Zurich housing shortage dominates upcoming voting Sunday

Housing shortage dominates the upcoming voting Sunday Keystone-SDA

The housing shortage in Zurich is dominating the vote on June 14. Two initiatives are calling for protection against vacancies and the construction of more affordable housing. The cantonal government and parliament have drawn up a counter-proposal to both.

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Affordable flats have become a scarce commodity in canton Zurich. This situation is often exacerbated by the demolition of old buildings, which are replaced by more expensive new buildings. According to a survey conducted by the tenants’ association, 84% of tenants are now afraid of being made redundant.

On June 14, several initiatives will be put to the ballot box to tackle the problem. Below are the most important points about the initiatives and the counter-proposals.

This is what the “housing initiative” demands

The canton and municipalities should be given the constitutional mandate to ensure a sufficient supply of housing and promote ecological construction methods. To this end, a public-law institution is to be founded to provide affordable housing and support non-profit housing developers, i.e. a “cantonal housing association”. This organisation is to receive start-up capital of CHF500 million ($640 million).

What the supporters say

The left-wing initiative committee wants the canton to take responsibility for creating more living space at fair rents. The housing market is no longer functioning as it currently is, it says. Despite many new builds, there is hardly any affordable living space. Construction activity is geared towards maximising the profits of investors. This leads to excessive rents that push people out of their neighbourhoods.

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This is the aim of the counter-proposal

The counter-proposal from the cantonal government and parliament does not want to create a “cantonal housing association”, but instead wants to improve the framework conditions for housing construction. The cantonal government is obliged to examine specific measures within three years. These include, for example, reducing unnecessary regulations and speeding up building procedures. The flats should continue to be built mainly by private individuals. The initiative committee considers this counter-proposal to be unsuitable, as it does not solve the problem, but only favours investors.

This is what the “housing protection initiative” demands

With the “housing protection initiative”, the left-wing initiators are pursuing the goal of preserving affordable rental flats. To this end, municipalities are to be given the option of limiting rents for a period of time following new builds, conversions or renovations. In addition, the municipalities should be able to restrict the conversion of rental flats into condominiums.

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What the initiative committee wants

The initiative committee would like to protect the population from “unfair vacancy notices”. The aim is to slow down the displacement of long-established residents and preserve the local culture of the communities. The committee is convinced that the initiative will prevent abusive rents without using taxpayers’ money and that construction activity will remain high.

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What the counter-proposal wants

The cantonal parliament’s counter-proposal aims to prevent vacancies or make them more socially acceptable without interfering with rents or property rights. Owners must first check whether construction work can be carried out while the property is occupied or in stages. In the event of unavoidable cancellations, landlords must inform tenants in writing at least one year in advance and support them in their search for a new home. The regulation applies throughout the canton, but only for larger projects in which at least 20 households receive notice of cancellation.

Arguments against the initiative and counter-proposal

The initiative committee rejects the counter-proposal because it says it does nothing to change the housing shortage and only has a symbolic effect. It does nothing to counter the exorbitant rent increases that make it attractive to give notice to vacate in the first place, the committee says.

The cantonal parliament, on the other hand, criticises the initiative on the grounds that state rent control would further reduce supply, drive up rents and hinder renovations. Furthermore, as the example of Geneva shows, the initiative would only protect some tenants, while rents for people looking for accommodation would rise all the more.

Adapted from German by AI/ts

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