How long do cooperative apartments stay online? How much share capital do cooperatives ask for, which occupancy rules apply and how early are apartments advertised? This report answers with live figures from the listings Laos.io has recorded – updated daily.
As of 3 Oct 2026 · Aggregated figures: Laos.io, CC BY 4.0 with attribution (how to cite)
On the property portals, a cooperative apartment is online for a median of 8.1 days (middle half: 2.7 to 22.4 days). 16% of the listings disappear within one day, 28% within three days and 46% within a week (n = 2,984 ended portal listings). This measures how long the advertisement stays up on the portal – not how long letting takes and not how long you wait for an apartment. Why a listing disappears and whether the apartment was let, we cannot see. The observation still holds: portal listings of cooperative apartments are often only up for a few days, so it pays to be quick.
| 1 day | 16% | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 days | 22% | |
| 3 days | 28% | |
| 7 days | 46% | |
| 14 days | 64% |
| Canton | Median online | Offline ≤ 1 day | Offline ≤ 3 days | Offline ≤ 7 days | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aargau | 5.1 days | 14% | 35% | 65% | 167 |
| Basel-Landschaft | 15 days | 8% | 20% | 29% | 127 |
| Basel-Stadt | 13 days | 10% | 22% | 36% | 200 |
| Bern | 11 days | 13% | 22% | 39% | 556 |
| Luzern | 4 days | 26% | 41% | 67% | 87 |
| Solothurn | 15 days | 6% | 16% | 26% | 92 |
| St. Gallen | 14 days | 11% | 22% | 37% | 215 |
| Thurgau | 14 days | 5% | 13% | 29% | 83 |
| Waadt | 14 days | 9% | 22% | 33% | 116 |
| Zürich | 5.3 days | 24% | 39% | 60% | 982 |
| Town | Median online | Offline ≤ 1 day | Offline ≤ 3 days | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zürich | 1.8 days | 44% | 62% | 290 |
| Basel | 9.7 days | 13% | 26% | 165 |
| St. Gallen | 16 days | 9% | 17% | 155 |
| Biel/Bienne | 14 days | 6% | 15% | 144 |
| Bern | 4.8 days | 26% | 39% | 117 |
| Winterthur | 4.5 days | 24% | 41% | 98 |
| Size | Median | ≤ 3 days | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–1.5 rooms | 6.6 days | 35% | 258 |
| 2–2.5 rooms | 8.5 days | 27% | 628 |
| 3–3.5 rooms | 8.1 days | 28% | 1,090 |
| 4–4.5 rooms | 7.9 days | 28% | 776 |
| 5+ rooms | 14 days | 20% | 169 |
| Rent | Median | ≤ 3 days | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| below CHF 1,200 | 7.2 days | 31% | 732 |
| CHF 1,200–1,800 | 7.8 days | 29% | 1,283 |
| CHF 1,800–2,500 | 8.1 days | 27% | 669 |
| above CHF 2,500 | 14 days | 19% | 268 |
Based on 2,984 ended listings from 348 cooperatives on Homegate, ImmoScout24, Flatfox and Newhome, first seen since 3 Oct 2025. Cooperative websites are not included: many publish in fixed cycles, so their time online says little about demand.
Where a listing states an amount, the median of the stated share capital is CHF 6,000 (n = 1,653 listings from 118 cooperatives; 19% of all listings state an amount); the middle half lies between CHF 3,600 and CHF 8,500, one in ten asks for more than CHF 14,300. Relative to the rent that is a median of 3.9 monthly gross rents. 8% of the listings with share-capital details state that it replaces the rent deposit (n = 1,455). This is not an average of all cooperative apartments: cooperatives that advertise often shape the figure.
| Size | Median | Middle half | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–1.5 rooms | CHF 3,500 | 2,500–7,000 | 94 |
| 2–2.5 rooms | CHF 5,000 | 3,000–9,000 | 271 |
| 3–3.5 rooms | CHF 5,800 | 3,600–7,500 | 711 |
| 4–4.5 rooms | CHF 7,000 | 5,000–9,500 | 486 |
| 5+ rooms | CHF 9,000 | 6,000–15,000 | 88 |
| Area | Median | Middle half | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canton Aargau | CHF 5,000 | 3,000–5,000 | 110 |
| Canton Basel-Landschaft | CHF 7,000 | 4,500–8,000 | 115 |
| Canton Basel-Stadt | CHF 4,000 | 3,000–6,000 | 209 |
| Canton Bern | CHF 2,500 | 2,000–5,000 | 159 |
| Canton Solothurn | CHF 3,900 | 3,000–4,000 | 41 |
| Canton Thurgau | CHF 10,000 | 7,000–12,000 | 44 |
| Canton Zürich | CHF 7,000 | 5,000–10,000 | 848 |
| Zürich | CHF 6,400 | 4,500–11,000 | 324 |
| Basel | CHF 3,800 | 3,000–5,000 | 182 |
| Biel/Bienne | CHF 2,500 | 2,000–3,000 | 92 |
| Winterthur | CHF 6,500 | 4,500–15,000 | 78 |
| Schlieren | CHF 4,500 | 4,100–5,800 | 42 |
Based on 1,653 listings from 118 cooperatives first seen since 2 Oct 2024 that state an amount (19% of all listings in that period). Amounts below CHF 1,000 (membership share only) and rent deposits are excluded. A few large cooperatives strongly shape the figures of their canton. Guide: share capital
In 31% of the evaluable listings (1,708 of 5,589) we found a statement on occupancy or allocation rules – besides a minimum number of people this includes e.g. age, families or membership. 11% (603 of 5,589) set a minimum number of people. The real share is higher: many cooperatives only set the rule in their letting regulations. Among the 603 listings with a minimum number of people and an evaluable room count, the rule is exactly "rooms minus one" in 80% and "rooms minus two" in 13%.
| minimum occupancy / number of people | 35% | |
|---|---|---|
| families, children | 12% | |
| age (e.g. 55+ or 60+) | 8% | |
| membership | 6% | |
| car-free living | 2% | |
| residence or workplace | 2% | |
| no single persons | 2% | |
| students, trainees | 1% |
| 1–1.5 rooms | 1% | n=530 |
|---|---|---|
| 2–2.5 rooms | 1% | n=1,132 |
| 3–3.5 rooms | 14% | n=1,981 |
| 4–4.5 rooms | 16% | n=1,412 |
| 5+ rooms | 21% | n=336 |
| Canton | Occupancy/allocation rule | Minimum people | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aargau | 26% | 4% | 320 |
| Basel-Landschaft | 30% | 6% | 292 |
| Basel-Stadt | 33% | 6% | 382 |
| Bern | 17% | 3% | 905 |
| Luzern | 45% | 24% | 210 |
| St. Gallen | 12% | 3% | 406 |
| Waadt | 54% | 1% | 170 |
| Zürich | 42% | 21% | 2,085 |
Typical wordings (in German, as published):
Mindestbelegung: 3 Personen (42)Mindestpersonenzahl: Zimmerzahl minus eins (30)Mindestbelegung: 2 Personen (29)Die Wohnungen werden nur an Personen ab 55 Jahren vermietet. (15)Mindestbelegung: 4 Personen. (9)Based on 5,589 listings with a description first seen since 1 Jun 2025 (when we started extracting the rules); 1,708 of them from 233 cooperatives state an occupancy or allocation rule. Rules are read automatically from the listing text and classified by keywords. Income limits are stated in very few listings, so we publish no figures on them. Guide: occupancy rules
A cooperative apartment is advertised a median of 51 days before the move-in date (middle half: 28 to 84 days). 43% of the listings appear at least two months ahead. For 10%, the stated move-in date had already passed when we first recorded the listing – that does not mean the apartment was available immediately. 66% of the move-in dates are the 1st of a month, 27% the 15th or 16th.
| Canton | Median | ≥ 2 months ahead | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aargau | 63 days | 54% | 274 |
| Basel-Landschaft | 84 days | 65% | 223 |
| Basel-Stadt | 74 days | 60% | 258 |
| Bern | 68 days | 55% | 634 |
| Freiburg | 58 days | 48% | 64 |
| Luzern | 84 days | 68% | 180 |
| Solothurn | 61 days | 50% | 91 |
| St. Gallen | 48 days | 40% | 232 |
| Thurgau | 75 days | 64% | 96 |
| Waadt | 40 days | 27% | 77 |
| Zürich | 42 days | 32% | 2,353 |
Lead time = move-in date stated in the listing minus the date Laos.io first saw it (4,647 listings from 308 cooperatives since 2 Oct 2024; dates already passed at first sighting count as 0 days).
Advertised cooperative apartments cost a median of CHF 20.7 gross rent per m² and month (middle half: CHF 17.8 to 25.3). Service charges (Nebenkosten) make up a median of 14% of the gross rent, about CHF 220 a month. Median rents by apartment size for every canton are on the canton overview.
| Canton | CHF / m² | Service charges |
|---|---|---|
| Aargau | 21.1 (n=184) | 13% (n=281) |
| Basel-Landschaft | 22.1 (n=197) | 13% (n=303) |
| Basel-Stadt | 22.5 (n=260) | 14% (n=356) |
| Bern | 19.9 (n=459) | 17% (n=1,040) |
| Freiburg | 20.8 (n=60) | 16% (n=133) |
| Luzern | 19.9 (n=135) | 14% (n=118) |
| Neuenburg | 17.6 (n=45) | 19% (n=76) |
| Schaffhausen | 19.5 (n=46) | 17% (n=78) |
| Solothurn | 18.9 (n=80) | 18% (n=196) |
| St. Gallen | 18.9 (n=243) | 15% (n=421) |
| Thurgau | 18.8 (n=87) | 13% (n=164) |
| Waadt | 20.2 (n=93) | 14% (n=112) |
| Zürich | 21.9 (n=1,524) | 11% (n=1,029) |
| Zürich | CHF 20.9 | n=778 |
| Basel | CHF 22.0 | n=218 |
| St. Gallen | CHF 19.2 | n=195 |
| Winterthur | CHF 19.9 | n=178 |
| Bern | CHF 20.0 | n=95 |
| Luzern | CHF 19.4 | n=95 |
| Biel/Bienne | CHF 19.9 | n=70 |
| Pratteln | CHF 26.5 | n=56 |
| Arbon | CHF 18.4 | n=43 |
| Schaffhausen | CHF 19.9 | n=37 |
| Riehen | CHF 26.3 | n=35 |
| Olten | CHF 17.6 | n=31 |
| Lausanne | CHF 18.6 | n=30 |
Rent per m²: gross rent / living space of apartments first seen since 3 Oct 2025 (CHF 300–10,000, 20–250 m²). Service charges: net rent and charges published by the portals, where they add up to the gross rent. These are asking rents of advertised vacancies, not the rents of all cooperative apartments.
Almost only on weekdays: just 7% of the new portal listings are published on a Saturday or Sunday.
| Monday | 19% | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 20% | |
| Wednesday | 20% | |
| Thursday | 19% | |
| Friday | 16% | |
| Saturday | 3% | |
| Sunday | 3% |
Publication time as reported by the portals (Homegate, ImmoScout24, Flatfox), 6,292 listings since 2 Oct 2024. Our own capture times are not used: they reflect our scraping schedule.
In our directory, a waiting list is noted for 45% of the 838 providers (entries not checked individually; many lists are closed or only open to existing tenants). Half of those with a known portfolio own at most 102 apartments.
| Zürich | 33% | n=244 |
| Bern | 55% | n=150 |
| Basel-Stadt | 50% | n=97 |
| Luzern | 69% | n=71 |
| St. Gallen | 48% | n=56 |
| Basel-Landschaft | 43% | n=54 |
| Waadt | 28% | n=53 |
| Aargau | 45% | n=51 |
| Solothurn | 49% | n=37 |
| Thurgau | 52% | n=31 |
| Genf | 36% | n=22 |
| Freiburg | 33% | n=21 |
| Graubünden | 67% | n=18 |
| Schaffhausen | 44% | n=16 |
| Zug | 67% | n=15 |
| buy share certificates | 353 |
| membership | 303 |
| written application or form | 99 |
| residence or owner-occupation | 66 |
| joining fee | 62 |
| statutes, letting rules | 53 |
| debt enforcement register extract | 46 |
| occupancy rules | 39 |
| families, children | 31 |
| waiting list or registration | 29 |
| loan or deposit account | 20 |
| age requirements | 18 |
| rent deposit | 13 |
| residence permit | 10 |
Source: the Laos.io cooperative directory (information from the cooperatives and our own research; not fully verified). Cooperative directory
The aggregated figures computed by Laos.io and published on this page are licensed under CC BY 4.0. Individual listings, images, texts and information from third parties are excluded. Name Laos.io, the data date and link to this page and to the licence, and mark any changes you make.
Suggested citation: Laos.io, market report cooperative housing Switzerland, as of 3 Oct 2026, https://www.laos.io/en/genossenschaftswohnungen/marktbericht/