Will Bern and Zurich follow the same path?: Lausanne starts pilot project for apartment transformation

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Divorce, death of spouse, newborn children. There are many reasons why many tenants live in apartments that are too big for them. These are mainly senior citizens: space consumption for people over 65 is more than 55 square meters per person. As a recent Raiffeisen study shows, for those aged 25 to 50, this area is between 39 and 45 square metres.

Problem: Older people often have to pay more for a smaller apartment than for a very large apartment; The rent for this apartment is still based on rental prices from years, even decades ago. Incentives to encourage seniors to move are rare.

Elderly people are at home, not in a nursing home

The city of Lausanne is now launching a pilot project to counter this: The city is proactively contacting elderly people and families living in city apartments. “We offer them a change without putting any pressure on them,” summarizes the responsible city councilor Natacha Litzistorf (55) on RTS radio in Western Switzerland.

This should benefit not only families, who will have more space, but also the elderly: Those in charge hope that by living in smaller, more affordable apartments, they will remain independent longer and will not have to move to a nursing home.

There are 1,300 flats in the city of Lausanne where the pilot project will be implemented in the first stage. A balance needs to be drawn at the end of the year. Litzistorf hopes that the project can later be expanded to include private property owners.

Occupancy regulations apply in Zurich and Bern

What about German-speaking Switzerland? Difficult: In response to Blick’s question, both Bern and Zurich noted that per capita consumption of living space in city properties is already below average. The reason for this is occupancy regulations: “The minimum number of people in an apartment is calculated by subtracting 1 from the number of rooms,” explains Kornel Ringli from Real Estate City Zurich.

A family of four has the right to a 5-room apartment. If the kids move, the parents need to go too; at least in theory. “If employees at Immobilien Stadt Bern are aware of occupancy, they will try to motivate tenants to move without putting pressure on them,” writes Immobilien Stadt Bern.

It’s not just about giving people enough time to find a cheap, smaller apartment, but also about offering one, ideally in the same area. “Traditional social environments are especially important for older people,” say those responsible in Bern. This makes the search for a suitable apartment difficult, and among young families and single retirees the idea of ​​​​an exchange is in most cases a pipe dream.

Source :Blick