A new study from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland suggests that Geneva’s strict housing protection rules have helped push rents higher and the canton leads the country in the number of dilapidated homes.
Researchers examined nearly three decades of construction data and found that repeated tightening of the LDTR law has discouraged investment, with an estimated CHF 600m worth of projects cancelled or delayed.
The law is designed to protect tenants by regulating how property owners can renovate, when they can evict tenants for work and how much they can raise rents.
As a result, fewer homes were built and most older buildings were never modernized.
The study also finds a widening gap between established tenants and new arrivals, who now pay about a third more per square metre.
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