What is a cooperative apartment?
Key points
- A cooperative apartment belongs to a housing cooperative; as a member you have a say, but you do not acquire ownership of the apartment.
- The rent is based on costs (cost rent, Kostenmiete) rather than on a targeted market return.
- When you move in, you become a member and pay share capital instead of (or in addition to) a rental deposit.
- Non-profit apartments make up only a small part of the housing stock across Switzerland – but around a quarter of rental apartments in the city of Zurich.
- Pros: lower rents, security of tenure, a say. Cons: high demand, rules on occupancy and income.
If you are looking for an affordable apartment in Switzerland, sooner or later you will come across housing cooperatives. Cooperative apartments are often noticeably cheaper than comparable apartments on the open market, offer a high degree of security and give you a say in how things are run. But how exactly does the model work? What does cost rent mean, why do you have to buy share certificates, and is there any difference between a Wohnbau-, Wohn- and Baugenossenschaft? This guide explains the basics – without the jargon.
What is a cooperative apartment?
A cooperative apartment (Genossenschaftswohnung) is a rental apartment owned by a housing cooperative (Wohnbaugenossenschaft). A cooperative is an association of people with a shared goal: good housing at fair prices. It builds or buys buildings and lets the apartments to its members.
The key difference from a conventional landlord: there are no shareholders or investors behind the cooperative expecting a return. The property belongs to the cooperative. By buying share certificates you take a stake in the cooperative and, as a member, have a say in its decisions; you do not acquire ownership of your apartment. So you are both a tenant and a member of the organisation that owns your building.
Legally, you have a perfectly normal tenancy agreement under the Swiss Code of Obligations. On top of that comes your membership of the cooperative, which is governed by its articles of association (Statuten). How apartments are allocated is usually set out in separate letting regulations (Vermietungsreglement).
Wohnbaugenossenschaft, Wohngenossenschaft, Baugenossenschaft: is there a difference?
In everyday use, the three terms mean practically the same thing. The names have evolved over time: many older cooperatives are called «Baugenossenschaft» (building cooperative) because they were originally founded to build houses themselves. Younger ones often call themselves «Wohngenossenschaft» or «Wohnbaugenossenschaft».
| Term | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Wohnbaugenossenschaft | Umbrella term for cooperatives that build and own apartments and let them to their members (housing cooperative). |
| Baugenossenschaft | A common, often older name for a housing cooperative (e.g. «Allgemeine Baugenossenschaft»). |
| Wohngenossenschaft | Also a housing cooperative; the name puts more emphasis on living together than on building. |
| Gemeinnütziger Wohnbauträger | Collective term for cooperatives, foundations and other organisations that provide housing on a non-profit basis (non-profit housing provider). |
More important than the name is whether a cooperative is non-profit (gemeinnützig). Non-profit cooperatives commit in their articles of association not to distribute profits, to let their apartments at cost rent and to use their assets permanently for non-profit housing. Most of the cooperatives whose apartments you find on Laos.io belong to this category. Many are members of the umbrella association Wohnbaugenossenschaften Schweiz (Housing Cooperatives Switzerland).
Cost rent: why cooperative apartments are cheaper
The heart of the model is cost rent (Kostenmiete). The rent is calculated to cover the actual costs of the property – no more and no less. These typically include:
- Capital costs: interest on mortgages and the return on equity (for example on the share certificates)
- Depreciation of the buildings
- Maintenance and repairs
- Administrative costs
- Provisions for future renovations, as well as charges and insurance
Non-profit landlords set the rent according to their costs rather than a targeted market return. Interest rates, maintenance and renovations can still change the rent. How big the price advantage over another apartment is depends on the apartment and on what you compare it with.
The time factor
The second, often underestimated reason is time. Many cooperatives built or bought their buildings decades ago, at the land and construction prices of the day. Because they do not sell the properties on, their value in the books does not rise with the market – and so neither does the cost rent. It stays tied to the actual expenses, even when tenants change.
This also explains why newly built cooperative apartments are sometimes not much cheaper than the market: current land and construction costs apply. A price advantage often only builds up over the years.
Good to know: As with any rental apartment, service charges (heating, hot water, caretaking, etc.) come on top. So always compare the gross rent.
Membership and share certificates
If you live in a cooperative apartment, you are as a rule a member of the cooperative. You acquire membership by buying share certificates (Anteilscheine) – that is, by paying money into the cooperative. This share capital is equity that the cooperative uses to finance its buildings.
The amount usually depends on the size of the apartment and, depending on the cooperative, ranges from a few thousand to several tens of thousands of francs. Whether you get it back when you leave, and how much, is determined by the articles of association. Everything you need to know – amount, financing, repayment, taxes – is explained in our guide to share certificates.
Rights and duties as a member
- A say: At the general meeting (Generalversammlung) you usually have one vote – regardless of how many share certificates you hold.
- Security of tenure: Cooperatives do not terminate tenancies in order to re-let an apartment at a higher rent.
- Following the rules: These include the articles of association, the letting regulations and often occupancy rules (Belegungsvorschriften).
- Community: Many cooperatives thrive on their members' involvement, for example in estate committees, at festivities or in the community garden. It is rarely compulsory, but almost always welcome.
How common are cooperative apartments in Switzerland?
Measured against the total housing stock, non-profit housing is a niche in Switzerland: only around 4 per cent of all apartments belong to cooperatives and other non-profit providers – a little less or a little more depending on how they are counted, according to the Federal Office for Housing and the umbrella association. The distribution, however, is very uneven.
The cooperative idea is particularly strong in the cities of German-speaking Switzerland. In the city of Zurich, around one in four rental apartments is non-profit. In 2011, voters decided to raise this share to one third by 2050. Winterthur, Bern, Basel, Lucerne and many suburban municipalities also have numerous cooperatives – often smaller ones with a few dozen to a few hundred apartments.
On Laos.io you will find listings from all over Switzerland, for example from the canton of Zurich, Bern, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft or St. Gallen. For an overview of the individual cooperatives, see the cooperative directory.
How big are housing cooperatives?
Many are fairly small: of the 460 cooperatives in our directory with a known number of apartments, half own at most 102 apartments; the middle half own between 40 and 241 apartments. A few large cooperatives let several thousand apartments. For 45% of the 838 cooperatives and non-profit landlords in our directory, a waiting list is noted.
| Apartments | Cooperatives |
|---|---|
| 1–49 | 143 |
| 50–99 | 79 |
| 100–199 | 97 |
| 200–499 | 82 |
| 500–999 | 29 |
| 1000+ | 30 |
Source: Laos.io cooperative directory (information from the cooperatives and our own research; not fully verified). As of 3 Oct 2026. More figures in the market report.
A cooperative apartment is not the same as a subsidised apartment
A common misconception is that cooperative apartments are social housing. Mostly, that is not true. The vast majority of cooperative apartments are not subsidised; they are simply cheaper thanks to cost rent. Cooperatives are in principle open to everyone and value a good social mix – families, couples, single people, young and old.
Some apartments are additionally made cheaper by the municipality or canton. These subsidised apartments are subject to stricter rules, such as income and wealth limits (Einkommens- und Vermögenslimiten). What that means in practice is explained in the guide to occupancy rules and income limits.
Pros and cons at a glance
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Often considerably lower rents thanks to cost rent | High demand; listings are often online only briefly |
| High security of tenure, no termination for profit reasons | Share capital has to be paid when you move in |
| A say at the general meeting | Occupancy rules: the size of the apartment must suit the household |
| Lively neighbourhoods, often with communal rooms and generous outdoor spaces | Income and wealth limits for subsidised apartments |
| Buildings are maintained carefully and with a long-term view | Replacement new builds or renovations sometimes mean you have to move |
For most households, the advantages clearly outweigh the drawbacks. The biggest catch is simply getting an apartment in the first place.
How do I find a cooperative apartment?
Vacant cooperative apartments are often advertised only briefly – on the cooperative's website, on property portals or internally to members. Many large cooperatives no longer keep open waiting lists. To succeed, you therefore need to:
- search broadly – keep an eye on many cooperatives and several municipalities at the same time,
- be quick – see new listings early, ideally via a search alert,
- be prepared – with a complete application file.
That is exactly what Laos.io is for: we collect the listings of hundreds of cooperatives and the big portals in one place. With Premium we notify you by e-mail or WhatsApp as soon as we pick up a matching listing; without Premium you see new listings on Laos.io after 24 hours. The full strategy is explained in the guide How to get a cooperative apartment; how to prepare your documents is covered in the guide Applying for a cooperative apartment. Or go straight to the cooperative apartments currently advertised.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Wohnbaugenossenschaft, a Wohngenossenschaft and a Baugenossenschaft?
In everyday use, all three terms mean the same thing: a cooperative that builds or buys apartments and lets them to its members at cost rent. The names have evolved historically; what matters is not the name but what the articles of association say – for example whether the cooperative is non-profit. Sizes vary widely: the cooperatives in our directory with a known number of apartments own a median of 102 apartments (as of 3 Oct 2026).
Why is a cooperative apartment cheaper?
Non-profit landlords set the rent according to their costs rather than a targeted market return: the rent covers interest, maintenance, administration, depreciation and provisions. Interest rates, maintenance and renovations can still change the rent. How big the price advantage is depends on the apartment and on what you compare it with.
Do I own the apartment if I buy share certificates?
No. The property belongs to the cooperative. By buying share certificates you take a stake in the cooperative and, as a member, have a say in its decisions; you do not acquire ownership of your apartment. You are a tenant with a tenancy agreement. Whether you get the share capital back when you leave, and how much, is determined by the articles of association.
Can you stay in a cooperative apartment for ever?
Cooperatives offer a high degree of security of tenure because they do not terminate tenancies for profit reasons. The condition is that you follow the rules – such as occupancy rules. If an apartment becomes clearly under-occupied after the children move out, the cooperative can require you to move to a smaller apartment.
Are all cooperative apartments subsidised?
No. Most cooperative apartments are not subsidised; they are simply cheaper thanks to cost rent. Only some are additionally made cheaper with public money; income and wealth limits apply to these apartments.
Sources
- Federal Office for Housing (BWO): non-profit housing (in German)
- City of Zurich: housing policy, one-third target by 2050 (in German)
- Swiss Code of Obligations (CO), Art. 864: claims of departing members (in German)
Legal information does not replace advice on your individual case. What counts are the articles of association, the letting regulations and the listing of the landlord concerned.