22 Apr 2025
The Federal Office for Housing (FOH) is convinced of the relevance and innovative nature of the housing and real estate observatory. So much so, that it has designated it a benchmark project. It has now published a report on the observatory, so that this pioneering project can be adapted for and replicated in other regions of Switzerland.
More data, greater reliability, greater transparency, more targeted and up-to-date results. These are the objectives that led to the creation of the Fribourg Housing and Real Estate Observatory in 2018. The monitoring of the rental market in the canton of Fribourg, based on a public-private partnership and drawing data at source (i.e., directly from property management companies, the most accurate source available), has enabled the coverage of 49% of rental properties in the canton of Fribourg.
The relevance and innovative nature of the pilot project prompted the Federal Office for Housing (FOH) to designate it as a benchmark project. It is hoped that the observatory, led by Marilyne Pasquier, professor at the School of Management Fribourg, will serve as a model for other regions in Switzerland, with a view to helping decision-makers make the right choices by giving them all the information they need.
This guide, which is the result of monitoring rental apartments in the canton of Fribourg, will therefore be useful to other Swiss cities and cantons. The guiding principle remains the same: "Better knowledge for better action".
This study is only available in French. The management summary of the study is available in German, French, and Italian.
What indicators does the observatory analyze?
The Fribourg Housing and Real Estate Observatory offers a practical tool for professionals and participating municipalities. Although the coverage rate in the canton of Fribourg reaches 49% of the rental stock, only data from municipalities that contribute financially to the observatory association is published.
In concrete terms, the monitoring shows:
- The rate of available rental housing (without a lease agreement);
- A table showing rents charged for rental accommodation according to the number of rooms, the age of the building and the neighborhood (City of Fribourg);
- A table showing the rents charged for rental properties put on the market in the last twelve months;
- The duration of apartment re-letting;
- The turnover rate of housing;
- Occupancy and rents for student rooms (City of Fribourg);
- A comparison between the three cities.