Vulnerable tenants hit hardest by Zurich evictions

More tenants in Zurich are being forced to move home than anywhere else in Switzerland Keystone / Gaetan Bally

More tenants are evicted in Zurich than anywhere else in Switzerland, research from the federal technology institute ETH Zurich reveals. This particularly affects older people on low incomes, who are being forced out of their homes.

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Swiss public broadcaster SRF spoke to Edi Bürchler and Claudia Keller, who have lived at the same Döltschihalde housing estate in Zurich for 14 years. At the end of the year, they received notice of termination. “It was a huge shock for me,” says Keller, who couldn’t sleep or eat.

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They were turned down for apartments several times because of their age and most apartments on the market were too expensive. But they eventually found a new home.

Around 100 people in the Döltschihalde housing estate will have to move. This is not an isolated case.

The private owners of Döltschihalde wrote that most of the properties are over 50 years old and that several are being expanded to create more living space. “To make it easier for tenants to find a new home, they were offered a generous extension.”

Most evictions in Zurich

ETH professor David Kaufmann compared evictions in Switzerland’s five largest cities on behalf of the government: “Other cities like Geneva and Basel are also internationally attractive to companies. It is unusual to see so many more evictions in the Zurich region,” he said.

“The losers in this new construction activity are people who already have fewer opportunities in our society.” These include the elderly, asylum seekers, and single people.

According to the study, people who earn about twice as much are moving into the new apartments. “These tend to be younger people, often households without children, both well-earning Swiss and expats,” said Kaufmann.

High rate of displacements

The majority find housing in the same community, but often on the outskirts of the city and in older buildings, which in turn are at risk of being demolished or completely renovated. Around 30% of those affected are displaced from their previous community.

Creating more homes

One of the major players in the Swiss real estate market is the general contractor Halter. In Zurich’s Altstetten district, Halter plans to demolish 317 apartments and build 376 new ones.

Balz Halter, Chair of Halter, says displacement is unavoidable to increase density and create additional living space. Halter supports tenants and has been able to broker succession solutions for some.

Adapted from German with DeepL/mga

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