Short-term rental in Zermatt: regulations and authorisations

Lex Weber: what the 2013 freeze really changes for you

The federal law on second homes (Lex Weber, born of the initiative accepted in 2012) caps the share of second homes per municipality at 20%. Zermatt far exceeds this threshold: since 2013, no new "conventional" second home can be authorised there. But — and this is the point many owners misunderstand — the Lex Weber does not restrict short-term rental of existing dwellings. It distinguishes two very different situations.

Dwellings "created under the old law" — built or benefiting from a permit that took legal effect before 11 March 2012, in practice the entire housing stock predating the 2013 freeze — are free in their use: primary residence, second home, short-term or long-term rental. This is the case for the great majority of apartments and chalets in Zermatt. This freedom is recorded in the land register and is, moreover, part of the property's value.

Dwellings authorised after the freeze can only be approved under conditions, notably as "dwellings designated for tourist accommodation" within the meaning of art. 7 of the law: properties whose permit requires that they be offered for rent on the market — the famous "warm beds" — either within an organised structure or by the owner personally under defined conditions. For these properties, renting out is not an option but an obligation, compliance with which can be monitored. This designation appears in the land register: before any rental (or any purchase), you must check which of the two categories applies to your property.

Mandatory landlord registration in Valais

Since 1 September 2022, Valais law (revision of the legislation on accommodation and trade policing) has imposed a notification obligation: any natural or legal person who rents out or sublets a dwelling for tourist purposes, for payment and without hotel services must notify the municipal authority of the place where the property is located — and this whatever the booking channel: Airbnb, Booking.com, agency or direct rental.

On this basis the municipality keeps a register of landlords, whose data is accessible to the municipal and cantonal authorities for control, tax and statistical purposes. Sanctions are provided for in the event of a breach of this notification duty. In concrete terms for Zermatt: before publishing your first listing, your rental activity must be notified to the municipality and your details entered in the register. It is a one-off step per property, but it must be kept up to date in the event of a change (sale, change of manager).

Guest declaration: every guest, upon arrival

Separate from the landlord notification, the declaration of guests is a recurring obligation: in Zermatt, every guest must be registered electronically with Zermatt Tourismus, as a rule on the day of arrival, with a minimum set of details — surname and first name, nationality, language, date of birth, arrival and departure dates, and contact details of the lead guest. This registration serves at once for the accounting of the tourist tax of CHF 4.– per adult per night, for tourism statistics and for making the data available to the police in an emergency.

For a self-managing owner, that means collecting the identity of every occupant (not just the person who booked) before or upon arrival, then entering it into the system — including at 10pm on a Saturday when three groups arrive in the same week. It is exactly the kind of obligation that gets neglected after a few months, and that resurfaces at the first inspection or the first incident.

Insurance and co-ownership: the checks before the first booking

Two checks round off the legal side. Insurance first: the building and household policy of a second home does not automatically cover commercial rental use. You must declare the activity to your insurer and verify three points: the property owner's liability insurance, cover for damage caused by guests and, ideally, loss of rental income in the event of a claim. Platform programmes (Airbnb's AirCover, for example) are useful complements but contain exclusions: they do not replace a correctly worded policy.

Co-ownership next: if your apartment is under condominium ownership, check that the condominium regulations neither prohibit nor restrict short-term rental. In Zermatt, a resort that lives from tourism, hostile regulations are rare, but a restrictive clause discovered after the fact can block your project. The regulations and the minutes of the latest general meetings can be read in an hour — an hour very well invested.

Renting out your property legally: the 6 steps

1. Check the property's Lex Weber status in the land register: old law (free use) or tourist-accommodation designation (obligation to rent out).

2. Review the condominium regulations and, where applicable, inform the community of co-owners.

3. Notify the municipality of Zermatt as a landlord (register of landlords, a Valais obligation since 1 September 2022).

4. Adjust your insurance: property owner's liability, guest damage, loss of income.

5. Set up the guest and tourist tax declaration with Zermatt Tourismus (electronic registration upon arrival, CHF 4.– per adult per night).

6. Document and archive: declarations, tax invoices, municipal correspondence — your compliance file in case of an inspection.

For the properties we manage, these six steps are part of the onboarding: we check the property's status, make the notifications, set up the automatic declarations and keep the file up to date if municipal or cantonal regulations change. The owner signs, we do the rest.

Further reading