Second homes Federal Council introduces less stringent requirements for second homes in October

From October 1, less stringent building regulations will apply in municipalities with many second homes. On Friday, the Federal Council enacted the Second Homes Act, which was relaxed by Parliament in the spring, with effect from this date.

Houses built before March 11, 2012 will be allowed to be demolished, rebuilt, renovated, extended to a certain extent and used without restriction. This means that less stringent rules apply to apartments and buildings that were built before the vote on the second homes initiative.

Specifically, affected buildings are to be allowed to be enlarged by up to thirty percent during renovations and after demolition and reconstruction, and new apartments may be built in them. There should be no restrictions on use in these cases.

The amendment to the law is the result of a parliamentary initiative by National Councillor Martin Candinas (center/GR). The National Council's Environment and Spatial Planning Committee (Urek-N) later drew up a bill that was intended to make densification and development in mountain areas possible.

Supporters of the relaxation spoke in parliament of a "selective flexibilization". The current regulations prevented investments and energy-efficient renovations in old buildings. A red-green minority rejected the bill. This would trigger the construction of financially attractive second homes. Affordable primary residences for locals would come under pressure.

The Federal Council expressed concern about the lack of affordable apartments in some tourist resorts. However, the regulation that has now been adopted is somewhat at odds with the constitution, said Environment Minister Albert Rösti in parliament.

Since January 1, 2016, no additional vacation apartments may be built in municipalities with a proportion of second homes of over twenty percent. However, special rules apply to so-called old-law apartments.