01
32,900
approved rental apartments
past twelve months
News and rental market · Switzerland
Where 32,900 new rental apartments are planned – and when they will be ready
Switzerland approved 32,900 rental apartments within twelve months – 11% more than a year earlier and roughly 50% above the recent low. The strongest momentum is in the Bern region and Central Switzerland, although many projects will not be ready until 2027–2029, and major developments may take even longer.
Author: Nikita von Niederhäuser, UrbanHome real estate expert Updated: · Reading time: approx. 16 minutes
02
+11%
year-on-year
clear recovery
03
+44.2%
planning applications in the Bern region
strongest published increase
04
2027–2029
many expected occupancies
major projects sometimes later
What does 32,900 mean?
Approved.
Not completed.
Not guaranteed.
A building permit is an important leading indicator of future housing supply.
Construction pipeline, not finished homes
01
32,900 approved units
The 32,900 units come from a Wüest Partner analysis published at the end of July 2026 and reported by Blick.
This is 11% higher than a year earlier and roughly 50% above the recent low in construction activity.
02
A permit is not a completed building
After approval, legal finality, financing, detailed planning, procurement, construction start, building work, acceptance and initial letting may still follow.
03
No complete regional unit counts
The published data does not provide a complete breakdown of the 32,900 homes by canton, municipality or project.
Regional percentages indicate changes in planning applications, not the precise number of approved units in each region.
Regional unit counts and occupancy dates are not fully available
The stated time windows are a reasoned market assessment, not a guarantee.
Key figures
Construction pipeline and rental market at a glance
The indicators show a clear recovery, yet Switzerland’s rental market remains tight.
Construction
New rental apartments
Significant increase in the pipeline
32,900: rental apartments approved over the past twelve months; not necessarily under construction yet.
+11%: Change compared with the previous year.
Around +50%: compared with the recent low roughly two and a half years ago.
Around 15%: Share of replacement developments.
Market
Regional momentum
Significant regional differences
+44.2%: Planning applications in the Bern region.
+25.8%: Planning applications in Central Switzerland.
1.00%: Vacancy rate in 2025.
48,455 vacant homes: As at 1 June 2025.
Regions
Where rental construction is gaining momentum
Development varies considerably by region. Planning applications are rising particularly strongly in Bern and Central Switzerland.
+44.2
Bern region · BE
Planning applications up 44.2%
The strongest published regional increase. This includes conversions of larger industrial sites.
Such developments provide many homes but often take longer because of phased construction, contaminated sites, infrastructure works and objections.
+25.8
Central Switzerland
Planning applications up 25.8%
GL, LU, NW, OW, SZ, UR and ZG.
Lucerne, Zug and Schwyz in particular benefit from strong demand, good transport connections and resilient job markets.
ZH
Zurich · ZH / SH
Applications remain low
Limited land, densification, costs and lengthy procedures are holding back the construction pipeline.
GE
Lake Geneva
Extremely tight market
GE and lakeside communities in the canton of Vaud: applications remain low despite the tight market.
NW
Northwestern Switzerland
Overall momentum remains weak
AG, BL, BS and SO: individual major projects are possible, but overall application momentum remains weak.
Major projects are still possible in slower regions
Individual major developments can have a substantial local impact even when overall application momentum is low.
When will they be ready?
From
2027
The first major occupancy waves may begin.
There is no single national occupancy date. Permits were issued over a twelve-month period for projects at very different stages.
UrbanHome market estimate
2027 to 2030+
01
Construction already started
Occupancy often in 2027–2028
Marketing may already begin in 2026 or 2027.
02
Permit legally final
Occupancy often in 2028
Construction is about to start; marketing often takes place during the building phase.
03
Start or financing still open
Occupancy more likely in 2028–2029
Marketing will start correspondingly later.
04
Major development site
First occupancies in 2028/2029
With multiple phases, final occupancies may be in 2030 or later.
05
Objections or appeals
2029 or later
The date remains uncertain; completion is not guaranteed.
Not an official Wüest Partner forecast
These windows are a cautious UrbanHome market estimate. Only the timetable of the individual developer or a signed lease is binding.
Occupancy date estimator
When might a project be ready for occupancy?
Choose the project stage and size. This estimator provides a rough guide from August 2026 onwards.
Estimated occupancy window
Rough guide from August 2026; no guarantee.
27
Early-stage completions
first occupancies from 2027
28
Many projects
realistic from 2028
30+
Major developments
final phases may take longer
Replacement developments
Around 15% are replacement developments
According to the study author, around 15% of approved apartments are part of replacement developments.
Fifteen per cent of 32,900 is approximately 4,935 homes.
This does not mean that net housing-stock growth is exactly 4,935 units lower. A building with 40 old apartments may, for example, be replaced by 90 new ones.
The remaining approximately 27,965 units do not represent a guaranteed net increase either, because projects may change, be delayed or never be built.
15%
Replacement construction
approximately 4,935 units
85%
Other projects
approximately 27,965 units
Swiss rental market
Will the rental market ease now?
Higher permit numbers are a positive medium-term signal, but they will not immediately end the housing shortage.
Positive
Construction pipeline
More supply in the medium term
Wüest Partner believes that some regions could gradually stabilise from 2027.
A rapid and nationwide easing was explicitly not forecast.
1,00%
Vacancy
The market remains tight
Switzerland’s official vacancy rate in 2025 was exactly 1.00 per cent.
What matters is whether the homes are actually built, where they are located, how many existing units they replace and how strongly population and household numbers continue to grow.
New apartments
More supply.
High costs.
Not necessarily cheaper.
More homebuilding does not automatically mean lower initial rents in new developments.
01
New builds often cost more
New apartments are often more expensive than long-standing tenancies because of land, building, financing and energy costs.
02
More supply can ease pressure
Additional supply may slow asking-rent increases but does not automatically lead to low starting rents.
03
The type of developer matters
Cooperatives, non-profit developers, affordable-housing quotas or municipal land can serve different price segments from purely return-driven projects.
Compare more than the net rent
Home seekers should compare gross rent, ancillary charges, floor area, mobility costs and any minimum-occupancy rules.
Find new builds early
In
7
steps to discover new projects early.
Many new apartments are marketed long before construction is completed.
Important
Monitor initial lettings early
01
Search alert
Monitor new builds and first occupancy
Create alerts for new builds, first occupancy and your preferred region.
02
Projects
Monitor project websites
Monitor the websites of municipalities, development sites, cooperatives and institutional property owners.
03
Marketing
Look for initial lettings
Monitor the planned initial letting, not just the construction start.
04
Newsletter
Register early
Subscribe early to project newsletters or lists of interested applicants.
05
Search area
Include neighbouring municipalities
Include nearby municipalities with good public transport connections in your search.
06
Application
Prepare your application file
Prepare your rental budget and application documents before marketing begins.
07
Safety
Verify project and payment
Verify the development, property manager and payment account before making any advance payment.
Outlook to 2030
Three possible scenarios
How much the current wave of permits will ease the market depends on completions, demand and delays.
01
Regional easing
More choice from 2027/2028
Many projects are built quickly. From 2027/2028, the selection of homes increases particularly in Bern, parts of Central Switzerland and certain suburban areas.
02
Fragile stabilisation
New homes are absorbed quickly
Additional households absorb much of the new supply. The search remains difficult, while vacancies stabilise at a low level.
03
Delayed effect
Impact only from 2029
Objections, replacement developments and costs delay completion. The current permit wave has a stronger impact only in 2029 or later.
Common misinterpretations
The
7
most common misconceptions about the 32,900 apartments.
The figure is an important signal but can easily be misinterpreted.
01
Confusing permits with completed homes
02
Assuming that all units are net additions to housing stock
03
Interpreting application growth as a regional unit count
04
Applying a nationwide trend directly to your municipality
05
Expecting rents to fall immediately
06
Stopping your current search and waiting only for new builds
07
Treating an announced occupancy date as guaranteed before signing a lease
Checklist
Checklist for home seekers
To find new apartments early, prepare the preferred region, timetable, application and safety checks in parallel.
01
Region
Prepare your search area
Bern and Central Switzerland included in alerts
Neighbouring municipalities included
Development and municipal websites saved
02
Timetable
Understand the project stage
Permit distinguished from construction start
Objections and phases checked
Initial letting monitored, not just completion
03
Application
Be ready to apply
Up-to-date debt-enforcement extract
Application file complete
Rental budget including ancillary charges
04
Safety
Verify contract and provider
Project and property manager verified
No unsecured advance payment
New lease signed before terminating existing tenancy
Sources
Sources and information date
The information is based on published data and assessments by Wüest Partner, the Swiss Federal Statistical Office and other official sources.
Information date: .
- Blick: 32,900 new rental apartments approved, updated 2 August 2026
- Wüest Partner: Housing market and fragile construction recovery in 2026
- Wüest Partner: Definition of Swiss market regions
- Federal Statistical Office: vacant homes and vacancy rate
- Federal Office for Spatial Development: residential construction and inward development
- Federal construction statistics: 46,731 new homes built in 2023
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Direct answers
Frequently asked questions about the 32,900 new rental apartments
The most important answers explained briefly.
8
Questions & answers
No. These are approved apartments. Some are under construction, while others have not yet started.
In planning applications in the Bern region and Central Switzerland. A full cantonal allocation has not been published.
From 2027 for projects already underway. Many newly approved projects may follow in 2028, while major developments will take longer.
No. Many units will only be ready in 2028, 2029 or later.
Around 15% are part of projects replacing existing homes. The exact net increase cannot be calculated from this.
Not automatically. They may ease pressure on supply, but new apartments are often more expensive.
Use search alerts, project newsletters, municipal updates, cooperative websites and initial-letting portals.
Yes. Financing, objections, costs or project changes can delay or prevent implementation.
UrbanHome guides
View more property news →
Key takeaways
Conclusion: 32,900 permits are a strong signal – but not completed apartments
The 32,900 approved rental apartments are the strongest positive supply signal in several years, but they are not homes available immediately.
Momentum is especially strong in Bern and Central Switzerland; many occupancy dates are expected between 2027 and 2029.
Home seekers should monitor new developments early without interrupting their current search.
New rental apartments
Discover new-build and rental apartments early
Create a search alert on UrbanHome and monitor first occupancies, new apartments and current listings in your preferred region.
Find new-build apartments
Compare several regions
See new listings early