Guides
In-depth guides on renting, buying and living in Switzerland — grounded in real data.
The rental deposit: at most 3 months’ rent — and it stays your money
The deposit may not exceed three months’ rent and must sit in a blocked account in your name. The money stays yours, the interest is yours, and it is protected if the landlord goes bankrupt. Why deposit insurance costs you dearly — with a calculator.
3 months’ rent in a blocked account · Statutory maximum · residential rental deposit
Read articleEnding your lease: notice periods, dates and the replacement tenant
Three months’ notice, on a termination date — and what counts is not the postmark but when the letter arrives. The latest day you can give notice, how to do it correctly, and how to leave early. With a calculator.
3 months to a termination date · Statutory minimum notice · rented apartment
Read articleCapital-gains tax on selling: why holding period decides almost everything
When you sell a property, the canton taxes the gain. The biggest lever is how long you held it: sell too soon and you pay up to 70% more; hold long and up to 70% less. With a curve and a calculator — using Bern as the example.
CHF 107,000 → 15,000 depending on holding period · Tax on a CHF 200,000 gain · city of Bern
Read articleAffordability: how much home you can actually buy
Banks want two things: 20% equity and housing costs below a third of your income — calculated at a 5% rate, not today’s. What that means in francs, and how much you can afford — with a calculator.
CHF 175,000 gross income needed · Income for the median apartment to buy · Switzerland
Read articleImputed rental value: what its 2029 abolition means for you
Switzerland is abolishing the Eigenmietwert — voters said yes on 28 September 2025 with 57.7%. From 2029 the tax on the notional rental value disappears, but mortgage-interest and maintenance deductions largely go too. Who wins, who loses — with a calculator.
57.7% Yes the imputed rental value is abolished · Federal vote of 28 September 2025
Read articleProperty transfer tax: what buying costs, canton by canton
Most cantons charge a transfer tax when you buy property — from 0% to 3.3% of the price. On a CHF 990,000 home that is up to CHF 32,000. Who pays what, where — with a calculator.
CHF 0 – 32,670 depending on canton · Transfer tax on a CHF 990,000 purchase · Switzerland
Read articleSwiss reference interest rate: when you can lower your rent
Switzerland’s mortgage reference rate dropped twice in 2025 — to 1.25%. But many rents are still pegged to higher levels. Do the maths, file in time, and you can claim back several hundred francs a year. Here’s how.
1.25% since Sep 2025 · Current mortgage reference rate · Switzerland
Read articleThe Steuerfuss trap: why the lowest number can mean the highest tax
Geneva has the lowest communal tax multiplier in Switzerland — and one of the highest tax bills. Why the Steuerfuss deceives across cantons, and what to look at instead.
108% · Median communal Steuerfuss · Switzerland
Read articleService charges (Nebenkosten) in Switzerland: what tenants actually pay
Which service charges are permitted, how do advance payments (Akonto) differ from a flat fee, and how do you check the statement? A practical overview for tenants.
CHF 230 / month · Median service charges · Swiss rental market
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