For the International Day of the Tenants on 5 October, the tenant association puts the burden of households in the foreground. The latest official space count shows how little selection of many places remains.
On June 1, 2026, 45’493 apartments were empty in Switzerland. This corresponds to 0.93 percent of the total housing stock, the Federal Office for Statistics reports. Compared to the previous year, there were 2’962 apartments less. The rate decreased for the sixth time in a row. Especially for seekers the rental offer counts: 34’690 uninhabited apartments were offered for rent, 2’504 or 6.7 percent less than a year ago.
In the canton of Zug, the empty housing rate was 0.20 percent, in Geneva at 0.31 percent, in contrast to the Jura at 3.35 percent. Although in the large region of Zurich it rose slightly to 0.52 percent, it remained significantly below the national value.
The tenant association refers to a Sotomo survey on behalf of the Federal Office for Housing: 79 per cent of the renters surveyed judge the situation at their own place of residence as worrying. The association demands regular, automatic examinations of rental rates and more non-profit housing.
In particular, the view of the region is crucial to the people seeking housing, and how additional affordable living space is created and which rules effectively limit rents remains the subject of the political debate.