As soon as she has settled in at the new place, Christina Petermann (78) has to get out of her apartment again. The native of Basel shouldn’t actually be sitting in her living room anymore. Because at the end of September 2021, all tenants of the property in Zurich’s Witikon district had to vacate their apartments. She herself fought for a few months from the gallows, as she says in an interview with Blick.
With the vacancy notice, which fluttered into the house of the tenants in autumn 2020, a nightmare began for pensioner Petermann that she had already experienced before, as she reveals Blick. “I couldn’t believe it when I had my resignation in front of me!” Said Petermann. When she moved into the Witiker property four years ago, she had already been given an empty resignation due to total renovation. Also in Zurich.
When she moved in, she had the new landlord – Mobiliar – assure her that the apartments in Witikon would not be emptied for renovation in the next few years. The insurer explained to her that they would only make small improvements in the kitchen and bathroom.
Petermann can barely afford the rent
Today it sounds different at the insurance company. “The renovation is very extensive – for example, due to changes in the floor plan and the addition of four floors,” explains the furniture to Blick. The affected property with a total of 14 apartments was built in 1971.
“If I had known that I would have to go out four years after moving in, I would never have come here,” says Petermann. She lives with her dog in a 2.5 room apartment. She pays 1,650 francs per month for the 50 square meter apartment. The pensioner can barely afford the rent.
Petermann is divorced. She raised her daughter by herself. At a time when there were hardly any extracurricular childcare offers. “It wasn’t easy,” she says. She came to Zurich in 1966 to work at Swissair as a flight attendant. In her time there was no occupational pension and as a single parent she couldn’t put much to one side. Savings? Nothing. Petermann only has a small AHV pension with supplementary benefits.
The pensioner feels deported
“Although I worked for 50 years, I am now simply being deported,” she says. At least that’s what it feels like. “A 2.5-room apartment in a new building was recently advertised on the other side of the street for CHF 3,000 – I can’t possibly afford that,” says Petermann.
Witikon is their home. The atmosphere among the residents is familiar. On the dog tour you greet each other and talk about life. It feels like a village in the middle of the city. “Here I have my friends – that’s important, especially for single people,” she says. Finding a new apartment in this price range and with a dog – that is almost impossible in Zurich.
“I don’t need any luxury,” says the pensioner. But she doesn’t want to move into a run-down apartment either, which is also threatened with renovation.
Like Petermann, thousands of tenants feel the same way
Petermann is not alone with this problem. From 2018 to 2019, according to figures from the city of Zurich, over 33 percent of renovations were terminated empty. More recent figures are not available. But Blick also repeatedly reports on affected tenants – for example Ayana R. *, for them the vacant notice threatened the existence of the company. R. was ready to make any compromises. “I’m alone and only need one to one and a half rooms,” she said at the time, Blick.
“In the city of Zurich alone, we are assuming 1,000 to 1,400 vacant layoffs issued by private landlords per year,” says Walter Angst (60), spokesman for the tenants’ association of the canton of Zurich.
The association expects this number to continue to grow in the future. The asking rents in Zurich have almost doubled since 2005. “Empty layoffs are attractive because investors can double rental income in one fell swoop,” says Angst.
The problem is not only known to the city of Zurich. Empty layoffs are increasing across Switzerland! “We have been observing an increase in vacant layoffs and total renovations for a long time,” confirms Natalie Imboden (51), Secretary General of the Swiss Tenants’ Association. “The big cities are the hotspots.”
Pensioner Petermann does not want to give up
Petermann does not let himself get down, fought against the expulsion by contesting the termination. Reason: Finding a reasonable apartment within a year is almost impossible for the pensioner in view of her budget and the highly competitive Zurich housing market.
The arbitration authority agreed with her. Petermann was able to extend the tenancy by six months. In addition, she receives two months’ rent when she moves out – as an extra for the move. At the end of March 2022, Petermann definitely has to go out. She doesn’t know where to go yet.
* Name known to the editor
What those affected can do against empty dismissals
If a property is undergoing major renovation, tenants usually receive notice of termination. Anyone who does not want to accept this should legally exhaust all options. This is recommended by the cantonal tenants’ associations that offer help.
“In most cases, tenants notice very early that the owners are up to something,” says Walter Angst (60), spokesman for the tenants’ association of the Canton of Zurich. He advises those affected to contact the association as early as possible. Preferably before the building project has been worked out.
If the termination nevertheless occurs, as many property tenants as possible should file a dispute and ask for more time to look for an apartment.
The homeowners association sees it differently. “With old buildings, ‘paving measures’ usually do not lead to satisfactory results,” says spokeswoman Monika Sommer. In the case of a total renovation, the owner therefore chooses the path of an empty termination, “this also recognizes the case law as permissible.” Dorothea Vollenweider
If a property is undergoing major renovation, tenants usually receive notice of termination. Anyone who does not want to accept this should legally exhaust all options. This is recommended by the cantonal tenants’ associations that offer help.
“In most cases, tenants notice very early that the owners are up to something,” says Walter Angst (60), spokesman for the tenants’ association of the Canton of Zurich. He advises those affected to report to the association as early as possible. Preferably before the building project has been worked out.
If the termination nevertheless occurs, as many property tenants as possible should file a dispute and ask for more time to look for an apartment.
The homeowners association sees it differently. “With old buildings, ‘paving measures’ usually do not lead to satisfactory results,” says spokeswoman Monika Sommer. In the case of a total renovation, the owner therefore chooses the path of an empty termination, “this also recognizes the case law as permissible.” Dorothea Vollenweider