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1. Many Swiss feel no need to buy their own home due to good rent conditions.

The whole country is under rent-control for residential dwellings, meaning that the annual rent cannot exceed a certain percentage of total investment. A tenant can go to court to challenge excessive rent increases. The home is respected and you cannot be kicked out with two week notice, and you can choose to decorate the interior as how you like. This is very different to countries such as Australia, where in many cases renters are forbidden to have pets, or refrained from add a single nail to the wall to hang a picture.

There is no social stigma associated with renting, and not much excessive profits made from real-estate speculation.

For more Swiss renter rights and responsibilities, see the official information at ch.ch.

2. More responsibilities as home owners.

The required minimum deposit is 20% of the total loan amount. Furthermore, you also have to show that the required minimum monthly repayment amount do not exceed 33% of your monthly income. No sub-prime mortgage tricks here, and no borrow-to-invest mentality.

Also, unlike the case such as United States, you cannot void your mortgage by handing over the property. The debt is yours until you pay it off, one way or another.

There are also federally-mandated laws for maintenance, such as periodic refurbishing the building exteriors and common interior space. You must also maintain a functional nuclear bunker that passes regular check-ups, or pay the extra tax so the cantonal government provide the place for you and your family in the communal bunker. These are one of many little rules that make the country work like a well-run machine.