Extending a family is the most common reason for moving in Switzerland, explains the Zurich University of Applied Sciences(ZHAW) in a press release. It has investigated the relocation behaviour of the Swiss population in a study conducted jointly with the Federal Office of Housing, the Fédération Romande Immobilière, the Swiss Homeowners’ Association and Raiffeisen Switzerland. According to the results, around 45 percent of 1094 respondents in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland are currently considering a move.
“In general, housing satisfaction is high among the Swiss population,” co-project leader Holger Hohgardt of the Institute of Wealth and Asset Management at ZHAW is quoted as saying in the statement. According to the study’s findings, people are kept at their place of residence in particular by their spatial and social environment. “People in Switzerland move on average 5 to 6 times in their lifetime and want a long-term home,” Hohgardt explains.
An increase in living space or a change from renting to owning their own home were most frequently cited as reasons for a change by respondents who were willing to move. Behind the desire for more living space is often starting a family or expanding. Conversely, the departure of children or retirement are rarely associated with a move. Only a minority is prepared to give up home ownership. According to co-project leader Selina Lehner from the ZHAW School of Management and Law, the respondents probably find it difficult “to part with what they already have, even though they recognise that their housing needs have changed”.
