Federal Council puts looser second-home requirements into force in October
Published: Friday, Sep 13th 2024, 13:20
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From October 1, less stringent building regulations will apply in municipalities with a large number of 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 that were built before March 11, 2012 should 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 are to 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 housing in some tourist resorts. However, the regulation that has now been passed is somewhat at odds with the constitution, said Environment Minister Albert Rösti in parliament.
©Keystone/SDA
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