The debate over Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms is intensifying in Switzerland, as cities move to protect housing for residents and workers. Tenant groups and hoteliers want stricter controls, while homeowners argue that new limits go too far in restricting property rights.
Lucerne introduced a cap in 2025. Homes built for short-term letting after 2010 that have reduced the city’s housing stock can now be rented to visitors for no more than 90 nights a year, and owners must register them. Zurich and Interlaken have brought in similar measures, and Zurich has approved five new posts for three years to enforce its rules. Mario Stübi, president of the Lucerne Tenants’ Association, said the crackdown was long overdue and that ordinary homes should not be removed from the market. “Ownership comes with responsibilities,” he said.
Damian Hunkeler, a Radical-Liberal member of the Lucerne cantonal parliament and president of the city’s Homeowners’ Association, takes the opposite view. He calls the 90-night limit arbitrary, noting that when the rule took effect Lucerne had about 330 Airbnb listings against more than 48,000 homes, less than 1% of the total. He has warned that extra regulation could push enforcement costs onto taxpayers.
The issue is also sharp in the mountains. Valais has more registered short-term rentals than any other canton, and Olivier Andermatt, president of the Valais Hoteliers’ Association, wants commercial holiday lets to meet the same fire safety, hygiene, employment law, tourist tax and VAT rules as hotels. He says there is a severe shortage of affordable homes for hotel staff and locals, and wants a strict registration system run by local authorities. Listener comments gathered by SRF show the split, from a landlord who lost CHF35,000 to unpaid rent and damage before turning to Airbnb, to critics who say investors are converting entire buildings.
Both camps do agree on one point: better data is needed. The House of Representatives has backed a proposal to collect nationwide figures on short-term rentals, and the Senate must now decide. Supporters say the data would show where action is really needed, while many contributors to the debate favour local solutions, with tighter rules in popular destinations and lighter ones in areas where demand is lower. Another private host told SRF that rental income helps to fund their retirement, a reminder that many listings belong to individuals rather than large investors.
