Häufige Fragen zum Kauf

Property transfer tax. In Basel-Stadt it is 3 per cent and is in principle owed by the acquiring party. Anyone who acquires a property and occupies it exclusively themselves for at least six years owes nothing themselves – in that case the selling party owes 1.5 per cent. In Basel-Landschaft each side pays 1.25 per cent, and anyone who moves in permanently as owner-occupier is fully exempt.

Here the cantons differ markedly. Basel-Stadt charges according to value: the notary fee for the transfer of ownership is 0.25 per cent up to two million and falls in stages above that, the land register fee one per mille. Basel-Landschaft charges independently of the purchase price: the land register fixed amounts, the notaries by time spent.

In Basel-Landschaft the Fees Ordinance provides for half each for official fees, unless the contract says otherwise. In Basel-Stadt there is no statutory rule on splitting them – half each is contractual practice there, not a requirement. So that is negotiable.

In Basel-Landschaft you should look closely. For property taxes there is a statutory mortgage lien there that ranks ahead of all encumbrances under private law. The land is liable for the selling party's tax – so you share the collection risk. That belongs in the negotiation of the purchase contract. Something similar applies to outstanding compulsory levies owed to the building insurance.

Easements (Dienstbarkeiten) such as rights of way or rights of residence encumber the land in rem and pass to you. Priority notices (Vormerkungen) are also effective against you: a pre-emption right (Vorkaufsrecht) or a tenancy entered as a priority notice continues to apply, and a restriction on disposal can block the sale. Annotations (Anmerkungen) show restrictions under public law – in Basel-Stadt an ongoing rent control also appears here. And you only see the mortgage liens (Grundpfandrechte) in the full extract.

On a purchase, neither Basel-Stadt nor Basel-Landschaft requires one. In Basel-Stadt, a GEAK with a report on measures must be drawn up for buildings with fossil-fuel heating that is more than 15 years old – but the trigger is the age of the heating, not the change of ownership.

Not because of the purchase. But rules apply on replacement: in Basel-Stadt a switch must be made to renewable energy, in so far as this is technically possible and without additional costs. In Basel-Landschaft, since 1 January 2026, a renewable system must be installed when the boiler or the burner of a heat generator more than 15 years old is replaced, in so far as this is technically possible and economic. That belongs in your calculation.

The Basel-Stadt Land Register and Surveying Office gives four to eight weeks for a land register transaction in the normal case. The order is determined by the day and time of filing. Ownership only passes upon registration.

Yes, but not freely. The tenancy passes to you together with ownership, without the tenants having to consent. You can give ordinary notice in accordance with the agreement. You can give early notice for residential and commercial premises only in the case of urgent personal need (dringender Eigenbedarf) for yourself, close relatives or relatives by marriage, with the statutory notice period to the next statutory termination date. For flats that is three months. The notice can still be challenged, and the tenancy can be extended by up to four years for residential premises and up to six years for commercial premises.

Not by operation of law – nor on a conversion into condominium ownership (Stockwerkeigentum). A contractual pre-emption right without a predetermined price is valid even in simple written form. It is reliably effective against you as buyer only if it is entered as a priority notice (Vormerkung) in the land register; the full land register extract shows this.

In Basel-Stadt, a great deal. For properties with more than three flats, any renovation that goes beyond simple ordinary maintenance must be notified or approved – the threshold is CHF 5,000 per flat and calendar year. In the simplified procedure, CHF 0 to 160 a month can be passed on depending on the number of rooms, and as a general rule only 40 per cent of the adjusted investments count as value-enhancing. None of this applies in Basel-Landschaft.

From the land register extract. Where renovation, conversion or replacement was carried out with a permit, the rents are subject to official control for five years, and this is annotated in the land register. A later change in the law gives you no claim to an adjustment.

In Basel-Stadt, the creation of condominium ownership in properties with four or more flats requires a permit in times of housing shortage. It must be proved that the entire property is of an appropriate standard; the examination takes up to four months.

Acquisition by persons abroad in principle requires a permit; the canton in which the land is situated is responsible. A person abroad includes, among others, anyone who is a foreign national resident abroad, and anyone who lives in Switzerland but has neither a C settlement permit (Niederlassungsbewilligung C) nor the nationality of an EU or EFTA state. British nationals are treated as equivalent only if they established their residence in Switzerland before 1 January 2021. Clarify this early – otherwise it holds up the notarisation.

That is not regulated by law and differs from institution to institution. Only the framework can be documented: the requirements for the independence of the property valuation and for valuation models were tightened with effect from 1 January 2025. The bank therefore values the property itself and according to its own rules.

Surname, first names, date of birth, sex, place of residence and place of origin (Heimatort) or nationality, plus a copy of the passport or identity card and proof of the social insurance number (AHV-Nummer). For legal entities, the company name, registered office, legal form and business identification number (UID) are added. It sounds like a formality, but it holds up transactions when it is missing.