100,000 signatures oppose Swiss government rent proposal

Over 100,000 signatures against the Federal Council’s rent proposal Keystone-SDA

The Swiss Tenants’ Association is appealing to the government to withdraw its counter-proposal to the rent control initiative.

The association has handed over a petition with 100,848 signatures, to the Federal Chancellery. The signatories are calling for an immediate halt to the drafting of an indirect counter-proposal to the rent initiative. The draft currently being drawn up by the Federal Council must include rent reviews and rent based on costs.

The Rent Initiative calls for rents to be automatically reviewed and reduced if they are too high. On September 25, the Federal Council decided to put forward a counter-proposal to the initiative to make it possible to adjust an initial rent to match the rent for similar flats in the local area.

Any new, more expensive rent would be factored into this statistical comparative rent, thereby “further fuelling the rent spiral”, writes the tenant’s association. Furthermore, increases would be permitted every four years and no review is envisaged.

According to parliamentarian Jacqueline Badran, the Federal Council is planning a market-based rent and is thus proposing the exact opposite of the rent initiative. However, the initiative is intended to finally enforce cost-based rents and a cap on returns.

Tenants’ Association president Carlo Sommaruga is convinced that tenants are already paying too much for their accommodation.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.