Fewer apartments are empty
The number of vacant apartments fell across Switzerland for the first time in twelve years in 2021. The vacancy rate fell year-on-year in all major regions except for Ticino. The cantons of Zug, Geneva and Zurich have the lowest vacancy rates.
As of June 1, 2021, Switzerland had a total of 71,365 vacant apartments, including single-family houses, according to the Federal Statistical Office ( FSO ) in a message . Compared to the previous year, this corresponds to a decrease of 9.5 percent. The corresponding vacancy rate fell in the same period by 0.18 percentage points to 1.54 percent. It fell for the first time in twelve years, according to the announcement.
The FSO analysts observed a decline in vacant apartments in six of the seven major regions. Only in the greater Ticino area did the vacancy rate rise by 0.12 percentage points to 2.83 percent. Within the cantons, the analysts found the lowest vacancy rates in Zug (0.34 percent), Geneva (0.51 percent) and Zurich (0.72 percent). The highest vacancy rates were observed in the cantons of Solothurn (3.15 percent), Ticino (2.83 percent) and Appenzell Innerrhoden (2.59 percent).
The analysts have noted a particularly high decline in vacancies for new apartments and single-family homes. As of the reporting date, 7,066 vacant properties were offered for long-term rent or for sale across Switzerland, 24.2 percent fewer than in the previous year. The number of vacant single-family houses offered for long-term rent or purchase decreased by 18.8 percent to 5940 properties in the same period.