BY LAETITIA NEIER

Rising rents in Switzerland, the likely long-term shortage of housing (due to steady population growth), the lack of building land and the downgrading of land, e.g. in agricultural zones, open up numerous considerations in the area of housing. The housing cooperatives came into being to meet these challenges. This form of housing between ownership and rent is becoming increasingly popular, especially in the canton of Zurich and in French-speaking Switzerland. Housing cooperatives currently make up 5% of the Swiss real estate stock. The basis of a housing cooperative is an association, a group of people who want to build housing together, with affordable rents and production prices and without real estate speculation. There are different sizes of cooperatives. Some manage several buildings and develop projects, others own only one small building.

Diese Unterkunftsart entstand tatsächlich in der ersten Hälfte des 19th century with the industrial revolution. The aim was to offer the workers better living and housing conditions. After the Second World War, many cooperatives were built. End of the 20th century, interest in these structures reawakened. With every economic crisis, new ideas and proposals spring up like mushrooms, and so housing cooperatives are born. They are based on the principles of solidarity among cooperative members, personal responsibility, mutual assistance or democratic management, as important decisions are taken at general meetings. Members do not buy their flat, but are co-owners of the building through the shares they purchase.

But what are actually the advantages of housing cooperatives? Firstly, rents are set on the basis of actual construction costs, which is about 20% cheaper than on the open market. They want to fight against abusive rents. Moreover, the members of the cooperative can live there as long as they want and do not have to fear any rent increase. The future residents pool their capital and are more competitive when acquiring a plot of land or building because the funds are combined.

Environmentally friendly solutions and sustainable materials are often preferred in construction. Technological innovations are often developed as well. Various grants can be obtained, as these associations are considered non-profit builders and are a good way for municipalities to increase their housing supply. With “living together” at the forefront, cooperatives emphasise the mix of populations and age groups: a response to the problems of mixing in certain neighbourhoods that are too expensive, for example. These buildings are also often better maintained than most, as they are designed for the long term.

Housing cooperatives thus offer an alternative to the two main types of housing, ownership and rent. However, one must be willing to immerse oneself in the life of a community and adhere to its principles. One of the biggest challenges for a young cooperative is finding building land. The municipalities often help them by granting them building rights, but here too there is often a lack of building land. So ist es immer sicherlich hilfreich für die Wohngenossenschaften, einen Blick auf die zu verkaufenden Grundstücken bei den Maklern zu werfen.