Rental prices stagnate - yet rents do not fall

Specifically, the Homegate rental index for asking rents rose by 0.1 percent to 130.9 points in July compared to the previous month, as the real estate marketplace announced on Thursday. The increase was therefore negligible, but the level remains high: rents rose by 1.7 percent compared to the same month last year and even by double digits compared to 2020.

Nevertheless, real estate experts are talking about a possible easing on the rental housing market. While asking rents have risen by 1.3% since the beginning of the year, the increase in the same period last year was more than twice as high. This could be due to lower immigration, among other things.

Rents rose the most in the canton of Schwyz

Rental apartments on offer have risen most sharply this year in eastern and central Switzerland. The cantons of Schwyz (+3.5%), Graubünden, Glarus and Appenzell (2.5% each) stood out in particular.

Among the cities, Lucerne recorded the largest increase of 1.8% compared to the end of 2024, followed by Zurich with 1.7% and Bern and Lugano with 1.4% each.

Further increase expected

Looking ahead, Homegate continues to expect a moderate increase in asking rents. "The impetus from new construction activity is unlikely to be sufficient to counteract the current rental price trend," Martin Waeber from Homegate's parent company SMG Swiss Marketplace Group is quoted as saying. Because if there are still too few apartments available, rents will remain high.

The Homegate rental index for asking rents is compiled by the real estate marketplace Homegate in collaboration with Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB). It measures the monthly quality-adjusted change in rental prices for new and re-let apartments based on current market offers.