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The SNB continues to hold the policy rate at 0.0%. Despite very low inflation and moderate economic growth a return to negative interest rates remains unlikely for the time being, meaning that the monetary policy environment remains stable and generally supportive for the property market. At the same time, external risks have increased. A further appreciation of the Swiss franc, geopolitical tensions and a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could have a negative impact on the global economy and therefore also on the Swiss economy. The rental housing market stabilised in the first quarter of 2026 following the decline in the previous quarter, though underlying pressures remain. Although the slowdown in immigration is curbing short-term rental growth, there remains a supply shortage in the major cities. Additionally, the Zurich housing initiatives of 14 June 2026, in particular the Housing Protection Initiative, increase the regulatory risks for investments, renovations and the future expansion of supply. In the office market, the stabilisation has lost momentum again, rents for new tenancies have fallen and the trend remains highly differentiated by region. The yield performance reflects this segmentation. Multi-family units continue to generate robust, broadly positive total annual returns, while office properties remain more volatile and subject to an increased risk of changes in value outside of the strongest locations. Residential property prices are rising again, driven primarily by owner-occupied housing. The low interest-rate environment, expectations of rising prices and the abolition of the imputed rental value are fuelling demand, while the implementation of the reform at cantonal level continues to create uncertainty.
Information on the market developments on which Immospektive is based can be found in FPRE’s real estate meta-analysis. References to FPRE graphics in our text are marked [1] etc.
During its monetary policy assessment on 19 March 2026, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) left the SNB policy rate unchanged at 0.0%. Since the last interest rate cut in June 2025, the key interest rate has therefore remained at zero. The SNB thereby confirms its course of stabilising monetary policy in an environment where interest rates remain very low. As expected, inflation has risen slightly since the last assessment. After 0.0% was recorded in November 2025, annual inflation in February 2026 was 0.1%, which is mostly due to higher goods inflation. Due to the rise in energy prices, inflation is likely to increase more strongly in the next few quarters.1 However, inflationary pressure in the medium term has hardly changed since the last assessment. The conditional inflation forecast stands at an annual average of 0.5% for 2026, 0.5% for 2027 and 0.6% for 2028 [9], and is therefore within the range of price stability over the entire forecast horizon. Although the international environment was solid in the fourth quarter, it is still subject to considerable uncertainty. Inflation remained high in the USA, while in the euro zone it remained close to the target value of 2.0%. At the same time, uncertainty regarding the economic outlook has increased significantly with the conflict in the Middle East. Higher energy prices, potential supply chain problems and a further appreciation of the Swiss franc could weigh on the Swiss economy.2 The baseline scenario does not envisage any deviation from the zero interest rate policy, and despite inflation being very low, the KOF Institute assumes that the SNB will leave the key interest rate unchanged at 0.0% over the entire forecast period.3
1 SNB, Geldpolitische Lagebeurteilung vom 19. März.
2 SNB, Geldpolitische Lagebeurteilung vom 19. März.
3 KOF, Konjunkturbericht, Frühjahr 2026.
4 KOF, Konjunkturbericht, Frühjahr 2026.
5 SNB, Geldpolitische Lagebeurteilung vom 19. März.
6 Raiffeisen, Newsletter Zinsprognose Mai 2026.
In the first quarter of 2026, the Swiss rental housing market remained broadly stable while continuing to face sustained pressure. Following a slight decline in rents for new tenancies in the previous quarter, these have now stabilised again and increased slightly by +0.1% compared with the previous quarter. Rents were +1.3% higher compared with the previous year [23]. This means that rental growth has slowed considerably compared with the sharp increases seen in previous years, though the structural shortage in the market has not been resolved.
While immigration continues to be an important driver of demand, the net inflow of 18,800 people in the first quarter of 2026 was less exceptional than in previous quarters. As a result, the short-term pace of growth in new rental agreements has slowed slightly [10, 11]. On the supply side, the first signs of recovery are increasing. Residential construction activity is expected to grow again in 2026, and the construction index of the Swiss Association of Building Constructors shows a positive trend in the first quarter of 2026, particularly in residential construction [14, 15].
There is also an increasing pressure to act at the regulatory level. The three Zurich housing initiatives of 14 June are an expression of the increasing political response to the housing shortage in Zurich and are emblematic of the supply shortage in urban centres throughout Switzerland.7 The Housing Protection Initiative in particular could potentially have a major impact on the Zurich housing market. It is moving closer to regulatory models that already exist in the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Geneva and Vaud. Experience from Basel-Stadt shows that interventions of this nature slow down planning applications and refurbishment activity and therefore reduce supply further. If the initiative is passed, it is likely to have far-reaching negative consequences for property investments, the renewal of the housing stock, the long-term quality of housing and, ultimately, the attractiveness of Zurich and Winterthur. If refurbishments, conversions and redevelopment projects become harder to plan from a regulatory perspective and less economically attractive, projects could be postponed or cancelled altogether. Beyond reducing future housing supply, local construction and trades businesses would also be affected as fewer building and renovation projects would be commissioned.8
Source: FPRE, Marktmieten- und Baulandindizes von Renditeimmobilien Schweiz, 1. Quartal 2026
7 Kanton Zürich, Regierungsratsbeschluss Nr. 105/2026, 06.02.2026.
8 Baublatt, Studie: Die Auswirkungen der Wohnschutzinitiative im Kanton Basel-Stadt, Januar 2025.
9 FPRE, Marktmieten- und Baulandindizes von Renditeimmobilien Schweiz, 1. Quartal 2026.
10 FPRE, Marktmieten- und Baulandindizes von Renditeimmobilien Schweiz, 1. Quartal 2026.
11 FPRE, Marktmieten- und Baulandindizes von Renditeimmobilien Schweiz, 1. Quartal 2026.
In the first quarter of 2026, the stabilisation observed in the Swiss office space market at the end of 2025 lost momentum again. Contract office rents for new tenancies fell by −3.0% compared with the previous quarter, and were −0.6% lower year on year [35]. This indicates that the office market is significantly weaker than in the previous quarter, and remains characterised by subdued demand for additional space. Regulatory risks are also becoming more prominent. On 15 April 2026, the Federal Council opened the consultation on tightening the Lex Koller law. The proposals include prohibiting foreign investor from acquiring commercial property purely for investment purposes. In addition, listed shares in residential property companies as well as regularly traded shares in real estate funds and real estate SICAVs will again fall under the scope of Lex Koller. For the property market, tightening the law in this way would increase regulatory complexity, limit the pool of potential investors and restrict liquidity as well as people’s willingness to invest, particularly in the case of indirect property investments and commercial investment properties.12
The labour market environment remains only moderately supportive of demand for office space. Although the KOF Institute expects employment to recover in 2026, growth rates will remain below historical averages. Full-time equivalent employment is expected to rise by +0.6% and the number of people in employment to rise by +0.5%, while the SECO unemployment rate is projected to average 3.1% in 2026. Against this backdrop, demand for office space is expected to remain either steady or slightly subdued. In addition, investment activity also remains subdued despite initial signs of recovery, and uncertainty continues to weigh on decisions regarding expansion and location.13
Source: FPRE, Marktmieten- und Baulandindizes von Renditeimmobilien Schweiz, 1. Quartal 2026
12 Federal Council, The Federal -Council plans to further restrict property purchases by foreign residents, 15 April 2026.
13KOF, Economic Forecasts Report, Spring 2026.
14 FPRE, Marktmieten- und Baulandindizes von Renditeimmobilien Schweiz, 1. Quartal 2026.
15 FPRE, Marktmieten- und Baulandindizes von Renditeimmobilien Schweiz, 1. Quartal 2026.
In the first quarter of 2026, the (rolling) total annual return on multi-family units remained positive across all cantons, but things normalised in comparison with the exceptionally strong year in 2025. Most cantons recorded solid returns around the 6% to 8% range. Residential investments therefore remain attractive, with an average (rolling) annual total return for multi-family units of 6.6% (comprising a cash flow return of 3.1% and a return on investment of 3.5%). This continues to be supported by structurally strong demand for rental housing, limited supply and stable recurring income. The decline compared with the previous year is primarily attributable to a normalisation of the returns on investment following the strong gains seen in 2025, while the cash flow return continues to provide a stabilising effect.16
The office property market continues to present a mixed picture. In the first quarter of 2026, the average cantonal (rolling) annual total return stood at around 4.2% (comprising a cash flow return of 3.4% and return on investment of 0.8%), and thus below the 2025 figure of 6.0%. Although recurring income remains an important yield-supporting factor, it was not always able to offset partly negative performances in some individual markets. Negative annual total returns continued to be observed in peripheral and structurally weaker office markets in particular, reflecting the persistently challenging market situation in the office segment.17
Source: FPRE, Marktindizes für Renditeimmobilien, 1. Quartal 2026
16 FPRE, Marktindizes für Renditeimmobilien, 1. Quartal 2026.
17 FPRE, Marktindizes für Renditeimmobilien, 1. Quartal 2026.
18 FPRE, Marktindizes für Renditeimmobilien, 1. Quartal 2026.
19 FPRE, Marktindizes für Renditeimmobilien, 1. Quartal 2026.
Price momentum in the Swiss residential property market continued in the first quarter of 2026. Unlike the previous quarter, growth became spread more widely again. Owner-occupied housing continued to perform particularly strongly, with prices rising by +2.1% compared with the previous quarter and +6.0% higher year on year [62]. Owner-occupied housing therefore remains the more dynamic submarket within residential property. Single-family units also resumed a clear upward trend. Prices increased by +1.9% compared with the previous quarter, while year-on-year growth amounted to a more moderate +1.1% [56]. This highlights how demand for residential property remains robust despite prices being high, with owner-occupied housing continuing to benefit more from its relative affordability compared with single-family units. SARON stood at −0.05% in April 2026, and therefore remained slightly negative [19].
A look at the demand suggests that the decision to abolish the imputed rental value will fundamentally increase the tax attractiveness of owner-occupied residential property. On 1 April, the Federal Council decided that the reform would enter into force on 1 January 2029.20 The debate since the vote has therefore turned towards how it will be implemented. While home-owner associations are calling for the reform to be introduced sooner, mountain cantons in particular have demanded more time to develop a possible property tax on second homes.21,22 In the current low-interest rate environment, the reform is generally expected to support demand for residential property, although the effect will vary greatly depending on the debt ratio, the condition of the property and how the reform is implemented by the cantons. How the new regulation is to be implemented at cantonal level in particular remains unresolved at present, which could create additional momentum in the residential property market in certain areas.
Source: FPRE, Transaktionspreis- und Baulandindizes für Wohneigentum Schweiz, 1 Quartal 2026
20 Bundesrat: Bundesrat setzt Abschaffung des Eigenmietwerts auf 2029 in Kraft, 1. April 2026.
21 HEV, Inakzeptabler Bundesrats-Entscheid zur Abschaffung des Eigenmietwerts, 15. April 2026.
22 SRF, Gebirgskantone wollen Eigenmietwert nicht vor 2030 abschaffen, 7. Februar 2026.
22 FPRE, Transaktionspreis- und Baulandindizes für Wohneigentum Schweiz, 1. Quartal 2026.
23 FPRE, Transaktionspreis- und Baulandindizes für Wohneigentum Schweiz, 1. Quartal 2026.
25 FPRE, Transaktionspreis- und Baulandindizes für Wohneigentum Schweiz, 1. Quartal 2026.
26 Swiss Real Estate Datapool (SRED), SRED Newsletter, 1. Quartal 2026.
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Sebastian Zollinger