Short-term rental in Crans-Montana: regulations and permits

Lex Weber: what the 2013 freeze really changes for you

The Haut-Plateau is one of the Swiss territories most affected by the Lex Weber: the municipalities of Crans-Montana, Lens and Icogne have a high proportion of second homes and exceed the 20% cap set by the law. As a result, the construction of new "classic" second homes has been frozen there since 2013. For an owner, two things matter. First, the Lex Weber does not prohibit renting: a home built or authorised before March 2012 benefits from grandfathered rights and can be used, sold and rented freely - including on a short-term basis.

Second, more recent homes may fall under a special regime: some post-2013 permits were granted subject to a tourist-use designation, which on the contrary requires the property to be rented out regularly, sometimes through an operating structure. Before any rental - and a fortiori before any purchase -, the first step is therefore to check the exact status of the home in the land register and with the municipality. It is a check we carry out systematically, and it is covered from the investor's angle in our guide to buying to let in Crans-Montana.

Notifying the municipality and the mandatory listing information

As everywhere in Valais, putting a home on the tourist rental market must be notified to the municipality: cantonal legislation on tourist accommodation governs the activity of hosts, and listings published on the platforms must display certain mandatory information. These requirements evolve regularly - at cantonal as well as municipal level - and this is precisely the kind of monitoring that an owner self-managing from Geneva, Zurich or abroad has neither the time nor the inclination to keep up.

For every property we take under management in Crans-Montana, we handle the notification to the municipality, bring the listings into compliance and track regulatory changes. If a rule changes, you are informed - and your listing is updated before a control does it for you.

Guest declaration and the tourist tax

Every paid stay generates declaration duties: your guests' nights must be declared, in particular for the collection of the tourist tax, which rose from 3 to 5 francs per person and per night on 1 May 2025 under the new regulation of the municipalities of Crans-Montana, Icogne and Lens. The tax is owed by the guest, but it is the host who collects it, declares it and remits it - and who is liable in case of failure. In return, it gives access to the My Explorer Card, the resort's guest card.

Amounts, the second-home flat rate, mixed use and the actual role of the platforms: we have dedicated a complete guide to the tourist tax in Crans-Montana. The essential point here: guest declaration is not optional, and our concierge service automates it end to end.

Insurance and condominium: the checks before the first booking

Two checks are regularly overlooked. The first concerns the condominium: a large part of the Crans-Montana housing stock consists of apartments under condominium ownership (PPE), and some condominium rules restrict or regulate short-term rental. Better to read the rules - and, if necessary, clarify the situation with the administrator - before the first booking rather than after a neighbour's complaint.

The second concerns insurance: standard household and liability insurance does not always cover damage caused by paying guests or the loss of rental income. A "furnished short-term rental" rider or a dedicated policy is often necessary. These points are part of our compliance review when taking over management: our goal is for your property to be rentable with peace of mind, not just rentable on paper.

Renting out your property legally: the 6 steps

Here, in order, is the compliance journey for a property in Crans-Montana: 1) check the property's Lex Weber status in the land register (grandfathered rights or tourist-use designation); 2) review the condominium rules and clarify the co-owners' position; 3) adapt the insurance cover to the rental activity; 4) notify the rental activity to the municipality and bring the listing into compliance with the mandatory information; 5) organise guest declaration and the collection of the tourist tax; 6) set up the follow-up (statements, invoices, remittances) to have full traceability in case of a control.

None of these steps is insurmountable; it is their accumulation, and keeping them up over time, that weighs. For the properties we manage, the entire journey is taken care of and documented - it is one of the components of the complete service of our concierge service in Crans-Montana.

Further reading