Housing: Vacancy rates on the rise
At the beginning of June 2020, almost 80,000 apartments were vacant in Switzerland, 4.6% more than the previous year. Vacancies rose most sharply among small apartments.
As shown by the vacancy census of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the increase in the vacancy rate, which began ten years ago, continues unchanged. As of the reporting date of 1 June 2020, 78,832 vacant apartments were counted in Switzerland, representing 1.72% of the total housing stock (including single-family houses) and an increase of 3,449 apartments or 4.6% compared to the previous year.
Compared to 2019, the vacancy rate has increased for all apartment categories except 5-room apartments. According to the FSO, the supply of apartments with one and two rooms has expanded the most, growing by 14.5% and 7.0% respectively. Only the number of 5-room apartments on offer decreased slightly by -0.5% compared to the previous year. Most vacant apartments have three or four rooms.
Supply increases most in Ticino and the Lake Geneva region
According to the FSO, the number of apartments offered and vacant on the market rose in five of the seven major regions, with the highest increases recorded in Ticino and the Lake Geneva region (+0.42 and +0.21 percentage points respectively). Only the major regions of Eastern Switzerland and Espace Mittelland recorded a slight decrease compared with the previous year (-0.08 and -0.02 percentage points respectively).
The canton of Solothurn has the highest vacancy rate in Switzerland at 3.22%; it is the only canton above the three-percent mark. The FSO also found high vacancy rates in the cantons of Ticino (2.71%), Aargau (2.65%) and Jura (2.52%). The lowest figure was recorded in the canton of Geneva (0.49%). Vacancy rates are also low in the cantons of Zug (0.70%), Zurich (0.91%), Obwalden (0.92%) and Basel-Stadt (0.96%).
In absolute terms, the number of vacant apartments increased the most in the canton of Vaud - by 1,187 units. The highest number of unoccupied apartments, however, was in the canton of Berne with 10,678 units. The greatest shortage of supply was reported by the canton of Graubünden (-480 units) and the canton of Schaffhausen (-218 units). Overall, vacancies increased in 15 cantons and decreased in 11 cantons. (ah)
