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Renting a flat in Switzerland – deposits, the reference rate, scams and buying a home

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Just 0.93 per cent of Swiss homes stood empty on 1 June 2026, and only 0.11 per cent in the City of Zurich. Renting in Switzerland still works if you know the rules on deposits, rent rises and notice, and how to spot a scam. Here is what applies, city by city, and what changes if you buy.

Woman talking with an estate agent in a modern apartment kitchen
Photo: Maria Vitkovska/Adobe Stock

Renting in Switzerland is the norm: at the end of 2024, 61 per cent of households rented or lived in a cooperative – 85 per cent in the Canton of Basel-Stadt and 78 per cent in the Canton of Geneva – according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The rules have barely moved. Voters rejected two tenancy-law changes on 24 November 2024, the reference rate has been 1.25 per cent since 2 September 2025, and since 1 October 2025 a rent-increase form may carry a facsimile signature.

What does renting in Switzerland cost in 2026?

The FSO put the average net rent at CHF 1,485 a month in 2024, but a new four-room flat averaged CHF 2,304, against CHF 1,838 for an older one. The cantons of Zug, Zurich and Schwyz had the highest rents; Jura, Neuchâtel and Uri the lowest. As a newcomer you sign a new lease, so budget for the upper end.

Where3 rooms4 roomsWhat the figure is
SwitzerlandCHF 1,446CHF 1,708Average net rent, 2024
City of ZurichCHF 1,875CHF 2,300Median net rent, private landlords, 1 April 2024
City of BernCHF 1,338CHF 1,666Average net rent of existing leases, November 2025
Canton of Geneva–CHF 1,639 (CHF 2,006 for new tenants)Average free-market rent for a quatre-pièces, 2025

Source: the FSO, Statistik Stadt Zürich, Statistik Stadt Bern and OCSTAT, the Geneva statistics office, read 23 September 2026.

On 1 June 2026 the City of Zurich had 252 empty flats and the Canton of Geneva 793, or 0.31 per cent. In the City of Zurich, private three-room flats let in the previous two years had a median rent of CHF 2,090 in April 2024, and rents in the Canton of Geneva rose 7.9 per cent where the tenant changed, against 1.1 per cent overall in the year to May 2026.

How do you find a flat – and avoid rental scams?

Landlords often ask for an extract from the debt enforcement register, Betreibungsregisterauszug / extrait du registre des poursuites. It costs CHF 17 plus postage and shows proceedings of the past five years in that district only. Personal liability insurance is not compulsory, but in practice you may struggle to rent without it, the Swiss authorities' official portal warns.

Non-profit and cooperative flats are cheaper because they charge cost rent, but they hold just under 4 per cent of the national market, says the Federal Office for Housing. In the City of Zurich more than a quarter of all flats belong to non-profit developers, and the city aims for a third of rental flats by 2050. In the Canton of Geneva, subsidised HLM and HBM flats require four continuous years in the canton within the last eight, Geneva tax liability and income limits, and waits often exceed several months.

Swiss Crime Prevention says never to pay a deposit through a money-transfer service before you hold a valid lease and have seen the flat, and to ignore ads where an owner abroad offers to post you the keys against a deposit. The Federal Office for Cybersecurity adds: do not send copies of your passport or ID card, and report any loss to the local police.

Subletting is allowed if the landlord is informed; for a furnished flat a surcharge of up to 20 per cent is accepted, otherwise the subtenant pays no more than the main tenant. Once you move in, register with your commune within 14 days (part 3).

How much deposit can a Swiss landlord ask for?

Three months' rent at most, under Article 257e of the Code of Obligations. A cash deposit, Mietzinsdepot / garantie de loyer, must go into a bank savings or deposit account in your name. The bank releases it only with both parties' consent or a final court decision or payment order; one year after the lease ends, you can reclaim it yourself if the landlord has brought no claim.

You can also challenge the initial rent as unfair within 30 days of moving in, for example if it is much higher than the previous rent. Cantons with a housing shortage may make an official initial-rent form compulsory; the Canton of Zurich has done so since 1 November 2013.

What is the reference rate – and when can your rent go up?

The mortgage reference rate, Referenzzinssatz / taux de référence, published by the Federal Office for Housing, was unchanged at 1.25 per cent on 2 September 2026; the next publication is due on 1 December 2026. A rise of 0.25 points allows a rent increase of up to 3 per cent; a fall of 0.25 points gives you, in principle, a claim to a 2.91 per cent cut.

A landlord must announce an increase with reasons on a form approved by the canton, at least ten days before the notice period begins, or it is void. You have 30 days to challenge it at the conciliation authority, Schlichtungsbehörde / autorité de conciliation.

SituationRuleDeadline
DepositUp to three months' rent, in a bank account in your nameReclaim one year after the lease ends if no claim is brought
Initial rentChallenge as unfairWithin 30 days of moving in
Rent increaseCanton-approved form, with reasonsAt least ten days before the notice period starts; challenge within 30 days
Ending the leaseThree months' notice, in writingTo a date fixed by local custom, otherwise the end of a three-month lease period
Landlord's noticeCanton-approved formChallenge within 30 days of receipt

Source: the Swiss Code of Obligations and the Federal Office for Housing, read 23 September 2026.

Can foreigners buy property in Switzerland?

Yes, within the rules known as Lex Koller. EU/EFTA citizens living in Switzerland and C-permit holders buy like Swiss citizens, and non-EU citizens with a B permit may buy the home they live in without authorisation. Holiday homes for foreigners fall under a national quota of 1,500 a year, and in some cantons, such as Geneva and Zurich, such sales to foreigners are not possible at all. Buying never gives you a residence permit.

ItemWhat applies
Own capitalAbout 20 per cent of the price; at least 10 per cent of the lending value must not come from pillar 2 savings
MortgageA first mortgage covers about 65 per cent, a second up to 80 per cent
AmortisationDown to two thirds of the lending value within 15 years, starting within 12 months of pay-out
Transfer tax or fee1 to 3.3 per cent of the price, by canton; Canton of Bern 1.8 per cent
Annual property taxIn more than half the cantons, about 0.01 to 0.3 per cent of the estimated value
ContractNotarised; ownership passes on entry in the land register; fees vary by canton

Source: the Swiss authorities' official portal, the Swiss Bankers Association guidelines recognised by FINMA and the Canton of Bern, read 23 September 2026.

In the Canton of Bern, transfer tax (Handänderungssteuer) on the first CHF 800,000 of a main residence is deferred, and waived if you live there for at least two years. Owner-occupiers still pay tax on imputed rental value, Eigenmietwert / valeur locative, in 2026. Its abolition, approved with 57.7 per cent on 28 September 2025, takes effect on 1 January 2029; the deductions for maintenance and, largely, mortgage interest go too, while first-time buyers get a limited interest deduction.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Order a debt enforcement extract and take out liability insuranceBefore you apply
2Never pay a deposit before you have a lease and have seen the flatAt every viewing
3Check that the deposit goes into a bank account in your nameWhen you sign
4Challenge an unfair initial rent at the conciliation authorityWithin 30 days of moving in
5Register with your commune (part 3)Within 14 days of moving in
6Watch the next reference rate publication1 December 2026

Source: the Swiss Code of Obligations, the Swiss authorities' official portal and Swiss Crime Prevention, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.