What does professional property management cost in Switzerland? Discover fee models, price examples in CHF and important additional costs for rental properties and condominium ownership.
For a fully let multi-family house, Swiss guides most often quote 4 to 5 percent of annual rental income as the fee of a professional property manager [1][2]. For condominium ownership (Stockwerkeigentum), the usual model is a base fee of roughly CHF 2,000 to 2,500 per year plus CHF 350 to 500 per unit. This is shown by the Swiss condominium owners’ association and a comparison portal [3][4]. These values are benchmarks, not statistically surveyed market averages. There is no binding tariff in Switzerland. What you actually pay depends on the property type, its size, the scope of services and any additional services.
This guide explains the common fee models, puts the published figures into context and shows calculation examples with disclosed assumptions. The legal provisions cited are linked to Fedlex in the list of sources. This guide is general information and not legal or tax advice. For what a property manager does in the first place, see our guide What does a property manager do?
Anyone searching for the cost of property management will find plenty of percentages but no official statistics. Management fees are freely negotiable. Fee recommendations from trade associations have been considered legally delicate under competition law since the 2012 COMCO decision (USPI Neuchâtel) [5].
Published figures therefore come from three types of source, which differ in how informative they are:
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| Model | Calculation | Typical for | Benchmarks | Examples from provider tariffs | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of rental income | Percentage of net or gross rents, often based on the target rent (Soll-Miete) | Rental properties, residential and commercial buildings | 4–5% for fully let multi-family houses, up to 7% at low rent levels [1]; 2.5–5% without re-letting [3] | Multi-family and commercial properties 4–5% of net rents [12] | Net or gross? Target or actual rent? The fee rises with the rents |
| Base fee plus flat amount per unit | Fixed annual amount per property plus an amount per unit and parking space | Condominium ownership | approx. CHF 2,000–2,500 plus CHF 350–500 per unit, CHF 30–50 per garage [4]; from CHF 2,000 plus CHF 350–500, CHF 40–60 per parking space [3] | no reliable examples found | Are the owners’ meeting and technical management included in the base fee? |
| Fixed price per unit and month | Fixed amount per rental unit | Individual providers | no market-wide values found | CHF 69 per apartment and month excl. VAT: one provider’s tariff for the residential units described in its offer (Bern/Thun/Interlaken), not a general Swiss price [13] | Check the scope of services and exclusions carefully |
| Annual flat fee for single properties | Fixed annual amount | Single apartment, detached house | no market-wide values found | approx. one month’s rent per year [12] | Expensive in percentage terms when the rent is low |
| Time-based | Hourly rate | Advice, renovation planning, special mandates | CHF 145–200/hour for advice [3]; approx. CHF 100–150/hour for renovation planning in condominium ownership [4] | – | Ask for time sheets, agree a cost ceiling |
| Additional fees | One-off per service | First letting and re-letting, taking over a mandate | 5–10% instead of 2.5–5% of the rent for mandates with re-letting [3] | one month’s rent (central Switzerland) [14] to 1–1.5 net monthly rents [15] per letting | Can raise the annual fee considerably |
With the percentage model, it pays to read the small print. Is the fee calculated on the gross rent (including ancillary costs) or on the net rent? At the same percentage, the net basis is cheaper for owners [3]. Many property managers also calculate on the target rent (Soll-Miete), that is, the rents owed under the lease. The fee is then also due when a tenant does not pay [3].
A condominium owners’ association generally earns no rental income to which a percentage could be applied. The fee is therefore made up of a base amount for the property and an amount per unit. For larger developments the amount per unit generally falls [3]. According to the condominium owners’ association, maintenance and renewal planning services are often not included in the flat fee [4].
Property managers act on behalf of the owner. They let the property, conclude leases, collect rents, send reminders, prepare property and ancillary cost statements, organise the caretaker and commission repairs [1][6]. According to UBS, 4 to 5 percent of the rent is customary for a fully let multi-family house, and up to 7 percent in regions with low rent levels [1]. The effort per apartment is similar, but the rents are lower.
Here the condominium owners’ association is the client. The owners’ meeting appoints and supervises the manager (Art. 712m para. 1 no. 2 of the Swiss Civil Code, ZGB). It can dismiss the manager at any time, subject to any claims for compensation (Art. 712r para. 1 ZGB) [16]. The manager implements resolutions, allocates the common costs, issues invoices, collects contributions and manages the funds (Art. 712s ZGB) [16]. The manager’s remuneration is part of the common costs. The owners bear them in proportion to their quota shares (Art. 712h ZGB), unless a different arrangement applies [16]. In practice, the meeting, minutes, budget, annual accounts and management of the renewal fund are added [11][4].
For office, retail or commercial space, management is often more demanding. Typical features are commercial leases with options and indexation clauses, different ancillary cost allocation keys and technical installations [13]. Drafting extensive commercial leases is listed as a separately remunerated service in the Zurich contract template [6]. The prices found come exclusively from provider tariffs: 4 to 5 percent of net rents or a percentage of turnover [12] or a fixed price based on effort [13]. We could not find a reliable nationwide price range for commercial property management.
For Zurich, Zug, Basel, Lucerne, Bern or French-speaking Switzerland there are no reliable, publicly available price comparisons. We therefore do not quote regional averages.
A qualitative relationship can be substantiated: because the fee usually depends on the rent as a percentage, owners in regions with high rents pay more francs at the same percentage. In regions with low rents, higher percentages are often charged in return [1][2]. A comparison in francs per apartment and year is therefore more meaningful than the percentage alone.
The following calculation examples are our own simplified illustrations based on the ranges cited above. They are neither quotes nor market averages.
For comparison: a comparison portal quotes annual costs of around CHF 5,000 to 8,000 without re-letting for a rental property with 8 apartments and CHF 150,000 in net rents [3].
A comparison portal shows a quote range of around CHF 4,000 to 12,000 for an association with 12 apartments [3]. The range shows how strongly the scope of services and the provider influence the price.
For single properties, flat fees and minimum fees therefore weigh more heavily.
The General Terms for the property management contract (2019 edition), published jointly by HEV Zürich, SVIT Zürich and VZI, show how a standard mandate can be structured [6]. Your own contract may differ.
Included in the agreed fee in the template [6]:
Charged separately in the template [6]:
UBS also points out that the management fee covers organising the caretaker but not the caretaker’s services and social security contributions [1].
The Federal Supreme Court classifies contracts for the management of properties under the law of mandate (BGE 106 II 157) [10]. Under Art. 404 OR, either party may revoke or terminate a mandate at any time. If this is done at an inopportune time, the withdrawing party must compensate the damage caused [9]. Whether contractually fixed termination dates and compensation payments are enforceable in property management is assessed differently in legal literature [20].
In practice, the Zurich template provides for termination with six months’ notice to the end of a calendar year [6]. For condominium ownership, according to a comparison portal, three to six months to the end of the financial year are common [11]. Art. 712r ZGB also applies to the association [16]. If anything is unclear, legal advice is worthwhile.
For fully let multi-family houses, banks and guides mostly quote 4 to 5 percent of rental income, and up to 6 or 7 percent in regions with low rents [1][2]. These are benchmarks. There is no binding rate and no official statistic.
The Swiss condominium owners’ association quotes a base fee of around CHF 2,000 to 2,500 per year and CHF 350 to 500 per unit [4]. For an association with 12 apartments, our calculation example comes to around CHF 6,500 to 9,100 per year.
That depends on the contract. In the Zurich template, a re-letting triggers a separately agreed first-letting fee [6]. Some providers quote one to one and a half monthly rents for it [14][15].
Not the ordinary management fee. Only the administrative effort for the ancillary cost statement can be charged through ancillary costs (Art. 4 para. 3 VMWG). For heating, the related administrative work is added (Art. 5 VMWG) [17].
In principle yes, because the contract is governed by the law of mandate (Art. 404 OR) [9][10]. Termination at an inopportune time can however trigger damages, and contracts often provide for compensation [6]. Ideally, plan a change for the end of an accounting period.
The cost of property management in Switzerland can be narrowed down well. For rental properties it is usually a few percent of rental income, for condominium ownership a base fee plus a flat amount per unit. The difference between two quotes, however, often lies in the details: calculation basis, additional fees, VAT and contract terms. Obtain several quotes, compare the costs in francs per unit and check the description of services carefully.
On SwissImmoMap.ch you can find property managers in the canton of Zurich. Compare providers and their focus areas, and contact the managers that suit your property. The companies listed in the directory are not a price recommendation: their fees are not the basis of the calculation examples in this guide and have not been compared.
This article is for general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. No guarantee of accuracy; the current legal provisions prevail.
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