What do I need to know when I rent out my holiday flat?

Renting out a holiday flat in Switzerland isn’t rocket science, but the rules are scattered: some are in federal law, some in your canton’s legislation, and some in the regulations of your municipality or condominium owners’ association. There are also platform terms, which changed several times in 2026. These guides bring it all together in short sentences, with sources.

New to this? Guide and checklist

The guide takes you through everything in ten steps, from what to do before your first guest arrives to what to do after their first departure: check whether you’re allowed to rent out your flat, register it, get insurance, set prices, choose channels, and handle the guest registration form, tourist tax and taxes. The checklist summarises it all for you to tick off.

• How do I let out my holiday apartment in Switzerland?Let out your holiday apartment in Switzerland, step by step: legal rules, municipality, insurance, prices, platforms, guest registration form, tourist tax and your first tax return.
• What do I need to do before I rent out my holiday flat?Checklist to tick off: laws and local rules, insurance, furnishings, prices, listing, first booking, guest registration form, tourist tax and taxes for your holiday flat.

Money: pricing, income and cleaning

How much should you charge per night to have enough left after Airbnb, Booking.com or Vrbo fees? How much does a holiday flat earn on average in Switzerland, and what costs and taxes come off that? And how do you work out a fair final cleaning fee without losing money on every booking? These three guides use clear assumptions that you can replace with your own figures.

• How do I calculate the price for my holiday apartment?Calculate your holiday apartment’s nightly rate: costs, fees from Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and atraveo, cleaning, seasons and minimum stays, with a calculator.
• Is it worth renting out my holiday apartment?Is renting out your holiday apartment worthwhile? A rough calculation of income, costs and taxes, using AirROI’s Swiss Airbnb average and stating all assumptions.
• How much should I charge for end-of-stay cleaning at my holiday apartment?End-of-stay cleaning for your holiday apartment: how to calculate the fee, what Airbnb, Vrbo and atraveo charge on it, price display, checklist and hiring a cleaner.

Attract guests and share the workload

Good photos and an honest description make the difference between someone booking and moving on. Direct bookings save you commission, and you’re allowed to charge less directly than on the platforms. And if you don’t have time: how much does an agency cost, and what should you look for in the contract?

• How do I take good photos and write a good description for my holiday flat?Good photos and an honest description for your holiday flat listing: photo rules, image rights, how to structure your text, required details and languages.
• How can I get more direct bookings for my holiday apartment?Direct bookings for your holiday apartment: why they pay off, why you can charge less (Art. 8a UCA), QR bills, advance payments and tourist tax separately.
• Should I rent out my holiday apartment myself or hand it over to an agency?Rent your holiday apartment yourself or hand it over to an agency: models, documented costs in Switzerland, what to look for in the contract and when each option makes sense.

The law for hosts: federal rules

These pages explain what applies throughout Switzerland, with the relevant law and article, and link to the cantons that have different rules. The Second Homes Act is the most searched topic. For the rules in your canton, such as limits on the number of nights in Geneva, Vaud or the city of Lucerne, see the overview Law by canton.

• Can I rent out my second home under the Second Homes Act?The Second Homes Act explained: pre-existing homes from before 11 March 2012, tourist accommodation units, primary-residence requirements, municipalities with over 20%.
• Is letting a holiday flat a tenancy or accommodation?Holiday lets of up to three months: which tenancy rules apply (Art. 253a CO), when it becomes accommodation and what that means for cancellations, deposits and defects.
• Can I sublet my rented flat on Airbnb?Subletting on Airbnb and other platforms: consent under Art. 262 CO, when your landlord can say no, the risk of termination, profits and the rules in Geneva, Vaud and Lucerne.
• Can the condominium owners’ association ban letting to holiday guests?Letting out a holiday flat in a condominium: what the regulations and deed of establishment can stipulate, the Federal Supreme Court ruling 5A_436/2018, and what to do.
• Do I have to report guests staying in my holiday rental to the police?Guest reporting requirements in Switzerland: what Art. 16 FNIA and Art. 18 OASA require, which cantons require all guests to be reported, and what EasyGov is set to change.
• What guest data may I collect for the guest registration form, and how long may I keep it?Guest data under the Data Protection Act: what you may collect, whether an ID copy is allowed, how long to keep guest registration forms and what to tell guests.
• When do I have to account for VAT on my holiday rental?VAT on holiday rentals: registration required from CHF 100'000 turnover, special rate of 3.8% for accommodation, extension to 2031 and acquisition tax on platform fees.
• How do I pay tax on my holiday home, and what changes when imputed rental value is abolished?Tax on holiday homes: rental income, deductions and flat rates, what the abolition of imputed rental value from 2029 changes, and the new tax on second homes.
• Can I buy and rent out a holiday home in Switzerland as a person abroad?Lex Koller and holiday homes: who needs a permit, quotas, the 200 m² limit, the ban on year-round letting and what the Federal Council wants to change in 2026.
• What insurance do I need if I let my holiday apartment?Letting and insuring a holiday apartment: buildings, contents, liability, increased risk under Art. 28 ICA, AirCover, and what applies to condominiums and rentals.
• Do I need a permit to offer guests breakfast?Holiday let with breakfast or room service: when you need a hospitality licence, food law notification requirements, VAT and fire safety.

Tourist tax, guest registration forms, platforms and channel managers

Cantons and municipalities set the tourist tax; for many holiday destinations, you’ll find rates, flat fees and a calculator. How you submit the guest registration form varies by canton. We compare the fees charged by Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, atraveo and tourist offices in Swiss francs, and explain under Channel Manager how to keep all your channel calendars in sync.

• Tourist tax for holiday apartments: who pays, how much and how do you account for it?Tourist tax in Switzerland: who collects it, per night or as a flat fee, children, exemptions, where Airbnb collects it and how to account for it. With calculator and locations.
• Which guests do you have to register in Switzerland?Which guests you must register, what the Confederation and cantons require, deadlines, record-keeping, data protection and what’s coming with the digital guest registration form via EasyGov.
• What do Airbnb, Booking.com and co. charge hosts in Switzerland?Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, atraveo, Holidu, HomeToGo and the tourist office compared: how much you keep from a CHF 840 booking, with sources. As at 6 November 2026.
• What is a channel manager, and is there a free one?What a channel manager does, calendar links or APIs, what Smoobu, Lodgify and others cost, and how Stovita syncs your calendars for free.

What changed for hosts in 2026?

Since 13 October 2026, Airbnb has charged all Swiss hosts a single fee of 15.5 per cent; since 29 October, Vrbo has charged 12 per cent per booking. The federal government plans to digitise guest registration through EasyGov, and the consultation is open until 27 November 2026. Parliament has extended the special VAT rate for accommodation until the end of 2031, and imputed rental value will be abolished from 2029. The pages above explain what this means for you.