Letting a holiday flat in Zurich: demand, income and the legal position
What separates a holiday flat in a city from one in the mountains, who books in Zurich, and what is left at the end.
What is a holiday let in Zurich?
A holiday let is a furnished flat rented to travellers by the night or the week. In Zurich these are largely not holidaymakers in the classical sense: around 30 per cent of overnight stays are business trips, plus trade-fair and conference visits. Occupancy swings between 56 per cent in July and 38 per cent in January. Legally the same zoning rules apply as to any other short-term letting.
Why a holiday flat in Zurich is a different thing
Say «holiday flat» in Switzerland and people think of Graubünden or the Valais: two strong seasons, emptiness in between, guests who stay a week or longer. In Zurich none of that holds.
The city has no season in the proper sense but a base level of occupancy through the year with a summer peak. Around 30 per cent of overnight stays are business trips; what has grown lately is mainly leisure. The strikingly strong May points to the trade-fair share.
For running the flat that means two things. The average stay of about three nights is short, which means more changeovers and more cleans than in a mountain destination. In exchange there are no dead months here: the weakest one sits at 38 per cent occupancy, not at zero.
| Zurich | Mountain destination | |
|---|---|---|
| Season | year-round, peak in July | two seasons, weak in between |
| Weakest month | 38 % occupancy (January) | can approach zero |
| Length of stay | around 3 nights | a week and more |
| Cleans per month | around six and a half | one to four |
| Guests | around 30 % on business | mostly leisure |
| What drives the price | trade fairs, conferences, events | school holidays, snow conditions |
What is left at the end
For a well-kept 3-room flat in Zurich districts 3 to 12 we calculate with a nightly rate of around CHF 206 and 64 per cent occupancy. After platform fees, commission and cleaning, around CHF 2,310 a month remains — against CHF 1,990 from unfurnished long-term letting.
The city tax is not an item you have to handle: in Zurich, Airbnb collects it from the guest automatically and remits it. What you do have to handle is registering guests — and that means all guests, not only foreign ones.
What this calculation does not include is the initial furnishing. A holiday let has to be fully equipped, textiles in triplicate included, before the first booking comes in.
What to settle before the first booking
In order, and the first point decides all the others.
- The zone. Since the Federal Supreme Court ruling of 30 April 2026, the city of Zurich may no longer count flats used permanently and commercially for short-term letting towards the minimum residential share. Expressly not affected is occasional letting during your own absence.
- The rules of the building. In a condominium the owners’ association can restrict short-term letting; in a rented flat you need the landlord’s consent under Art. 262 OR.
- Guest registration. In the canton of Zurich all guests must be registered, not only foreign ones.
- Insurance. Household contents insurance and AirCover together do not cover everything — the gap is usually third-party liability.
- The fit-out. What guests expect in Zurich differs from a mountain flat: fast internet and a place to work count for more than a fireplace.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a holiday let in Zurich worth it?
- In the city usually yes, outside it rather not. For a well-kept 3-room flat in districts 3 to 12, around CHF 2,310 a month remains on full service against CHF 1,990 from long-term letting; outside the city, long-term letting comes out around 11 per cent higher. What decides it is not the percentage, though, but whether the flat may be let short-term on a permanent basis in its zone.
- When is the best time to start in Zurich?
- A new listing takes months to reach market occupancy — by our assumption the first year sits at around 82 per cent of established operation. Starting in spring puts the strong May and July ahead of you while the listing collects reviews. Starting in November means facing the weakest months with the weakest listing.
- Do I have to account for the city tax myself?
- No. In Zurich, Airbnb collects the city tax from the guest automatically and remits it. Bookings through other channels may be handled differently — there it needs checking who collects it. Guest registration is separate and remains your duty; it applies to all guests.
- How does this differ from a holiday flat in the mountains?
- Mainly in the length of stay and the season. In Zurich guests stay around three nights on average, which means about six and a half cleaning changeovers a month; in a mountain destination week-long stays are usual. In exchange Zurich has no dead months — the weakest sits at 38 per cent occupancy.
- Do you also take on holiday flats outside the city?
- We work in Zurich, around Lake Zurich and the nearer surroundings — Kilchberg, Rüschlikon, Thalwil and the neighbouring communes. Not beyond that: cleaning, handover and being reachable when something goes wrong all depend on somebody being able to get there in reasonable time.
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