Aspiring tenants face worst shortage since 2014
Keystone-SDA
The Swiss housing market remains tense, with prospective tenants facing the worst shortage since 2014, the Federal Office for Housing (FOH) said in its annual report on Monday.
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This content was published on
March 16, 2026 – 14:31
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Based on trends over the last few years, the FOH also doubts that supply and demand will return to balance this year.
“The improvement in the situation for people looking for accommodation depends essentially on the growth in the number of households. In 2026, this is expected to be in a similar range to the previous year,” explained the housing office experts.
This phenomenon is complicating the search for affordable housing, particularly for low- and middle-income households, in both urban and mountain areas. The critical areas are Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, Zug, St Moritz, Chur and Interlaken-Zweisimmen.
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Demographics
Zurich: Welcome to the world capital of housing shortages!
This content was published on
Apr 21, 2025
In Zurich, only seven out of 10,000 apartments are vacant on average – the lowest rate in Switzerland and probably in the Western world.
Read more: Zurich: Welcome to the world capital of housing shortages!
Long-established households, on the other hand, have benefited from the stabilising effect of the fall in financing costs on rents for current leases, which has also had an impact on utility costs.
Access to home ownership remains limited. Only a few regions still reserve this option for lower-middle-class households. And upper-middle-class households are running up against the limits of their financial capacity in the Lake Geneva region, the Zurich area and Basel Country.
Translated from French by AI/jdp
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