The Tenants' Association of Bern, together with an alliance of political parties and associations, has launched a cantonal referendum campaign for 'Fair and Affordable Rents'. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The initiative text calls for historic rental prices of properties to be made transparent so people can see what they will be charged compared to predecessor tenants. + How bad is Switzerland's housing shortage? The Bern electorate can vote on the referendum on 28 September. The alliance of the Tenants' Association, politcal parties, Casafair, the Bern-Solothurn housing co-operatives, VPOD Bern and the Bern Trade Union Federation is convinced that the requested measure is a "simple but effective instrument". Only with transparency can the current tenancy law be effective at all. In theory, tenants could challenge an excessive initial rent, but in practice, those affected usually do not know what their predecessors paid. This is where the initiative ...
