Real estate Apartments are being let faster than they have been for years
Anyone looking for an apartment has to be quick: Demand is so high that advertised rental properties are being snapped up in record time. And this is despite the fact that supply is also growing.
10.12.2025, 08:51
SDA
The good news first: around 408,600 rental apartments were advertised on the major real estate portals between October 2024 and September 2025 - 24,000 more than in the previous year, which corresponds to an increase of six percent.
These are the findings of the online apartment index OWI published on Wednesday, which is compiled by the Swiss Real Estate Institute on behalf of the Swiss Real Estate Association (SVIT), the Swiss Homeowners Association (HEV) and the real estate portal Newhome.
The choice is therefore somewhat greater, but the growing demand clearly exceeds the supply. As a result, the average insertion period fell by one day to 24 days, the lowest value since the survey began in 2015.
"More apartments are coming onto the market, but they are being rented out even more quickly," the study states. This underlines the persistently high demand pressure. In addition, many tenants are clearly using the growing selection as an opportunity to move house.
Regional differences remain
The development varies from region to region, but follows a clear trend: in 19 out of 26 cantons, more apartments were advertised, while in 14 cantons the duration of the advertisement process was shortened.
There was a particularly significant increase in supply in Appenzell Ausserrhoden (+61%), Valais (+39%), Vaud (+29%) and Graubünden (+29%). Nevertheless, landlords found new tenants more quickly in all these cantons.
The opposite picture can be seen in Ticino: fewer apartments were advertised there (-23%) and the advertisements remained online for longer (+6 days), which indicates falling demand.
Apartments are gone the fastest in Chur
In a comparison of cities, the housing shortage is most pronounced in Chur. Although significantly more apartments came onto the market there (+48%), they were rented out within 10 days on average - a record in Switzerland. Fribourg, Lausanne and Neuchâtel also recorded rising demand.
The markets continue to turn quickly in Zurich, Winterthur and Geneva, where apartments find new tenants after 13 to 16 days. In Zurich, however, there is a slight easing for the second time in a row: more apartments are being advertised than at any time since measurements began in 2015, which, according to the study, is likely due to people moving in and out as well as relocations.
