Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

REAL ESTATE

Quarter of residents ‘have multiple homes’

More than a quarter of the Swiss population — two million people — live in two or more homes, according to a study released on Tuesday.

Published: 17 June 2015 08:29 CEST

Quarter of residents 'have multiple homes'

Photo: Mirko Grifoni

The study, conducted by the Centre for Research on Architecture, Society and the Built Environment (CASE), concluded that 28 percent live in more than one residence during the course of a year.

Another 20 percent had experienced living in more than one home, meaning almost half the population has lived with multiple addresses, often in different parts of the country.

CASE is based at Zurich’s Federal Institute for Technology (ETH) and conducted the study with the University of Basel and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

The research found that 68 percent of those with multiple residences had access to two homes, while 23 percent had three and nine percent had four or more, the centre said in a news release.

The extra lodgings serve multiple purposes, so it is not always possible to lump them as principle and secondary residences, CASE said.

But more than two-thirds of supplementary residences are used for activities linked to leisure, while a quarter of such homes are linked to work or study purposes.

More than half of extra residences serve as a place for living jointly or separately with a partner.

The results of the study are based on a poll of 3,246 people aged 15 to 74, in addition to a more detailed survey of 961 people living in multiple residences.

Conducted between 2012 and 2014, it was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Checklist: What you need to do if you move house in Switzerland

Anyone who has ever moved, whether in Switzerland or elsewhere, knows it is not just a matter of simple logistics.

In fact, whether you are relocating to another town or canton, or just to another neighbourhood, moving is a big, expensive, time-consuming, and stressful experience.

These are various tasks you will have to cross off your list, one by one.

Getting your old apartment in order

It goes without saying that before you move out, you must make sure to leave the place clean and in order. Most people hire a cleaning company to do so, though you can, of course, do this yourself.

If, for instance, you broke or damaged anything while living in the apartment, you must repair it before you leave.

The condition of the apartment will be assessed during the final inspection process, when the landlord or the management company will write down all damages which you are responsible for either repairing yourself or paying someone else to do it for you.

You are not officially off the hook with your previous landlord until this process is completed.

De-register your old address and register the new one

Whether you are moving across the country or just across the street, this is an obligatory step.

You must let your ‘old’ commune’s population office (Einwohnerkontrolle / Contrôle des habitants/ Controllo abitanti) know you are leaving, and from which date.

You can do so either in person or (if available) online.

Then, when you settle in a new home, you have 14 days to announce your arrival in your new municipality, though in some places the deadline may be longer.

You will need the following documents:

A passport or ID card for each member of the family, in addition to a passport-sized photo for everyone
Documents relating to your family status — whether you are single, married, and with children
Your work or residency permit
Your lease contract or proof of home ownership
Your health insurance card or proof of your current health insurance policy.

The rules are the same regardless of where you arrive from, that is, if you are Swiss, an EU citizen or from a third country, however the supporting documentation may vary.

Some cantons may require other or additional documents, which you can find out ahead of time on your commune or canton’s website.

READ ALSO: Why you need to tell Swiss authorities where you live

Inform the post office about your change of address

To ensure that your mail arrives at your new home, fill out the ‘change of address’ form online at least four days before your move.

Four days is a minimum required time for the post office to process the address change and register it in the electronic database.

If you wait longer, your mail will continue to be delivered to the old address.

You also should notify these companies of your move and new address:

Your mobile telephone / internet provider (if you still have a fixed phone, you should have it switched off at the old address and re-activated at the new one)
Your bank
Your insurance companies (health, car, and any other ones you have, both mandatory and optional)
Your doctor / dentist

If you forget to inform anyone of your new address, no worries — the post office will automatically forward the letters to you, provided your notified them of the change (see above).

What about the tax office?

You don’t have to do a thing.

Your local commune will automatically inform tax authorities of your move, so there is no chance whatsoever that they won’t find you.

Rental versus owned property

If you move into a rental property, you don’t need to, in most cases, notify utility providers like the electric company of your move.

But if you are going to live in your own house, then you must let the local power company know to switch on your electricity supply.

Url copied to clipboard!