Buildings are independent structures containing one or more dwellings or other spaces which are covered by a roof and enclosed within external walls (in the case of free-standing construction) or dividing walls (in the case of closed construction) that extend from the foundations to the roof, and which are designed for residential or other commercial purposes. The building stock is based on the Housing census. Every ten years, the Housing census takes place at the same time as the Population census and the Census of enterprises and their local units of employment in Austria. Since 2011, the census has been carried out as a register-based census. The information is taken directly from existing administrative registers. The Buildings and dwelling register is the basic register for the Housing census.
The data recorded on the stock of buildings includes building characteristics, type of ownership, construction period, number of dwellings, net floor area and type of heating.