Free calculator
Are your leases affected by the reference rate?
The mortgage reference rate is 1,25 %. If one of your rents was set at a different rate, it may be affected. Work out the gap, with the calculation shown in full.
- Rate in force
- 1,25 %
- Since
- 2 September 2025
- Next publication
- 1 December 2026
Your lease
The net rent, excluding service charges — that is the basis of the calculation.
The rate in force when the rent was last set. It is usually on the lease or on the most recent rent notification.
Enter a net rent to see the effect of the reference rate.
Sources · Federal Housing Office (FHO) · Art. 13 OBLF (Swiss tenancy ordinance)
Recent rate history
The rate only moves when the average of mortgage claims leaves the 1,13 % – 1,37 % corridor. It can therefore stay flat for several quarters.
| Applicable from | Rate |
|---|---|
| 2 September 2025 | 1,25 %in force |
| 3 March 2025 | 1,50 % |
| 1 December 2023 | 1,75 % |
| 1 June 2023 | 1,50 % |
| 2 March 2020 | 1,25 % |
Frequently asked questions
What is the mortgage reference rate?
It is a rate published quarterly by the Federal Housing Office, calculated from the average interest rate on Swiss banks' mortgage claims. Swiss rents are tied to it: a rent is pegged to the rate in force when it was set. It currently stands at 1,25 %.
Why 2.91 % and not 3 %?
Because the two directions are not symmetric. Art. 13 OBLF provides that a 0.25-point step justifies a 3 % increase while rates are below 5 %. A decrease applies the reciprocal: 1 − 1/1.03 = 2.91 %. That is why a calculator using a constant gets it wrong as soon as the direction changes.
What if the rate has moved several times?
Steps compound multiplicatively, not additively. Two downward steps give 5.74 %, not 2 × 2.91 = 5.82 %. The calculator applies each step separately.
Is the reduction automatic?
No. Neither a reduction nor an increase applies by itself: it has to be requested. The landlord may also set part of inflation against it and, where the lease provides for it, cost increases.
What are the formal conditions for an increase?
A rent increase must be notified on the canton's official form, with reasons, and must reach the tenant at least 10 days before the start of the notice period (art. 269d CO). A plain letter or a non-compliant form makes the increase void.