Co-op apartments in Zürich District 6 (Unterstrass)

The Unterstrass neighborhood, together with Oberstrass, forms the popular District 6 of the City of Zürich. The neighborhood is, of course, shaped by Irchelpark, Bucheggplatz, and Schaffhauserplatz. It is a very sought-after residential area and, fortunately, many cooperatives own properties in this part of the city. There are also relatively new cooperative buildings to admire here, especially around Bucheggplatz. In this blog post, we’ll take you on a journey of discovery to the cooperatives in the Unterstrass neighborhood and share information on how to snag one of these coveted cooperative apartments in District 6 in Zürich.

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Allgemeine Baugenossenschaft Zürich

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The largest housing cooperative in Zürich naturally also owns properties in Unterstrass, namely a more than 100-year-old estate on Schaffhauserstrasse near Irchelpark with 62 apartments with 2.5–5.5 rooms. Getting an apartment at ABZ takes quite a bit of persistence and luck. Despite its considerable size (over 5,000 apartments), there are unfortunately very rarely any vacancies. Why that is isn’t entirely clear. What is certain: when something is advertised, you’ll find the apartment on the ABZ website, where it usually remains online for about 24 hours. ABZ also offers a free newsletter where you receive listings by email. In our Suchabo they’re of course included, and not infrequently we send out the apartments before ABZ itself.

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Baugenossenschaft berufstätiger Frauen Zürich

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At Wasserwerkstrasse 116 in Unterstrass there is a property of this somewhat more specialized housing cooperative, which offers 1- and 2-room apartments for single women who are employed or in training. Unfortunately, we can’t find a website. Apartments are reportedly posted on Homegate. We ourselves have never seen such a listing. On the City of Zürich website you’ll find a phone number—perhaps you can try there.

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Baugenossenschaft des Eidgenössischen Personals

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The Baugenossenschaft des Eidgenössischen Personals (BEP) owns the ‘controversial’ estate on Stüssistrasse (reportedly it drew criticism from cooperative members due to its high level of finishes). The development comprises 7 buildings with 28 apartments (3- and 4-room) and was refurbished in 2013. The handsome buildings stand out with gables and oriels. BEP usually posts its apartments on its website. From time to time something also appears on Flatfox. To land an apartment, you should check the website regularly. Naturally, we send all new listings in our Suchabo. This way, subscribers are always well informed when it comes to BEP apartments. By the way: BEP is participating in the promising Seebahnhöfe project in District 4. It’s worth keeping an eye on.

Baugenossenschaft Freiblick

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This cooperative owns the formidable “Illanzhof” estate in the Unterstrass neighborhood in District 6, very close to Irchelpark. Flags with the cooperative’s logo are fluttering, and it truly feels very homely here. The estate comprises 14 buildings with 335 apartments (from 1-room to 6.5-room). Both a solar thermal system and a photovoltaic system are in place. Baugenossenschaft Freiblick stands out for its many events, which are described on the website. Freiblick advertises available apartments (approx. 5–10 per year) on its website. So you’d have to keep checking constantly, or use our Suchabo, as we monitor the cooperative and send all listings to our users.

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Baugenossenschaft Frohheim

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Not far from Bucheggplatz, Baugenossenschaft Frohheim (BGF) owns its large main estate on Brüderhofweg with 293 spacious apartments (1 to 5.5 rooms) in modern buildings, which were renewed from 2016 to 2021. The estate is very popular with families, partly because of the playgrounds. Apartments at BGF are in high demand and not so easy to get. BGF sometimes uses real estate portals and often advertises available apartments on its website. The website also states that you can inquire about available apartments by phone. They are, of course, included in our Suchabo.

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Gemeinnützige Baugenossenschaft Heimelig

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This small cooperative owns a few apartments right by Irchelpark. There is neither a waiting list nor are general applications accepted. Nonetheless, we thought it made sense to include this cooperative for the sake of completeness. And who knows, maybe there will be a vacant apartment or a new-build project at some point. In any case, we continuously monitor the website.

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Genossenschaft Hofgarten

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Genossenschaft Hofgarten (geho) is a medium-sized housing cooperative and owns the Hofgarten I + II estate along Hofwiesenstrasse in District 6. It includes 2- to 5-room apartments and stands out for its generous lawns, playgrounds, and seating areas. A paradise for families. Adjacent to the estate is the Hofgarten III property, which is designed for older cooperative members. The 2-room apartments are rented to people over 60. Genossenschaft Hofgarten doesn’t post listings but maintains a digital waiting list. You can sign up here. Of course, nobody knows how long it will take before you are contacted.

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Baugenossenschaft Letten

In the Unterstrass neighborhood in District 6, this cooperative owns the Riedtli residential development on Riedtlistrasse and Stolzestrasse, right next to the Stolzewiese park. The properties include 2-, 3-, and 4-room apartments. The quiet yet very central location is certainly very popular with residents. Additionally, Baugenossenschaft Letten in Unterstrass also owns the Hotze estate (2- to 4.5-room apartments), not far from the BEP estates on Stüssistrasse and MBGZ Im Eisernen Zeit. And finally, you’ll also find Baugenossenschaft Letten at Bucheggplatz, where it manages the Buchegg estate (1.5–4-room apartments).

Baugenossenschaft Letten posts listings on its website. Our Suchabo is worthwhile here, as we monitor this constantly and send all available apartments to our subscribers immediately.

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Mieter-Baugenossenschaft Zürich

This cooperative owns the Im Eisernen Zeit estate in District 6 right by Schaffhauserplatz. Steeply set on the slope, it offers peaceful living space very close to the pulse of the city. In autumn, the trees along the roadside turn a beautiful yellow and the atmosphere is anything but big-city, even though you can be at HB in no time. Most apartments at MBGZ are allocated internally and only rarely advertised publicly. If that does happen, the available apartments are listed on Flatfox.ch between 17:30 and 18:00. They’re also included in the Suchabo.

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Baugenossenschaft Oberstrass

Despite its name, Baugenossenschaft Oberstrass (BGO) also owns properties in Unterstrass. The colorful buildings we cycle past on our way to work look very appealing. In District 6, BGO owns almost 400 apartments in properties in various shades of red, pink, and orange. The location of the apartments is brilliant and the prices are extremely fair (not long ago there was a 3-room apartment for CHF 1,121 per month!). When something becomes available, the information and the application form appear on the cooperative’s website. Our Suchabo is extremely worthwhile here, as you won’t have to check the website daily. By the way: BGO has been trying for some time to realize a replacement new build. Unfortunately, this is meeting resistance (more on that here).

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Baugenossenschaft der Strassenbahner

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As one of the largest housing cooperatives in Zürich, BAGESTRA of course also manages properties in Unterstrass. Here you’ll find the Guggach estate, which stands out with turquoise stripes on its 28 buildings (204 apartments). Particularly striking, however, is BAGESTRA’s second estate in Unterstrass: Guggach 8. The eight distinctive red cubes built in 2011 with 78 apartments right by Bucheggplatz really stand out. You’ll find a good mix here from 1.5- to 5.5-room apartments for everyone. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t great when we passed by, so there’s still no photo here. But a visit is definitely worth it! BAGESTRA regularly advertises available apartments on its website or on Homegate.ch. This year there have already been 38 listings. They’re of course also included in the Suchabo.

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Baugenossenschaft Vrenelisgärtli

You’ll find this very popular cooperative on Hofwiesenstrasse and Seminarstrasse, not far from Bucheggplatz. This summer the new-build project Tokeh was rented and demand was enormous: the cooperative received over 1,300 applications by post for around 50 apartments. And that even though the apartments were advertised on their website only very briefly. (Read our detailed report on that here.) Since then, things have gone quiet around Baugenossenschaft Vrenelisgärtli. It may be that they will change the way they advertise apartments and accept applications in the future. A digital application might be an advantage. We assume that available apartments will continue to be found on the cooperative’s website. We therefore recommend checking regularly or using our Suchabo.

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Baugenossenschaft Waidberg

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In the Unterstrass neighborhood in District 6, this cooperative has a new estate right at Bucheggplatz. This gives it optimal connections to public transport. It also impresses with its great courtyard with a large playground. Baugenossenschaft Waidberg advertises its available apartments on its website. That’s about 5–7 apartments per year. The odds aren’t insanely high, but if you don’t try at all, you’ll definitely come up empty. We of course monitor the website constantly and send all vacancies in the Suchabo.

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Gemeinnützige Baugenossenschaft Röntgenhof Zürich

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Gemeinnützige Baugenossenschaft Röntgenhof Zürich (GBRZ) owns two estates in District 6: the charming Estate 23 with 144 apartments (2- to 5-room) between Bucheggplatz and Irchelpark, and Estate 24, built in the garden city style. The latter comprises 2- to 4-room apartments. A visit from us is still pending in both cases. GBRZ maintains a list of interested parties. You can therefore fill out the form online and, if you’re lucky, the cooperative will contact you and offer you an apartment. Note: The application must be renewed every 6 months.

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Gemeinnützige Baugenossenschaft Selbsthilfe Zürich

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This cooperative owns two estates in Zürich, one of which is in Unterstrass in District 6. Right next to Irchelpark you’ll find the pink buildings with some gorgeous flower beds. The photo was taken in spring on our way to work. Vacancies at this cooperative are rather rare, and when they do arise, you’ll find the apartment advertised on the website. This year, there actually was a vacancy in the estate on Stüssistrasse in Unterstrass. We of course sent it out in the Suchabo. Another apartment, by the way, became available on Schubertstrasse in 8037.

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Stiftung für kinderreiche Familien der Stadt Zürich

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This is of course not a cooperative, but this foundation offers affordable housing for families with at least three children and could be interesting for some of you. In Unterstrass, the foundation owns a great estate with the rainbow-colored building you see on the right in the image. The building near Bucheggplatz made a very impressive impression despite the mediocre weather. Apartments are not advertised; instead, there is a list of interested parties. You can sign up here. Please note the rental conditions (number of children, residence, income, and assets).

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Conclusion: Lots of cooperative apartments in District 6

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In Unterstrass in District 6 of the City of Zürich there are truly an enormous number of cooperative estates. Especially around Bucheggplatz and also near Irchelpark, it feels like the majority of buildings belong to cooperatives! The chances of finding an apartment here are therefore not so bad. Most of the cooperatives based in Unterstrass advertise their available apartments on their websites. You can sift through these manually every day, or use our Suchabo, where you receive all suitable new listings conveniently by email. It’s important to apply immediately, as listings are often only online for 24 hours. And don’t forget: we also provide information on great new-build projects such as Tokeh, where former users have also found an apartment.

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