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SuisseHousing habits have hardly changed during the pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the behavior of the Swiss in terms of housing and moving very little, reveals the OFL
During the first containment in March 2020, the obligation of teleworking has imposed itself and many people have “transformed” their home into a workplace. “Outdoor spaces and nearby relaxation areas have become more important,” recalls the Federal Housing Office (OFL), which wanted to know if this situation had any effects on the housing market. His publication, “Housing preferences during the Covid-19 pandemic”, published on Thursday, shows that “the impact has been less than imagined”.
“Only a slight tendency to settle in less densely populated places might be observed,” notes the OFL. About 4,000 more people than in previous years made this choice. This represents only half a percent of people who have changed residence in Switzerland. Among them, we find “above all single people, mobile and earning a good living, couples, households that own their homes and executives”, lists the OFL.
On the other hand, “the demand for larger accommodations and single-family homes has increased markedly in both the ownership and rental sectors”.
Fewer residencies per week
The OFL publication further reveals that there has been no increase in residences, on a weekly basis, “with the aim of further isolation” during the pandemic. The latter have even tended to decrease. “A possible explanation lies on the one hand in the large-scale practice of teleworking, on the other hand in the closure of training establishments such as universities”, specifies the OFL.
The latter, however, does not exclude that “second homes have been busier during the pandemic.” Finally, the OFL notes that between the end of 2019 and the end of 2021, their number decreased slightly. “Which might suggest an increased use as a main residence”, supposes the OFL whose data “do not allow to formulate definitive conclusions on this subject”.
(comm/aze)
