Guides
Understand and unlock your plot
Clear, sourced guides to decode the building rights, zoning and constraints of a plot in Switzerland — then move on to analysing yours.
Essential guideWhat can I build on my plot?Before any extension, added storey or new-build project, a plot is governed by a cascade of rules. Here is how to read what it actually allows — and where to check each point.Read the guide →
RegulationKnowing a plot's building rights“Building rights” sums up everything a plot allows you to build. Here are the official pieces that define them, how to cross-reference them, and the reservations that escape the calculation.Read the guide →
FundamentalsIUS, CUS, IBUS: the land utilisation index explainedThe index caps the floor area you can build. Behind three closely related acronyms lie different definitions — here is how to read them and calculate your potential.Read the guide →
RegulationUnderstanding and reading an RDPPF extractThe RDPPF records the public-law restrictions enforceable against your plot. Here is what the extract contains, how to decode it theme by theme, and the limits not to forget.Read the guide →
Buying landChecking a plot before buying itA “buildable” plot can be heavily constrained. Before the offer, the buildability check is the most profitable due diligence — here is what to verify, in order.Read the guide →- Buying landReal estate due diligence in SwitzerlandBefore buying, five examinations run in parallel — and only one decides what may be built. Here is how they split, and the order in which to handle the planning-law strand.Read the guide →
- Project & worksMinergie: standards and cantonal subsidiesMinergie is not an obligation but a standard that most cantons reward per square metre. The same works are not worth the same amount everywhere — the spread reaches 60 per cent.Read the guide →
- RegulationThe Swiss building energy certificate, explainedAn A-to-G label for the envelope and for energy, recalculated since 1 October 2026 — and, depending on the canton, an obligation on sale or the condition for receiving certain subsidies.Read the guide →
RegulationEnd of imputed rental value: what changes for renovationsAbolishing imputed rental value on 1 January 2029 also ends the maintenance-cost deduction. When it applies, what stays deductible, what the cantons are deciding — and why the timing of a renovation becomes a tax decision.Read the guide →
RegulationSolar obligation in 2026: new builds and roof renovationsFederal law mandates photovoltaics on large new builds, and MoPEC 2025 extends it to roof renovations. Here is who must install solar — and when.Read the guide →
Project & worksReplacing a fossil heating in 2026: rules, options, subsidiesWhen you replace an oil or gas boiler, the MoPEC 2025 aims for a renewable system — once your canton adopts it. What it provides, what already applies, the alternatives and the available support.Read the guide →
Project & worksEnergy renovation subsidies 2026The Buildings Programme co-funds insulation, heating replacement and solar. It is not being abolished: its funding changes in 2027 and it is overhauled in 2028. Here is how it works and how to file an application.Read the guide →
RegulationLAT 2: building outside the building zone in 2026The second stage of the spatial planning act regulates construction outside building zones more strictly. Stabilisation target, compensation, demolition bonus: what changes.Read the guide →
RegulationVaud: the new energy law and your obligationsAdopted in February 2026 and completed by its regulation on 9 October, Vaud's new energy law applies from 1 January 2027. What concerns you — and what does not.Read the guide →
Project & worksDensification and adding storeys: your plot's hidden potentialOne more floor without buying a square metre of land: adding storeys is a major housing reserve. Here is what allows it — or not — on your plot.Read the guide →
RegulationGeneva: IDC, the obligation to renovate and the fossil phase-outIn Geneva an energy-hungry building must be renovated — and the IDC threshold drops in 2027 and 2031. Here is how to read your situation and get ahead of it.Read the guide →
Project & worksRenovate all at once or in stages: the right strategyRenovate everything at once or move in stages? This choice changes your grants and your bill. Here is how to decide — and in what order to act.Read the guide →
Buying landBuying to renovate: assess the potential before you offerBuying 'with potential' means betting on what you can do. Here is how to verify what the plot really allows — before paying for a promise.Read the guide →
RegulationFossil heating: replacement, canton by cantonWhen your boiler fails, your canton decides what you may reinstall. The rule in force, canton by canton, as of 15 October 2026.Read the guide →- RegulationDeducting renovation costs: until 2028, then depending on the cantonThe end of the imputed rental value removes the maintenance deduction from 2029. On energy and second homes, each canton makes its own choices: where the 26 cantons stand on 15 October 2026.Read the guide →
- RegulationSolar power fed into the grid: remuneration changes on 1 January 2027The electricity your panels feed into the grid will be paid at the market price at the time of feed-in. What applies today, what changes, and how to make the most of it.Read the guide →