"Bijou" to make way Building vacated - Zurich tenants fight against demolition
More and more Zurich residents are losing their homes due to demolition or total renovation. A recent case shows how tenants in Hottingen are fighting against a planned vacancy notice.
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- In Zurich-Hottingen, a residential building from the 1930s is to be demolished. The twelve tenants will have to move out by 2027.
- The owner is planning a new building with significantly more living space.
- Vacancy notices are common in Zurich: Around 11,600 apartments have had to be vacated since 2015, many due to demolition or total renovation.
- Those affected are resisting demolition and hoping for listed building protection.
A house in Zurich-Hottingen is about to be demolished. The property at Steinwiesstrasse 15 was built in 1935 and is considered by some to be "a gem". Nevertheless, the new owner wants to replace the building, reports the Tages Anzeiger. The twelve tenants have been given notice and must move out by the end of March 2027.
Such cases are not uncommon in Zurich. According to statistics, 1149 apartments in 130 buildings were affected by vacancy notices in 2024. Two thirds of these buildings were demolished, one third were completely renovated. Between 2015 and 2024, a total of 11,614 apartments were affected - around five percent of the portfolio. Extrapolated, this corresponds to 22,0000 people affected. This means that around one in twenty people in the city of Zurich had to leave their home.
Rents on offer increased by 25 percent
For many, the situation has become more difficult because rents have risen, according to the Tages Anzeiger. According to Wüest Partner, asking rents have risen by a good 25 percent since 2015. Anyone looking for a new apartment today has to pay significantly more. The concern is correspondingly high: in a survey, 84 percent of tenants said that vacancies caused them "great concern".
Those affected in Hottingen also oppose the termination. They consider the demolition to be unnecessary and would have been prepared to move out temporarily for a renovation. The rents in the building are comparatively low - a three-room apartment costs just over 2,000 francs. This is hard to find in the neighborhood.
New building allows more living space
The owner argues differently. A new building would make more living space possible - instead of 800, 1300 square meters could be realized. "Only with a replacement can we contribute to sustainable land use through densification," says Philippe Rohr, CEO of Ledermann Immobilien AG, to the Tages Anzeiger newspaper. At the same time, he admits that "rent reductions" are the most unpleasant part of his job.
Politically, the issue is controversial. An initiative wants to restrict such vacancies more. However, opponents warn that this would slow down investment and prevent densification. "The urgently needed densification cannot take place this way," says the CEO.
The situation remains uncertain for tenants. Many are struggling to find affordable replacements, and some are even considering moving away. In fact, around 30 percent of those affected leave the city. However, this is not a real option for those affected in Hottingen - they are now hoping that the preservation order could still prevent the demolition.
