Guides

Guides, cost breakdowns and checklists on later-life housing in Switzerland – for people planning ahead and for the relatives helping them decide.

Overhead view of a table with tea and pastries where several older people are looking at a photo album together.

Estate planning · Financing

Passing on property: right of residence, equalisation and tax

Transferring the house during your lifetime and staying put: right of residence versus usufruct, equalisation among siblings, statutory shares, and the deferred property gains tax.

12 August 2026 · 6 min read

An older woman sitting comfortably on the floor by the sofa, looking at a tablet.

Virtual viewings · Assisted living

Viewing senior housing online: what a 360° tour shows

Looking at senior apartments from home: what a 360° tour delivers, what to look for – and what it cannot show you, from smell and noise to the atmosphere in the building.

10 August 2026 · 5 min read

An older couple looking together into an opened cardboard moving box.

Moving home

Moving to a senior apartment: checklist with deadlines

From notice to move-in: a six-month timeline, deadlines for the municipality, compensation office and home-care service – and why clearing the old home takes longest.

6 August 2026 · 5 min read

Several people sharing a meal at a long table in a bright communal room.

Renting & rights · Assisted living

Service charges in a senior apartment: checking the statement

Service charges, care package fee, extras: three items governed by three different sets of rules. What you owe, what you may inspect, and where the common errors hide.

3 August 2026 · 5 min read

An emptied room with a parquet floor, white-painted walls and a wide multi-pane window.

Renting & rights · Moving home

Handing back a home after decades: what you actually owe

After 30 years in the same apartment almost everything is written off. How the useful-life table works, what counts as normal wear, and when the deposit must be released.

28 July 2026 · 4 min read

The façade of an older urban apartment building with tall windows and green shutters.

Renting & rights

Challenging a rent increase: your rights in a long tenancy

Reference rate, renovation surcharge, official form: how to check an increase, challenge it free of charge within 30 days – and what else helps on a fixed pension.

21 July 2026 · 5 min read

Residents sitting together in the common room of a housing scheme, with a support worker standing nearby.

Assisted living · Renting & rights

Assisted living contracts: a checklist before you sign

«Assisted living» is not a protected term in Switzerland – what you get is defined solely by the contract. The 12 points to settle before signing.

14 July 2026 · 5 min read

A house on a rise, with a sloping meadow and scattered trees in front of it.

Moving home · Estate planning

Valuing your home before a move: what is it actually worth?

Before a sale, an advance on inheritance or a usufruct you need a defensible figure. The three valuation methods, what online estimates are good for, and when a full appraisal pays.

7 July 2026 · 5 min read

A white detached house at the edge of a green meadow with a wide view across the valley.

Adapting · Moving home

Adapt or sell? The family home in later life

Stay and convert, or sell and move: a decision guide with cost comparison, property gains tax, tax deferral on a replacement home, and the third route – selling but staying put.

30 June 2026 · 7 min read

A Swiss house with a steep gabled roof in front of a snow-covered mountain range.

Financing · Estate planning

Abolishing the imputed rental value: what it means for retirees

Retirees with a largely repaid home are among the biggest winners of the Swiss system change. What changes, when – and what is worth checking already.

23 June 2026 · 5 min read

An older man wearing glasses working at a laptop, a stack of documents beside him.

Financing

Mortgages after retirement: how Swiss banks do the maths

At retirement the bank reassesses affordability – on pension income instead of salary. What that means, with a worked example and five routes when the sums no longer work.

16 June 2026 · 6 min read

A hand holding an apartment key with a fob in front of an open, brightly lit apartment door.

Financing · Moving home

Purchase costs when downsizing to a senior apartment

Moving means costs on both sides: transfer tax, notary, land registry and mortgage certificate on the purchase – agent's commission and property gains tax on the sale. With a worked example.

9 June 2026 · 5 min read

A modern apartment building with wrap-around balconies in front of a wooded mountainside.

Moving home · Financing

Buying a senior apartment in Switzerland: the process step by step

Buying an apartment in later life: the six phases and how long they take – and what differs from a first purchase: affordability on pension income, accessibility, the renovation fund.

2 June 2026 · 5 min read