Housing and property monitor for the canton of Fribourg

On 30 August 2018, fourteen private and public stakeholders decided to join forces and form an association to create the housing and property monitor. Its mission is to provide information geared towards the specific requirements of the local stakeholders in the property market, assess the status of the housing situation and suggest projections at a regional level. It will be organised by the School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR).

A reference information system for the regional property market

Demographics, ageing, different family models, mobility and income levels all have an influence on our requirements in terms of accommodation, and what is on offer does not always match up. The local stakeholders in this market would like useful information to allow them to adapt what they have on offer to the regional reality, where to build, what type of apartments to build, at what level to set rental prices, what is the potential for renovating existing accommodation? “Improve knowledge in order to improve strategy,” is the preferred option of the private and public organisations which have decided to join up in a non-profit association in order to create a housing and property observatory. A the core of this information system, there is a dashboard based on four elements, existing accommodation, needs of the population, use of land and a rent chart, which meet the specific requirements of the local stakeholders. The articulation of the indicators on the dashboard should allow not only an evaluation of the current situation, but also projections which are useful in terms of the planning of new buildings or renovations on a regional scale. This kind of dashboard requires the processing, analysis and updating of reliable data from government registers and property professionals.

A housing and property observatory to meet a need in the canton of Fribourg

The housing and property monitor is based on a need in the canton of Fribourg for a strategic tool for the property sector. This need is based on the Fribourg members of parliament and the Council of State’s desire to support an instrument of this kind rather than a new canton-level legislation on housing. Its usefulness has also been recognised by the local stakeholders affected by the housing situation, who were questioned in line with a HEG-FR research project led by Prof. Marilyne Pascquier.