Airbnb in Zurich from autumn 2026: what the Federal Supreme Court ruling means for owners

What was decided

On 30 April 2026 the Federal Supreme Court dismissed an appeal against the partial revision of the city of Zurich’s building and zoning code (Bau- und Zonenordnung). The city rule on second homes let for limited periods is therefore confirmed.

The core of it: flats used permanently and commercially for short-term letting may in future no longer be counted by the city towards the prescribed minimum residential share (Wohnanteil). In zones with a residential-share requirement that means, in effect, that such use is no longer admissible there.

According to the city, around 5,320 temporarily let units are affected. At the time of the media release, entry into force was envisaged for autumn 2026.

Who it affects — and who it does not

The distinction on which everything turns is between permanent commercial use and occasional private letting. The city names both sides expressly.

• Affected: flats used permanently as Airbnb accommodation or business apartments — that is, flats in which nobody lives and which are let to changing guests all year round.
• Not affected: occasional private letting while you are away — your own home during a holiday, a room alongside the space you live in yourself.
• Open in the individual case: everything in between. Exactly where the line between «occasional» and «permanent» falls will emerge in practice.

What to do now

The city names two duties concretely: a notification duty for permanently commercial uses, and a building application for changes of use (Nutzungsänderung) — even where no building work is involved. Once the rule takes legal effect, builders have to declare the type of residential use in the building application.

For owners about to buy, that means: the question of the zone and the residential share belongs before the signature, not after. A property that cannot be used for short-term letting has to be valued on a different calculation.

For existing properties it is worth looking into the zoning code for the specific address. The rule does not hit the whole city equally — it depends on the residential share of the particular zone.

What this means for the surrounding area

The rule is city law. Municipalities around Lake Zurich or in the Säuliamt have their own building and zoning codes — and developments are not moving in one direction.

Kilchberg is the clearest example: on 16 June 2026 the municipal assembly adopted a revised building and zoning code prohibiting hotel-like operations in purely residential zones. In the canton of Zurich that is new. Approval by the cantonal authorities is pending; the code is not yet legally binding.

Anyone buying around Lake Zurich should therefore not infer from the city rule to the municipality — in either direction. Some municipalities are more open than the city, others stricter. Information from the building administration concerned is the only reliable kind.

Whether it stays that way is open: in March 2026 the city council declared a popular initiative for stricter regulation of short-term letting valid. Political pressure in that direction exists, and neighbouring municipalities are watching.