For years you could own a piece of the Swiss army. The state has shut that door, while Vaud opens a first-of-its-kind subsidy to adapt seniors' homes.
By the Envergure editorial team
For years you could own a piece of Switzerland's national defence. That time is over, and the army now says it may reopen some of its underground shelters.
FEDERALOn 25 July 2026, the Swiss army said it was studying whether to bring some decommissioned bunkers back into service, against a backdrop of worsening security in Europe. The Federal Office for Defence Procurement is running a study to adapt these sites (former ammunition depots, military hospitals, command posts) for the protected storage of everyday supplies, medicines and electronics. Switzerland holds around 20,000 defence objects, RTS reports, though the army will not say how many bunkers are in scope.
The move extends an earlier decision that drew little notice. Back in 2023, in response to the war in Ukraine, the army stopped selling its decommissioned bunkers to private buyers, to keep control of a network it again judged strategic, swissinfo reports. The tap is now shut on the state side, and only bunkers that passed into private hands before that date remain on the market.
For anyone still hoping to buy a Swiss military bunker, supply is limited to the private stock, and it is thinning. Turning such a structure into a cheese cellar, a data centre or a guest venue means a long road. A commercial use designation alone can take more than ten years, RTS notes.
Scarcity pushes prices up. The bunker villa in Gletterens, in the Fribourg Broye, gives a sense of it. The property returned to the market after its owners hit the impossibility of moving the plot out of agricultural zoning, La Liberté reported before the federal announcement. It shows the kind of property involved rather than any effect of the decision.
CANTON OF VAUDWhile one door closes on a niche market, another opens with a very practical subsidy. Since 1 July 2026, the canton of Vaud pays up to 3,000 francs per person, and 6,000 francs where two eligible people share a home, to adapt the homes of retirees, owners and renters alike. Named ALO, the scheme is run by the cantonal directorate for social cohesion, the canton of Vaud says.
Anyone drawing an AVS pension or a foreign old-age pension can apply through the online form at vd.ch/alo. An occupational therapist visits to confirm that the planned work makes sense, from a grab bar to a level-access shower. A renter must first secure the landlord's agreement, Le Temps writes.
The 2026 budget stands at 1.5 million francs, set to grow through 2028. That is enough to curb, on its own scale, the forced moves older renters face when no adapted home is available in a strained Vaud market.
A fresh index rounds out the picture. Published on 13 July 2026 by Homegate with the Zurich Cantonal Bank, it shows rents up in every Swiss canton over twelve months, 20 minutes reports. Nidwalden leads at 8.3 percent, ahead of Graubünden. Geneva closes the national podium and takes first place in French-speaking Switzerland.
Among cities, Geneva ranks second at 5.5 percent, just behind Lucerne and its 6 percent. Geneva aside, French-speaking cantons post milder rises than the national front-runners.