Airbnb in Switzerland: the pros and cons 

The pros of Swiss Airbnb’s

• You’ll be living among locals. If you have regular contact with your host or neighbors, you can get a feel of Swiss life and culture.
• Your host may give you interesting insider tips.
• Airbnb can be cheaper than hotels and holiday homes.

The cons of Swiss Airbnb’s

Quality varies a lot, and the Airbnb concept is controversial among locals.

1. Disadvantages for you as a tourist

Settling into an Airbnb takes time

I would not rent through Airbnb for stays shorter than a week, because it often takes a lot of time to settle in and resolve issues.

• I have rented multiple Airbnbs, and hygiene varies a lot. For example, filthy kitchen utensils are quite common in my experience, as well as sticky remote controls and other stuff. You may have to do some cleaning yourself before you feel comfortable.
• I often miss some smaller items. E.g. not enough glasses, knives, or no scissors. If you plan to cook for yourself, this can be quite annoying. If it’s smaller items, I usually buy them and take them with me. For missing larger items, the owner may or may not be able to supply them. Either way, it takes time to figure out if things are missing and how to deal with it.
• I have also experienced flimsy old furniture, TVs, and other appliances that were difficult to operate, and WiFi issues.
• There will be rules to dispose of your garbage: recyclable waste has to be separated (glass, cans, paper, etc.) and disposed of at designated locations in town. Non-recyclable waste can only be put in special bags that need to be purchased from the local supermarket. Again, all of this takes time to figure out.
• Airbnb’s can be cheaper than hotels, but very high prices are not uncommon.
• There’s usually no staff on site. You’ll have to call or message the owner, who may or may not respond quickly, and may or may not be able to fix the issue.
• Hosts can cancel your reservation. They have to prove that they’re not able to host, or that they expect their guests to break the rules. Airbnb will decide if the cancellation is reasonable.
• The host can also provide a different accommodation than the one you booked.
• If there is a local guest card for discounts or free travel, guests should get one. Not all hosts comply with such formalities.

No official regulation

There is no official Swiss organization that checks Airbnb quality or provides assistance to guests. It depends on your host whether guidelines for safety, hygiene, and comfort are met. This is different from many other types of Swiss accommodation:

• Holiday homes and apartments are checked and classified by the Swiss Tourism Federation.
• Many Swiss hotels are members of HotellerieSuisse. An overview is available here.
• Many Bnb’s, youth hostels, camping, and resorts with holiday apartments are regulated by Parahotellerie Schweiz.

2. Rules and legal issues with Airbnb in Switzerland

Airbnb rental is legal in Switzerland. It falls under the Swiss “Subletting Act”. This causes ambiguities. There have been attempts to reform Swiss law on Airbnb to create more clarity for hosts and tenants, but without results so far. So there can be legal issues, for example:

• Swiss Airbnb’s are regulated not only by national law, but also by cantonal and local rules. The result is that regulations differ from town to town. For example: it differs whether or not hosts need a hospitality or gastronomy license, and how many days a year they can rent their property.
• If the host doesn’t own the property but is a tenant, he should ask permission from the landlord. If this isn’t done properly, the Airbnb rental is illegal.
• Hosts should report their guests and pay tourist tax to local authorities. A few Swiss towns have now made clear arrangements: tourist tax is automatically paid when you book a property online. But in most Swiss towns, hosts are still responsible for collecting tax. If they don’t do this properly, this can get them and their guests in trouble.
• There’s the risk of scams when people try to make money by listing non-existing properties, low-quality accommodations, or properties they don’t own.

3. Airbnb disadvantages for Swiss locals

The concept of Airbnb is controversial. There are disadvantages for Swiss locals:

• It can be annoying for neighbors of a rented property to have different people living next door every couple of nights. Unfortunately, some tourists ignore the house rules and make noise. There’s no supervision like in a hotel.
• A large number of short-term Airbnb rentals drives up rental prices.
• The concept makes it more difficult for Swiss residents to find long-term rental properties.
• In areas with lots of Airbnbs, locals can feel hindered by tourists, especially in high season. In low season, such areas can look empty and feel like ‘ghost towns’.

How to check if you’ll rent a good Airbnb

1. Check where the property is listed

Listings at multiple well-known booking platforms are a good sign. Fraudulent hosts will quickly be exposed by disappointed guests and it’s not likely they advertise on major platforms in that case.

2. Check if the property is personally hosted

If you’re looking for a genuine local experience, check if the property is personally hosted. Sometimes, apartments hosted by companies are listed on Airbnb platforms too. This can still be great accommodation of course.

3. Make sure tourist tax is paid

• If your host collects tourist tax, it means he’ll report you as a guest to the local authorities and that you’re entitled to local guest cards (if available). Learn more about tourist tax here.
• Hosts with illegal or low-quality properties are likely to avoid reporting their guests and collecting tourist tax.

4. Compare reviews of the property

• Compare reviews, preferably on multiple platforms.
• See if they seem honest and genuine. Lots of extremely positive reviews written in a similar style can be a red flag.
• Find out if the booking platform only allows reviews after a reservation. This partially prevents fake reviews.

5. Consider your booking platform

• You’ll find Airbnb’s on several booking websites. Check terms and conditions.
• Find out about cancellation options.
• Check if your payment is safely processed.
• Find out if a help center is available, and if you’ll get support and refunds in case of a bad experience.

6. Learn how to file a complaint

Learn when and how to file a complaint in advance, so that you can act immediately if necessary. You often have to report a complaint quickly after check-in. Some platforms perform an automated risk analysis of properties and hosts before listing them.

7. Contact the host pre-booking

Contact the host before you book, if possible. Ask for clarification if you have questions. Assess the friendliness, completeness, and overall level of the host’s answers.

Airbnb, hotel, or holiday home in Switzerland?

A Swiss hotel is best if you appreciate privacy and additional services. Holiday homes and apartments offer privacy, guaranteed comfort standards, and the ability to cook your own meals. Airbnb’s can be charming if you want to get in touch with locals and if official classifications are not your top priority.

Reasons to choose a hotel

• You’ll have a lot of privacy in hotels.
• In many cases you can check official classification standards (from 1 to 5 stars), so you’ll know which level of comfort to expect.
• There are additional services such as breakfast, room service, luggage storage, daily cleaning, reception, and staff to help you out with issues.
• If you like to dine out, hotels are a good choice too.

Reasons to choose a holiday rental

• Holiday homes and apartments are great if you appreciate privacy. You can rent a detached holiday home or an apartment with your own entrée.
• You can cook your own meals, so you can save on costs of dining out. You’ll have a flexible daily schedule, as there are no fixed breakfast or dinner times.
• In most cases, these rentals have an official classification (from 1 to 5 stars). You’ll be sure about the comfort level.

Reasons to choose an Airbnb

• Airbnb’s can be charming if you want to get in touch with Swiss locals.
• They can be a good choice if official classifications and guaranteed standards are not your main priority. If you feel fine with positive reviews and find a trustworthy host, you can have a great match.

If budget is your priority, consider cheap hotels, campsites and youth hostels as well.