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Visualization of the new building of the Reformed Church on Sennhauserstrasse in Zurich Hottingen.
Reformiert-Zuerich.ch
The Zurich Reformed Church wanted to "ensure social balance" with a new building in Hottingen. The end result is rents of up to 4,700 francs - and criticism from the tenants' association.
The Zurich Reformed Church is causing controversy with a construction project in the Hottingen district. In a new apartment building with six apartments, rents for 4.5-room apartments range from 4345 to 4695 francs, for 2.5-room apartments from 2400 to 2650 francs - including ancillary costs. Even by Zurich standards, this is striking.
The background is particularly explosive, as the "Beobachter" reveals: The church owns around 300 apartments in the city and emphasizes in its own rental regulations that these should "contribute to a socially diverse population".
Just a year ago, a spokesperson promised the Ref.ch portal that the new building would offer "rents in the middle price segment" and at the same time "do something for the social balance in the city".
According to the tenants' association, little has remained of this. Spokesman Walter Angst refers to figures from the city's 2024 rent survey: with prices per square meter between 39 and 48 francs, the apartments are among the most expensive ten percent in the district - even in high-priced Hottingen. "Talking about average rents here is certainly not appropriate," says Angst.
The church defends itself by referring to the cost-rent model used. According to this model, the rental income only covers the expenses for land, construction and provisions. However, the difficult hillside location, the climate-friendly timber construction and the small size of the building had greatly increased the costs.
An additional appeal delayed the project and made it more expensive. "For all these reasons, the rent is now in the mid to upper segment," admits the church.
