Despite money and contacts Yaël Meier complains about the housing shortage in Zurich

The housing shortage in Zurich is a problem for many people. Young entrepreneur Yaël Meier is no exception. She is explicitly looking for a place to stay in the Zurich Enge district. According to the tenants' association, this could be difficult.

Yaël Meier's family is also suffering from the housing crisis in Zurich. The 24-year-old entrepreneur posted a message on the business portal LinkedIn on Monday saying: "We're looking for an apartment in Zurich Enge!"

She moved out of her cooperative apartment a year ago. "We only paid CHF 1,100 for the 4.5-room apartment in a prime location in Zurich," the post continues. An unbeatable price.

But she and her partner Jo Dietrich decided to move anyway. The reason: "We made the decision to leave our great, affordable apartment to a family for whom it would be life-changing," Meier says in the post. The apartment was also life-changing for them when they started their company ZEAM and started a family at the same time.

Meier criticizes the housing market in the city of Zurich

In her post, Meier also criticizes the housing market in the city of Zurich: "The Zurich housing market is going crazy. Prices are through the roof, companies are paying horrendous rents for their international employees, families are moving out of the city. The rent increases are often illegal and the city has no structures in place to prevent them. It's absurd."

Meier and Dietrich dreamed of raising their family in the Zurich Enge district. It almost worked out: "Unfortunately, they always go under the table and that's also the case with us," writes Meier. The family would also be prepared to buy an apartment or a house.

Ever since Meier boasted in a post in 2022 that she taught at the "best business school in the world", the University of St. Gallen, as a 22-year-old without a degree, she has had a reputation among some people for being arrogant and opened the floodgates for shitstorms.

"Wealthy people are not entitled to the cheapest housing"

Reactions to this post also varied. Many criticize Meier, others find it courageous that they gave up their cooperative apartment for another family.

One user writes: "If even Yaël Meier can't find an apartment, then that shows how perverse the housing market has become. Yaël Meier, a well-known, successful and well-connected entrepreneur with a family, can't find an apartment."

Another person criticized Meier: "Wealthy people are not entitled to the cheapest housing. If (as mentioned in the post) you can even imagine buying a house or apartment in Zurich, you definitely belong to this social group."

169 empty apartments in the city of Zurich

Many people are like Meier at the moment. Anyone looking for an apartment in Zurich needs patience. It has never been an easy exercise, but the situation has worsened considerably in recent years.

In mid-August, the canton of Zurich published new figures on the vacancy rate. These show how many apartments and single-family homes are being advertised, i.e. which are not being rented out or sold on seamlessly.

The figures are grim: the vacancy rate in the city of Zurich is just 0.07 percent. That means 169 empty apartments. Two dozen more than in the previous year, when there were 144 empty apartments.

"She will need perseverance and a lot of time to fulfill her wish"

Although Yaël Meier presumably has sufficient income and good contacts, it will be difficult for the family to find a place to stay in Zurich's Enge district. "She will need perseverance and a lot of time to fulfill her wish," writes Walter Angst, Head of Communications at the Tenants' Association, when asked by blue News.

According to Angst, the supply in the Enge district is small, but "if Ms. Meier is lucky, all she needs is a property that meets her requirements."

However, neither renting nor buying accommodation increases the chances of finding a place to stay in the neighborhood in question. It is easier in other areas of the city. "If you want to live in the Enge, you need patience," says Angst.

When asked whether it was a wise decision to move out of the cooperative apartment, Angst replies: "I assume that Ms. Meier's financial leeway is greater than 1,100 francs. It is therefore very welcome that she has released the apartment for another family - even if there may have been other reasons for moving out."