Finding a home in Switzerland is getting harder. For the fifth year in a row the share of vacant flats has fallen, slipping to 1%. In other words, 99% of the country’s housing stock is now occupied. The broad region with the most acute crunch is Vaud and Geneva, but shortages are country wide. According […]
Cut in Swiss reference mortgage rate used to set rents
Switzerland’s federal housing office (FHO) has cut the reference mortgage rate used to set rents, giving many tenants grounds to demand lower payments. From 2 September 2025 the rate falls by a quarter point to 1.25%, after holding steady in June. It had already dropped from 1.75% to 1.5% in March. The benchmark, published quarterly […]
Swiss rents set to rise sharply in coming years
Swiss tenants face steep rent increases in the coming years. According to Martin Tschirren, head of the Federal Housing Office, advertised rents are likely to climb by 3–5% annually. Demand for housing continues to outstrip supply, he told the NZZ am Sonntag on 25 August 2025, as his office released its latest housing market data. […]
Swiss business and environmentalists warn against scrapping imputed rent
Switzerland’s parliament wants to scrap Switzerland’s quirky taxable imputed rental on owner-occupied homes. A vote on 28 September 2025 to impose a new tax on holiday homes is the first step to scrapping this taxable fictional rent. But there is a catch: the change would end most deductions for mortgage interest, home maintenance and environmental […]
Swiss government urges voters to back a tax on second homes to axe imputed rent
The Federal Council and Parliament urge voters to back, on 28 September 2025, a constitutional change that would let cantons levy a special property tax on owner-occupied second homes. The measure is a prerequisite for a wider reform of housing taxation that would scrap the “imputed rent” now charged to home owners. At a press […]
Stolen boat engines – Switzerland’s growing theft problem
Switzerland is facing a sharp rise in stolen boat engines. A surge in thefts across the country points to the emergence of a low-profile but lucrative trade, driven by organised criminal networks—many of them originating in Eastern Europe. Once rare, the scourge of boat engine theft has prompted a growing number of boat owners to […]
Swiss rent reference rate stays put
Switzerland’s benchmark mortgage reference rate, a key figure used to determine rents under existing leases, remained unchanged at 1.5% in June, according to the latest update from the Federal Housing Office (FHO), published on 2 June 2025. The rate was last cut by 25 basis points in March 2025, prompting a wave of rent reduction […]
Too many rooms – Switzerland’s housing shortage
Switzerland’s housing shortage is growing ever more acute. Yet many residents, particularly older ones, occupy more space than they need. If the population were more mobile, with downsizing more common, some pressure on the housing market might be eased—at least in theory. The mismatch between occupancy and need is pronounced. Among those under 44, households […]
Swiss tenants’ association launches initiative to cap rent hikes
Switzerland’s tenants’ association (Asloca) has launched a popular initiative aimed at curbing what it sees as excessive rent increases, reported RTS. The move reflects growing discontent over housing affordability, particularly in urban centres, and comes amid record-low vacancy rates and sluggish construction activity. The proposal, entitled Yes to protection against abusive rents, seeks to require […]
Pensioners versus tenants: Zurich protests and Switzerland’s rental dilemma
Thousands took to the streets of Zurich recently to demand more affordable housing—and to air their frustration with an unlikely target: pension funds, reported SRF. Their complaint is not new but increasingly urgent. Switzerland’s pension funds are major players in the residential property market, owning around 44% of rental apartments nationwide—a sharp increase from just […]
