Austria's KSchG updated: right-to-repair and green-claims rules enter force from late September/October 2026
Two 2026 amendments to Austria's Consumer Protection Act (Konsumentenschutzgesetz – KSchG) introduce a new right to repair goods and updated rules for distance-sold financial services and green product claims. Most changes apply only to contracts concluded on or after 27 September or 1 October 2026.
What changed
Two federal laws transposed three EU directives into Austrian consumer law. The Right-to-Repair Implementation Act (WaRUG, BGBl. I Nr. 60/2026, implementing EU Directive 2024/1799) adds new sections §§ 5d and 9b–9d: sellers must inform consumers about the repairability of goods, and consumers gain new repair-related rights, effective 1 October 2026. A second amendment (VerbRÄG 2026, BGBl. I Nr. 59/2026, implementing Directives 2023/2673 and 2024/825) tightens disclosure rules for distance selling including green product claims (§ 5a, from 27 September 2026) and updates conflict-of-law rules for financial services sold at a distance (§ 13a, from 1 October 2026).
Who is affected
All consumers who buy goods or financial products online or under distance contracts are directly affected. Businesses — retailers, online shops, and financial service providers — selling to consumers must update their pre-contractual disclosures and contract documents to comply with the new obligations.
What to look out for
The new rules apply only to contracts concluded after the respective effective dates: 27 September 2026 for the updated § 5a (distance-selling disclosures and green claims), and 1 October 2026 for the repair rights (§§ 5d, 9b–9d) and financial services rules (§ 13a). Contracts signed before those dates remain subject to the previous version of the law.