Updated August 2026
Condominium ownership governs most Swiss flats. It makes you sole owner of your home and co-owner of everything else: roof, façades, lift, heating. That second half, invisible during a viewing, decides part of your charges and much of your future trouble.
1. The share of ownership, key to everything
Each unit carries a share expressed in thousandths and entered in the land register. It measures your part of the common areas, the weight of your vote at the general meeting and the share of charges you bear. It does not always follow floor area: a top-floor flat with a terrace may weigh more than a larger one on the first floor.
2. Annual charges
They cover heating, water, electricity for the common areas, routine upkeep, building insurance, caretaking and administration. Commonly 3,000 to 6,000 francs a year for a four or five-room flat, appreciably more as soon as there is a lift, a pool or a concierge service. Ask for the accounts of the last three years, not just this year’s budget: the gap between the two is what tells you something.
3. The renovation fund
This is the item people look at least and that costs the most. The fund accumulates provisions for major work: roof, façade, lift, heating. Well funded, a façade renewal is paid without a call for funds; empty, it is shared out among co-owners overnight, in proportion to their shares. On a 1960s building, a façade can mean tens of thousands of francs per unit.
4. The rules and the minutes
The administration and use regulations set what is allowed: short-term letting, pets, work affecting the façade, use of balconies. The minutes of the last three meetings tell the rest, work voted but not yet funded, disputes under way, the mood between neighbours. Two documents to read before making an offer, never after.
5. The general meeting
It meets at least once a year and decides on works, the budget and the administrator. Decisions require a majority of both co-owners and shares, and some: luxury works, changes to the rules, call for a qualified majority or even unanimity. A co-owner holding more than a third of the thousandths therefore has an effective veto on many matters: check the split before buying.
Frequently asked questions
- What happens if a co-owner does not pay their charges?
- The community holds a statutory lien on that unit for the last three years of charges, which lets it recover payment on a forced sale. In the meantime the arrears weigh on shared cash flow, and it is not unusual for the other co-owners to advance the costs. The minutes usually mention such situations.
- Can a condominium flat be let short-term?
- It depends on the rules, and more and more communities forbid or restrict it. Some municipalities add their own limits. If holiday letting is part of your plan, that is the first clause to check: before the price.
- Is the renovation fund refunded on resale?
- No. Sums paid in stay with the community and pass on with the unit: you do not get them back, but the buyer inherits them. A well-funded reserve is therefore a selling point, and normally shows in the price.
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