return at any price
These are the greediest landlords in Switzerland
Every second apartment in Switzerland is rented out by private individuals. They are the ones who demand the highest rents. And not institutional investors such as banks or pension funds.
Published: 4:45 p.m
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Updated: 4 minutes ago
The Swiss are a nation of tenants. No wonder this attracts landlords who sense the large returns. Banks, pension funds and insurance companies charge the highest rents. That is the common opinion. But that is far from the case as the “Handelzeitung” reports.
A new study by the Federal Statistical Office (BFS) shows that private owners charge the highest rents. Then come construction and real estate companies. Institutional investors come in third place. They charge their residents four percent less than private landlords.
Every second apartment belongs to private individuals
And cooperatives? They charge 10 percent less for comparable apartments. Tenants fare best if they live in an apartment that belongs to the public sector. Then they pay 16 percent less rent.
In 2019 – there are no more recent figures – every second rental apartment belonged to private owners. Institutional investors own a third of the properties. 8 percent are cooperative housing.
Martin Neff, chief economist at Raiffeisenbank, says to the “Handelzeitung”: “Private individuals scrape more out of the square meter price. Institutional companies are not the pacesetters in the market. They behave more ‘lawfully’ than private individuals and are more likely to pass on rent reductions.” (pbe)