SAW: available apartments

People aged 60 and over who have lived in the City of Zurich for at least two years and run their household independently. With two people, one must be 60. There is an exception for people who previously lived in Zurich for many years.

SAW is a foundation, not a cooperative: you do not become a member. SAW gives no public information on a rent deposit.

SAW lets by household type: apartments for one person or for two people. The listing states which occupancy applies.

Yes. Subsidised: taxable income up to CHF 53’100 (1 person) or CHF 62’600 (2 people). Non-subsidised (freitragend): CHF 79’650 or CHF 93’900 (as of July 2025). Of assets above CHF 100’000, 5% counts towards income. The official sources give differing information on an upper limit for assets.

No. Since 1 October 2024 SAW no longer keeps waiting lists and advertises available apartments publicly.

The 7 people or parties with the most points are selected for the viewing. A further 3 are added from all the remaining applications. This selection is made electronically.

You must be at least 60 years old. In a 2-person household it is enough if one person is at least 60 years old.

Two years of uninterrupted residence in the City of Zurich are required. This also counts as met if you previously lived in the city for at least ten years in a row, moved away no more than five years ago and have lived in the Canton of Zurich for the last two years.

For subsidised apartments, taxable annual income may be at most CHF 53’100 (1 person) or CHF 62’600 (2 people), as of July 2025. For a few apartments in individual estates a higher limit applies: CHF 62’600 (1 person) or CHF 74’300 (2 people).

For non-subsidised (freitragend) apartments, taxable annual income may be at most CHF 79’650 (1 person) or CHF 93’900 (2 people), as of July 2025.

If you have more than CHF 100’000 in assets, SAW adds 5 per cent of the part above CHF 100’000 to your income.

After the viewing, SAW specialists hold a personal interview with one or more parties. The deciding factors are the ability to run the household independently and the social mix of the estate.

SAW advertises all available apartments publicly every 14 days: in the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich, on its letting site and in its letting newsletter.

Since 1 October 2024 SAW no longer keeps waiting lists. The points from earlier waiting lists have not changed since then.

SAW lets by household type, not by number of rooms. It distinguishes between apartments for one person and for two people. A 2-person apartment occupied by one person alone is under-occupied.

Apartments for single people have 1 to 2.5 rooms, apartments for two people 2.5 to 3.5 rooms.

Pets are welcome at SAW but must be approved in advance. Every pet needs its own permission.

For urgency, a connection to the quarter and years on a former SAW waiting list. An impending loss of your apartment through no fault of your own counts 5 or 6 points, a move because of restricted mobility or financial hardship 5 points each, a special connection to the quarter 1 point. The points are added together.

Yes. Anyone who was registered on a SAW waiting list before autumn 2024 gets 0.25 points per full year, at most 4 points for 16 years. According to SAW, these points remain stored and do not expire.

Subsidised apartments are supported by the City and Canton of Zurich and are cheaper; in return, lower income limits apply. SAW lets non-subsidised apartments at cost rent (Kostenmiete) with higher limits. According to SAW, more than 70% of its apartments are subsidised; for a few subsidised apartments a higher limit applies (CHF 62’600 for one person, CHF 74’300 for two).

Yes. According to SAW, people who have an entry in the debt-collection register can also rent an apartment. You still need the debt-collection register extract (no older than 6 months) for your profile.

SAW names a hotline (044 415 74 44, Monday to Friday) and contact points in the city. The central contact point is the Fachstelle Zürich im Alter at Wipkingerplatz 5. SAW does not accept applications by email or letter.