published3. August 2022, 04:30
housing shortageDespite the emergency, Credit Suisse is leaving apartments empty
There is a housing shortage in Lucerne. Despite this, Credit Suisse leaves apartments in Lucerne’s Neustadt unoccupied for a long period of time – residents and the tenants’ association find this objectionable.
The property of the Credit Suisse Investment Foundation at Kauffmannstrasse 22 and 24, where many apartments are empty.
20 Min/News-Scout
There is officially a housing shortage in the city of Lucerne.
20min/Community
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At Kauffmannweg 22 and 24 in Lucerne, 13 apartments are empty – sometimes for up to a year.
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The property belongs to the Credit Suisse Investment Foundation.
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The apartments are not advertised for rent.
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The tenants’ association finds the situation shocking, as there is a housing shortage in Lucerne.
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Credit Suisse states that it has not issued any notices and is waiting for a building permit.
The property at Kauffmannweg 22 and 24, in the middle of Lucerne’s new town, is not unusual at first glance. There are a few shops on the ground floor and many of the blinds have been drawn down on these hot days. A look at the inner courtyard reveals, however, that many apartments are empty.
It’s difficult to say how long the apartments have been empty, says a news scout who lives next door to the affected property. “Sometimes there is someone subletting it, but it is certain that at least nine apartments are not inhabited – and some of them have been for almost a year,” says the neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous. The local resident goes on to say that personal contact was still maintained in the past. “People greeted each other from balcony to balcony and knew each other by sight. Nobody lives there anymore.”
Housing shortage in Lucerne
The owner of the property is the Credit Suisse Investment Foundation. The apartments are neither advertised for rent nor has a planning application been approved for this property.
Credit Suisse does not assume any social responsibility.
The debate regarding the lack of living space in Lucerne is currently being conducted intensively once more. It was not until the end of June that activists occupied an empty building in downtown Lucerne 20 minutes reported. Daniel Gähwiler, co-director of the Lucerne tenants’ association, can only puzzle over the reasons for the vacancy. However, he finds the fact that Credit Suisse is leaving vacant apartments vacant in the current housing shortage in Lucerne shocking.
On June 1, 2021, 2,513 apartments were empty in the canton of Lucerne. That equals one vacancy rate of 1.23 percent. If the vacancy rate falls below 1.5 percent, one speaks of a housing shortage.
“It’s very disturbing. Apartments are left empty in order to later charge far too high rents. Credit Suisse does not assume any social responsibility and only looks at the increase in yields,” says Gähwiler.
Credit Suisse wants to restructure
When asked by 20 Minuten, Credit Suisse stated that the vacant apartments on Kauffmannweg in Lucerne were part of a planned renovation, regarding which all tenants had already been informed in detail. «The 13 vacant apartments were given notice by the previous tenants and were not rented out due to the planned renovation work. The schedule for the refurbishment is still open as the building permit is pending. There are no plans to terminate existing leases,” Credit Suisse said. Credit Suisse did not answer the question of how the big bank felt regarding the housing shortage in Lucerne and why it was leaving apartments empty.