New association calls for greater fairness in the rental market
The fairmieten association was founded in Winterthur. Its aim is to introduce clearer standards and greater fairness to the Swiss rental market through a code of conduct. The Raiffeisen Pension Fund Cooperative and the Rivora Collective Foundation are already on board.
The fairmieten association has been established in Winterthur. According to a press release, its founders – Donato Scognamiglio, Thomas Anwander and Susanne Lieb – are committed to the shared goal of promoting responsible practices in the housing market.
The association aims to promote clearer and binding standards, as well as greater fairness in the Swiss rental market. Membership is open to private and institutional property owners in Switzerland, investors and organisations that voluntarily commit to clear principles for fair treatment of tenants. To this end, they commit to a code of conduct which is characterised, among other things, by the fact that it views letting not merely as a business model, but also as a relationship based on mutual understanding and trust.
The association is currently reaching out to the 25 largest institutional property owners. Of these, the Raiffeisen Pension Fund Cooperative and the Rivora Collective Foundation have already announced their membership. The code of conduct underpinning the association obliges members to ensure transparent adjustments to rent and service charges, non-discriminatory letting practices, careful building maintenance, a responsible approach to renovations and terminations, and transparent communication overall.
“Housing is a sensitive commodity. That is precisely why reliability, transparency and fairness are needed when dealing with tenants,” association president Donato Scognamiglio is quoted as saying in the press release. “With fairmieten, we want to show that responsible landlords are prepared to adhere to specific standards and actively strengthen trust.”