Swiss voters rejected more power for landlords in a thin filing by Reuters

ZURICH (Reuters) – Swiss voters narrowly rejected a change in the law that gives landlords more power to block the registration of tenants, according to the first results of a referendum on Sunday that considered Airbnb’s role in the rental market.

Proponents of the change passed by parliament in 2023 argued that tenants were increasingly being cheated by rental company Airbnb. Opponents, led by a large landlords association, have rejected this, saying that the majority of Airbnb allows it to open by landlords.

Kathrin Anselm, who runs Airbnb in Switzerland, told the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger earlier this month that the company has no influence on the housing market.

The first results showed that 51.6% of the voters rejected the subletting reform, which also worked in the commercial area.

In the latest round of national referendums held under its direct democracy system, voters also rejected – by a slightly larger majority – a law to give landlords more rights to terminate leases when they want to use their property.

Rental inquiries have been closely followed in Switzerland, where most households will live in rented or shared housing by the end of 2022, official data show.

Swiss voters have also rejected government plans to expand the motorway network.

In another debate, Zurich residents rejected a move to remove sexist language from the city’s official documents following months of debate.