Renting in Bern: the capital's rental market, step by step

Bern is the federal capital, and its rental market is calmer than Zurich’s or Geneva’s — but not easy. The Canton of Bern had a vacancy rate of 1.04% on 1 June 2026, slightly above the national 0.93% and twice Zurich’s. That still means competition for well-located flats, and the paperwork follows the same Swiss pattern: a complete dossier, a fresh debt register extract, and the official forms that come with a new lease.

The market you are walking into

The Canton of Bern defines a housing shortage in its own constitution: a vacancy rate of 1.5% or less (Art. 135a). At 1.04%, the canton is in shortage territory, which is why the official initial-rent form is compulsory for new leases. For you that means two things: expect competition for well-located flats, and expect to see what the previous tenant paid.

Ordering your debt register extract

The Canton of Bern runs one online portal for the whole canton:

• Online: order through be.ch/baka with a valid ID (identity card, passport or residence permit). It costs CHF 18 including delivery, and the extract is provided only digitally, as a download.
• By post: order from your regional office; delivery within a few working days, CHF 18 invoiced.
• At the counter: CHF 17, cash or debit card.

The extract covers debt enforcement proceedings at your address over the last five years. If you have just arrived in Switzerland and have no Swiss history yet, see the newcomer guide.

Registering after you move

New residents must register within 14 days. The City of Bern asks people moving from elsewhere in Switzerland to register through the eUmzugCH portal. People arriving from abroad fill in the registration form, send it with the listed enclosures within 14 days, and are then invited to the counter of the residents’ services. You need the lease or another proof of where you live — one more reason to keep the signed lease and its forms together.

Your lease in Bern

• Initial-rent form: required in the Canton of Bern. With your new lease you receive an official form showing the previous rent and its basis. You can challenge the initial rent within 30 days of moving in — see the initial rent guide.
• Conciliation authority: for the city of Bern, the Schlichtungsbehörde Bern-Mittelland, Effingerstrasse 34, 3008 Bern. It handles rent increases, reductions and initial-rent challenges.
• Reference rate: if your rent is based on a reference rate above today’s 1.25%, check your claim with the rent reduction calculator.

Tactics that help in Bern

• Apply in German. Bern is a German-speaking city; letters to agencies in German are read faster. The cover letter generator produces one.
• Order the extract before you start viewing. The online extract arrives as a download, so it is ready to attach the moment a flat appears.
• Keep one complete PDF. Agencies compare files side by side; the dossier checklist lists what goes in.