Last year was a good one for tenants, according to the Swiss Real Estate Offer IndexExternal link, which was published on Tuesday. December alone saw rents dropping 0.4% on average. The most significant drops were in central Switzerland (-1.7%), the Lake Geneva region (-1.1%) and northwestern Switzerland (-0.9%). Meanwhile, rents increased in Ticino (+1.9%), the central Plateau region (+0.8%), the Zurich region (+0.6%) and in eastern Switzerland (+0.3%).
Access to home ownership became more expensive. Houses were advertised at prices that were 2.8% higher at the end of 2019 than at the beginning, with an increase of 0.5% in December. For apartments, the price increase for the whole of 2019 was only 0.4%, also thanks to a slight decrease in December (-0.2%).
For 2020 the byword is stability, as the situation is expected to change little, whether in terms of interest rates or general economic developments.
“Thanks to low interest rates, home ownership is still in demand, but due to rising prices it is not affordable for everyone,” said Martin Waeber, director of ImmoScout24, which compiled the index.
At the end of 2017, 59% of Swiss households, roughly 2.2 million, were living in rented accommodation, according to figures provided by the Federal Statistical Office. In February, Swiss citizens will vote on a proposal calling for 10% of all new dwellings built to be reserved for social housing.
More
More
Nine out of ten Swiss rent in major cities
This content was published on
Geneva, Zurich and Lausanne are the Swiss cities with the highest proportion of people living in rented accommodation.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
How pension payments are making Swiss housing unaffordable
This content was published on
Under pressure to invest, Swiss pension funds plough money into real estate. But renters are now fighting back with direct democracy.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.