Brief History & Role
OVI was founded in 1979 with the purpose of representing the professional and commercial interests of its members: real estate agents, property managers, builders and (since 2012) surveyors.
The first president who was at the same time a representative of the Federal Economic Chamber of Austria (Wirtschaftskammer Österreich), wanted to establish a private lobbying organization in addition to the compulsory membership to the Chamber of Commerce. Until now there has been close cooperation with the Federal Economic Chamber of Austria.
Over the years ÖVI has established itself as the most important voice of Real estate in Austria. Politicians as well as mass media trust the opinions of OVI's experts. ÖVI runs a well-known Training Institute (ÖVI Immobilienakademie) as well as a real estate specialised certification body (ImmoZert GmbH).
Principal Activities
ÖVI is engaged in legislative processes at the national and European level, submitting proposals and expert opinions on real estate issues.
ÖVI participates in Expert Committees at the Austrian Standards Institute (ASI) and the CEN (eg. CEN 15733 Real Estate Agent, ÖNORM B 1802-3: 2014 08 01 Real estate evaluation - Part 3: Residual value method) .
Public relations are one of the most important activities in the association, acknowledged by all members. It aims to promote professional business practice in the real estate sector.
Congresses, trade fairs, seminars, conferences and many other types of business events are organized by ÖVI to ensure the promotion and networking for real estate professionals.
ÖVI member services cover a lot of day to day business: consulting in legal and tax affairs as well as model contracts and forms for each type of real estate business.
Principal Areas of Policy
Quality of Real estate services / Rental law / Affordable housing - affordable building / Consumer protection in real estate business / Condominium / Civil law / Tax law / Urban planning / Growing and shrinking cities / Non-discrimination policy / Energy efficiency.
Organisation
The bodies of the association are
- General Assembly
- Board
- Managing Director
- Advisory Board
- Managers of the regional offices (Landesstellen)
- Young Professional Forum and Board
- Internal Arbitration Court
- Internal Auditors
For details and persons see www.ovi.at
Membership
ÖVI has been a Member of CEI since 1996 and is now member of CEPI/CEI.
ÖVI cooperates in Austria with , amongst others:
- ARE
- FIABCI Austria
- Österreichischer Haus-und Grundbesitz
- Verband der Institutionellen Investoren
- FMA
and on the international Level with:
- NAR (National Association of Realtors)
Publications
OVI Immobilienakademie publishes books on real estate law and valuation.
The recent releases are:
Bienert/Funk, Immobilienbewertung Österreich, Edition ÖVI, Wien 2014, 3r edition
Knittl/Holzapfel: Maklerrecht Österreich, Edition ÖVI, Wien 2014, 2nd edition
Kothbauer: Erhaltung und Wartung im Mietrecht, Edition ÖVI, Wien, 2015