Prices, housing shortage, neighbourhoods and buying rules for foreigners: the state of the Lausanne property market in 2026, backed by official figures.
The Lausanne property market remains one of the tightest in French-speaking Switzerland. Vacant homes are rare, property prices rose again in 2025, and few properties are for sale: in the Lausanne district, owner-occupied homes make up only about a quarter of the housing stock, according to the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV).
The most sought-after neighbourhoods are Ouchy, on the lakeside, the Flon and the city centre, Sous-Gare and Chailly-Rovéréaz. The neighbouring municipalities of Renens, Prilly and Écublens offer more accessible prices, with quick access to the centre. When buying, you also need to take into account the rules applying to foreign buyers, which could tighten.
Here are the latest official figures, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, followed by what you need to know before buying or renting in Lausanne.
On 1 June 2026, Statistique Vaud counted 3,907 vacant homes in the canton, a provisional rate of 0.87%, down 0.02 points on a year earlier. Of this total, 1,172 homes are offered for sale only and 2,735 for rent or on both markets. The market is considered balanced from 1.5% vacant homes, a threshold the canton has not reached since 1999.
In the Lausanne district, the rate is stable compared with 2025. It stood at 0.6% on 1 June 2025, according to the BCV. In the Ouest lausannois, it rose from 0.47% to 0.67%. Nationally, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) counts 0.93% of homes vacant on 1 June 2026, down for the sixth year in a row.
New supply does not close the gap. The BCV forecasts around 410 new homes per year in 2025 and 2026 in the Lausanne district, mostly intended for rent, against 640 on average between 2020 and 2024. Building permit waiting times are getting longer: the median reaches 194 days in the Lausanne district over the last twelve months.
In the Lausanne district, prices for owner-occupied homes are nearly 30% above the cantonal average, and Lausanne is among the 10% most expensive municipalities in Vaud, according to the BCV. In 2025, villa prices there rose by 7.7% and those of condominium apartments (PPE) by 4.1%, according to the Wüest Partner indices reported by the bank.
The cantonal trend is similar: +7.0% for detached houses and +4.3% for PPE in 2025. Over the long term, prices of owner-occupied homes have tripled in the canton between 2000 and the end of 2025.
Across Switzerland, the FSO residential property price index rose by 0.7% in the second quarter of 2026 and by 3.5% year on year. Owner-occupied apartments rose by 1.6% over the quarter, while detached houses fell by 0.4%.
Rates remain low by historical standards. In early June 2026, the BCV recorded around 1.8% for a 5-year fixed-rate loan and 2.1% for 10 years. The average mortgage rate calculated by the Federal Office for Housing stands at 1.31% on 30 June 2026, and the reference rate applicable to leases remains at 1.25%.
The purchase of a home by a foreign person falls under the federal law known as the Lex Koller, the application of which depends on nationality, residence permit and place of residence. In the canton of Vaud, authorisation requests are handled by the Commission foncière.
The framework could change. In April 2026, the Federal Council opened a consultation, running until 15 July 2026, on a proposal that would make the purchase of a main residence by third-country nationals, outside the European Union and EFTA, subject to authorisation. These owners would have to resell their property within two years if they move. Before signing, have your situation checked against the law in force on the date of purchase.
Many newcomers rent first, while they get to know the neighbourhoods. Rents are high: 80% of Lausanne apartments rent for between CHF 1,699 and CHF 6,949 per month. As a guide:
Service charges come on top of the net rent, generally between CHF 100 and CHF 300 per month. According to the BCV, advertised rents on the Vaud market have risen by 10.9% in four years, after a fall of 22.1% between mid-2014 and early 2022.
Letting agencies ask for a complete application handed in at the viewing: ID, residence permit for foreigners, payslips or employment contract, and an extract from the debt enforcement register less than three months old. They check that the rent including charges does not exceed one third of gross salary. On signing, a deposit of three months' net rent is held in a dedicated blocked bank account, and every new resident must register with the residents' registration office within 14 days.
From abroad, a Remoters home finder based in Lausanne can search and view properties for you, select the ones that match your project, whether for buying or renting, and support you through to signing. The first conversation and the quote are free.
Short answers to the questions our readers ask, written to stand on their own.
Sources cited in this article
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