Clutter and noise spark most Swiss household disputes
According to a recent survey clutter and disorder are the main sources of disputes within the home in Switzerland. Conflicts with neighbours are less frequent, but when they do occur it is usually because of noise.
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According to a survey by the property portal ImmoScout24 published on Monday, 30% of respondents often or fairly often experience conflicts within their own household. In contrast, the relationship with the immediate neighbourhood is usually conflict-free. More than half (51%) stated that they rarely or never clashed with neighbours. Only 15% reported frequent disputes.
At 47%, untidiness was by far the most frequent cause of tension in the shared household. This was followed by non-compliance with agreements (26%) and noise (23%).
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Noise, on the other hand, topped the list of disputes with immediate neighbours at 45%. Other frequent points of conflict were the use of the laundry room (18%) and smoking (17%). In French-speaking Switzerland, respondents were more bothered by dirt and rubbish than by the use of the laundry room.
When conflicts arose, around three quarters (72%) of respondents sought a direct conversation with the person concerned. Written communication (17%) or the involvement of third parties such as the property management company (14%) was much less common.
A total of 1,264 people aged between 18 and 84 in German-, French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland were surveyed online for the study from August 12 to 22, 2025.
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Translated from German by AI/jdp
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