The Letzi and Hardau I housing estates: Two interesting new construction projects by the City of Zürich for 2025

Finding an affordable apartment in the City of Zürich borders on the impossible. In their housing search, some neglect one of the most important landlords: The City of Zürich and its foundations. Here we present two great new-build projects by the City of Zürich that will likely be rented out in the not-too-distant future.

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The Letzi housing estate

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This development with a 24-story high-rise is being built on the Letzibach D site in Zürich Altstetten, which the City of Zürich purchased from SBB. Planned are 265 non-profit apartments, a kindergarten, and commercial uses. The project is supported by Liegenschaften Stadt Zürich, Stiftung Alterswohnungen der Stadt Zürich, and Stiftung Familienwohnungen der Stadt Zürich. Accordingly, there will be a mix of different apartment types – some adapted to the needs of seniors, others ideal for families. The Letzi housing estate should be completed in 2025, so we expect leasing around spring 2025.

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The Hardau I housing estate

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This is a replacement new build in the Aussersihl quarter that aims to increase the number of apartments from 80 to 122. In addition, commercial and service spaces, studios, a residents’ registration office, and a kindergarten are planned. The housing offer is primarily aimed at families with lower to middle incomes. The apartment mix is characterized by larger floor plans and thus complements the neighboring Hardau II estate perfectly, as that one consists mainly of smaller apartments. The project is classified as «car-light», meaning the number of parking spaces is significantly reduced in favor of other uses. A photovoltaic system is also planned, allowing renewable energy to be generated on site. The Hardau I housing estate should be completed in 2025, so we assume the leasing will not be long in coming.

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Leasing process (our assumption)

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In spring we experienced the leasing of the municipal Leutschenbach estate near Oerlikon and suspect that Letzi and Hardau I will proceed similarly. At the time, it was announced early when the application window would open. You then had a little over two weeks to apply online. Who was invited to the viewing was decided by a random draw. There were rules for occupancy (as usual: people + 1.5 = maximum number of rooms) as well as for income and assets.

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Conclusion: Two exciting projects to keep an eye on

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We don’t think there’s any need to panic here. Move-in dates for such projects are often delayed, so leasing may take a bit longer to start. The application window will presumably be announced in advance and be quite long, so it’s enough to check from time to time whether anything is already listed under the initial rentals by the City of Zürich. If you don’t feel like that, you can of course also use our Suchabo.

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