Tag Archives: Property

Recent government figures show a 13% rise in the number of vacant homes over the 12 months to June 2018. The number has more than doubled since 2009 when there were close to 35,000 vacant dwellings. By 1 June 2018, there were more than 72,000, a vacancy rate of 1.62%1 This might sound like good news for home buyers and renters, however it depends on where you hope to live. Drilling down to a regional level, home-shortage hot spots begin to appear. Greater Geneva (0.6%) and Lausanne (0.7%)...

Currently, home owners in Switzerland must pay tax on fictional rent, calculated based on a home’s size and location. At the same time home owners get to deduct mortgage interest and home maintenance costs from their taxable income. ©-Stefano-Ember-_-Dreamstime.com_ - Click to enlarge The system was designed to bring the taxation of home owners into line with that of renters. The logic is sound. Renters must pay rent...

Currently, home owners in Switzerland must pay tax on fictional rent, calculated based on a home’s size and location. At the same time home owners get to deduct mortgage interest and home maintenance costs from their taxable income. © Stefano Ember | Dreamstime.com The system was designed to bring the taxation of home owners into line with that of renters. The logic is sound. Renters must pay rent out of their after tax income, while homeowners get to enjoy their their homes tax free, a kind...

Every three months the rate of interest used to set Swiss rents is reviewed. If it goes down some renters have the right to request a decrease in rent. This time it remained at 1.50%. The last time it dropped was 1 June 2017 when it fell to its lowest level since 2008. The rate is based on the average Swiss mortgage rate over three months. This rate is then rounded to the nearest 0.25%. This time that rate was 1.51%,...

A recent report published by UBS shows real estate price changes in european mountain resorts. ©-Tatiana-Vasilieva-_-Dreamstime.com_ - Click to enlarge Over the last year, Verbier (-3.2%) and Crans Montana (-3.0%) experienced the largest price declines, while Saas Fee (+14.3%) and St. Moritz (+7.4%) climbed the most. Prices rises in the Jungfrau region (+4.8%) Gstaad (+1.5%), Flims/Laax (+2.8%), Andermatt (+1.5%),...

Every three months the rate of interest used to set Swiss rents is reviewed. If it goes down some renters have the right to request a decrease in rent. This time it remained at 1.50%. © Asdf_1 | Dreamstime.com The last time it dropped was 1 June 2017 when it fell to its lowest level since 2008. The rate is based on the average Swiss mortgage rate over three months. This rate is then rounded to the nearest 0.25%. This time that rate was 1.51%, which rounds to 1.5% In general if your rental...

A recent report published by UBS shows real estate price changes in european mountain resorts. © Tatiana Vasilieva | Dreamstime.com Over the last year, Verbier (-3.2%) and Crans Montana (-3.0%) experienced the largest price declines, while Saas Fee (+14.3%) and St. Moritz (+7.4%) climbed the most. Prices rises in the Jungfrau region (+4.8%) Gstaad (+1.5%), Flims/Laax (+2.8%), Andermatt (+1.5%), Zermatt (+1.6%) and Davos/Klosters (+1.1%) were more moderate. Despite Verbier’s decline, property...

Last week, work started on a project to construct 1,000 apartments in Geneva. The project known as the Quartier de l’Etang will unfold over an 11 hectare site in Vernier, not far from Geneva airport. The video above shows the commencement ceremony and a computer animation of the completed project. The man behind it, Claude Berda, is a French-Swiss billionaire who started out selling jeans in the corridors of Dauphine...

Last week, work started on a project to construct 1,000 apartments in Geneva. The project known as the Quartier de l’Etang will unfold over an 11 hectare site in Vernier, not far from Geneva airport. [embedded content] The video above shows the commencement ceremony and a computer animation of the completed project. The man behind it, Claude Berda, is a French-Swiss billionaire who started out selling jeans in the corridors of Dauphine University. Berda bought and combined 15 adjacent plots...

The canton wants the platform to place limits on its use to put the brakes on commercial operators. © Mohamed Ahmed Soliman | Dreamstime.com The 60 day limit was set by Geneva’s State Council. Antonio Hodgers, State councillor in charge of housing told Tribune de Genève that renting on the platform had become a real business for some and that this needs to be controlled. The canton wants to prevent properties being permanently rented via these platforms because it’s reduces the number of...