immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Wohnungsmarkt Schweiz

  • Who pays, who lives, who benefits?

    Who pays, who lives, who benefits?

    The SOSDA framework developed by Zimraum and Stratcraft records the social performance of residential real estate along nine key figures in three scopes: tenants, neighborhood and society. The data pool comprises 30 portfolios with around 68,500 apartments from 17 owners. These include pension funds, investment foundations, listed funds and non-profit housing developers. A database that allows comparisons to be made for the first time.

    Affordability is holding up better than expected
    78 percent of the apartments in the data pool are considered affordable according to the SOSDA definition. The net rent accounts for less than a third of the monthly taxable median income in the respective municipality. Even in the new-build segment, this figure is 58 percent. In institutional portfolios, 48 percent of new-build apartments reach this threshold. This contradicts the widespread view that new construction and affordability are fundamentally mutually exclusive.

    High satisfaction, solid management quality
    Tenant satisfaction is remarkably high. 90 percent of respondents are somewhat to very satisfied with their apartment. 83 percent also give their property management good marks. The residential environment is also impressive. 85 percent are satisfied with their neighborhood, 77 percent rate the neighborhood conditions positively. Quality is obviously not a product of chance in the Swiss housing market.

    Family apartments remain under-occupied
    When it comes to occupancy efficiency, the benchmark reveals a structural weakness. Only 58 percent of apartments fulfill the “room minus 1” rule. For family apartments with four or more rooms, this proportion drops to 41 percent. Although non-profit portfolios perform slightly better than institutional portfolios when it comes to family apartments, the difference remains small. This is a clear area for optimization for all market participants.

    Letting practice under the magnifying glass
    For the first time, the benchmark also documents to whom apartments are actually let. The range is considerable. Depending on the portfolio, between 46 and 100 percent of family apartments went to households with children. Only 9 percent of apartments were rented to senior citizens. The proportion of affordable apartments that went to low-income households varied between 30 and 50 percent. The database is still limited, but the direction is clear. Social performance can no longer be ignored in the future.

  • Society for affordable housing aims to create permanently affordable living space

    Society for affordable housing aims to create permanently affordable living space

    The new real estate company GEW aims to raise private capital for permanently affordable housing for people with low to medium incomes in Switzerland. GEW was founded in December 2025 against the backdrop of an increasing shortage of affordable housing in Switzerland, according to a press release. It will develop, build, acquire and operate residential properties with rents in the affordable segment of the local market, which are to be below the 50th percentile in the respective municipality.

    GEW aims to contribute to social stability in Switzerland through its work. Rising rents, a lack of building land reserves, restrictive regulations and high land and construction costs have meant that housing production can no longer keep pace with demand. “When housing becomes a concern, new answers are needed,” said Reto Brüesch, Managing Director of GEW, in the press release. “We are convinced that the private sector can and must take on part of the responsibility with entrepreneurial thinking and a clear focus on the common good.”

    The GEW model is based on three pillars: efficient development and construction, cost-effective operation and low capital costs due to low risk. This creates an economically viable approach that combines affordable rents with entrepreneurially responsible investments. “Investing in GEW creates affordable housing in Switzerland while also generating a fair return and a positive social impact,” explains Daniel Kusio, Chairman of the Board of Directors of GEW. He is supported on the Board of Directors by real estate economist Donato Scognamiglio and Balz Halter, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Halter Group.

    While municipalities can use GEW to create affordable housing without excessive financial burden, owners benefit from transparent models such as sale, building rights or contributions in kind. Investors, in turn, gain access to a long-term investment with a stable income structure.