Important decision for the housing market: Zurich may restrict business apartments
In the city of Zurich, it has been difficult to find an affordable apartment for years. Now, there is an important decision from the Federal Supreme Court that could influence the housing market: the city is allowed to restrict the rental of so-called business apartments in residential zones. The court ruled in favor of the city administration, which wants to take action against the increase in these special apartments.
Business apartments are furnished apartments that are often rented out to business people for short periods. These guests usually only stay in the city for a few weeks or months. Since such apartments can be rented out for significantly more than normal apartments, the business is very attractive for property owners. However, the problem is that this means less and less living space is available for the local population.
The Federal Supreme Court has now clarified that the city of Zurich may establish rules for this type of rental. If an apartment is used almost like a hotel, it no longer corresponds to the purpose of a normal residential zone. The judges decided that the protection of permanent living space is an important public interest. Therefore, the city may limit commercial use in certain neighborhoods.
For many residents in Zurich, this is good news. Thanks to the new rules, more apartments could return to the regular rental market in the future. In the long term, this could help to slightly stabilize the extremely high rental prices in the city. Experts suspect that this decision could also have a signal effect for other Swiss cities such as Geneva or Basel, which are struggling with similar problems.
The Zurich city administration is satisfied with the ruling. It can now plan concrete measures to better protect the housing market and stop the misappropriation of living space. However, it remains to be seen how quickly the new rules will be implemented and when tenants will feel the first positive changes.