniker (a licensed architect or consulting engineer),
• a court-sworn expert for the relevant field, or
• a person authorised under the rules governing their profession.

By law that person must differ from the applicant, the builder and the owner and must not be in an employment or officer/board (Organschaft) relationship with them. The law calls them the preparer (Ersteller). For existing buildings, Section 128c(2), item 2 refers back to the same preparer (Section 128a(2)); the Vienna building police (MA 37) also names the same professional groups in its FAQ for all Bauwerksbücher.

For existing buildings, Section 128a(3) also requires a first inspection to be carried out in the course of preparation, by a person from the same list with the same independence requirement (the inspector, Prüfer). Section 128a(2) and (3) each exempt Kleingartenhäuser, Kleingartenwohnhäuser and buildings with a built-up area of 50 m² or less.

In practice:

• Preparation is not the Hausverwaltung's task. The Hausverwaltung, where appointed for the building, keeps the Bauwerksbuch on an ongoing basis in electronic form (Section 128a(5)).
• The owner commissions it. The duty to have it prepared falls on the owner (co-owners) under Section 128a(1) and (2).
• Confirmation of preparation. For a Bauwerksbuch prepared under Section 128a(3), Section 128c(2) requires, among other things, an electronically signed preparation confirmation from the preparer and a signed confirmation of the first inspection from the inspector to be submitted to the Bauwerksbuch database.

Beyond that, the authority may, "in begründeten Fällen" (in justified cases), order an owner to have a Bauwerksbuch prepared within a reasonable period (Section 128a(3)).

What does a Bauwerksbuch cost in Vienna?

The law names no prices, and no reliable flat sum can be derived from it. When comparing quotes, compare the scope of work the legal text implies. These points drive the preparer's effort:

• Number of components. Under Section 128a(4)(2) the Bauwerksbuch designates the components subject to regular inspection; Section 128a(1) names "insbesondere Tragwerke, Gebäudehülle, Geländer und Brüstungen" (in particular load-bearing structures, building envelope, railings and parapets).
• First inspection. For existing buildings, Section 128a(3) requires one in the course of preparation.
• Existing documents. Section 128a(4)(1) requires the building permits and completion notices or occupancy permits. The more complete they are, the less has to be obtained.
• Defects found. If an inspection finds defects, subsection 4(6) requires a list with a plan to remedy them.
• Past measures. Subsection 4(7) requires documentation of measures or changes under Section 118c(2) and (7).
• Missing documents. If permits or plans are missing, the MA 37 FAQ points to inspection of plans in the building police's plan archive.
• Ongoing keeping. Preparing the Bauwerksbuch and keeping it electronically under Section 128a(5) are two separate cost items; the second falls to the Hausverwaltung where one is appointed.

For budgeting across a mixed portfolio: sort buildings by deadline first (built before 1.1.1919: 31.12.2027; built between 1.1.1919 and 1.1.1945: 31.12.2030), then request quotes per building against the same list of services.

Template: content checklist under Section 128a(4)

Section 128a prescribes content, not a form. The text of Sections 128a and 128c names no official template. The checklist below follows the law point by point and shows what you can have ready before speaking to the preparer. It is a working aid and replaces neither the Bauwerksbuch nor the inspection by the authorised person.

• Item 1: The building permits and completion notices or occupancy permits. Have ready: decisions and notices from the property archive, where available.
• Item 2: The designation of components subject to regular inspection. Have ready: known damage and irregularities in structure, envelope, railings and parapets.
• Item 3: The time of the first inspection and the intervals of later ones. Have ready: earlier inspection dates, where documented.
• Item 4: The qualifications the inspecting persons must meet. Have ready: set by the preparer; your task is to adopt and maintain the entry.
• Item 5: The results of inspections carried out (excluding inspections under other federal or state rules). Have ready: existing inspection reports and expert opinions.
• Item 6: A current list of defects with a plan to remedy them, if an inspection found any. Have ready: open defects from site visits and damage reports.
• Item 7: Documentation of measures or changes under Section 118c(2) and (7). Have ready: records of the measures and changes under Section 118c(2) and (7).

The “Have ready” suggestions are not a legal requirement. The law ties the content, at its core, to the inspection duty for components whose deterioration could endanger life or health, not to a general building file.

Digital Bauwerksbuch and software: what the law says

Section 128a(5) reads: "Das Bauwerksbuch ist von der Eigentümerin oder vom Eigentümer (Miteigentümerin oder Miteigentümer), wenn für das Gebäude eine Hausverwaltung bestellt ist von dieser, in elektronischer Form zu führen und der Behörde auf Verlangen zur Einsicht zur Verfügung zu stellen."

That yields two duties: electronic form, and inspection by the authority on request. The provision names no particular software. Separate from this is the City of Vienna's Bauwerksbuch database: the Magistrat maintains it as a data register under Section 128c(1), and data for existing buildings under Section 128a(3) is submitted by the owner through the portal the authority announces online (Section 128c(2)). According to the MA 37 FAQ, the Bauwerksbuch itself is not to be uploaded at registration ("keinesfalls das Bauwerksbuch selbst"), and in principle any person may carry out the registration itself ("grundsätzlich jede Person") — so a Hausverwaltung can handle it on the owner's behalf.

What Unitify contributes, and what it doesn't

Unitify keeps documents and a property register per building, plus an equipment register, maintenance history and AI maintenance plans. That is the basis for keeping the documents on the checklist above findable, instead of assembling them before a deadline.

Unitify is not a Bauwerksbuch within the meaning of Section 128a and does not prepare one. It does not replace the Ziviltechniker or other authorised person who prepares the Bauwerksbuch, nor the submission to the City of Vienna's Bauwerksbuch database. Preparation remains a professional service of the persons named in Section 128a(2).

If your deadline is getting closer and the documents are still scattered, book a demo to see how documents and equipment stay current per building.