Property finance in Switzerland.
Switzerland is a bank-dominated, franc-denominated market with conservative leverage and its own security system. Foreign acquisition of residential property is restricted — but commercial property is exempt, which is exactly where we operate. We arrange investment and structured facilities for corporate and SPV borrowers.
By Dominic Whitecross, Co-Founder, HyLend. For corporate and SPV borrowers.
How lending works in Switzerland
Swiss lending is bank-dominated and conservative: amortising facilities, lower LTVs than the UK, and pricing anchored to a famously low franc rate environment. Security runs through the Schuldbrief — a mortgage certificate registered against the property — and practice varies by canton, so local counsel matters even more than elsewhere.
The point most international borrowers miss is Lex Koller: the federal law restricting non-resident foreign buyers of residential property. Commercial property — offices, logistics, retail, hotels operated as businesses — is exempt, which is precisely the territory we arrange in. A corporate structure does not circumvent Lex Koller on residential; the asset class is what decides it, and we are straight about that from the first conversation.
Financing is typically CHF-denominated to match Swiss income streams, and the franc's behaviour against sterling and the euro makes the currency plan part of the deal, not an afterthought.
What we arrange in Switzerland
Across the whole of market, always via a lender licensed or permitted in Switzerland, we arrange the same families of facility we do in the UK — structured to how Switzerland actually lends:
- Short-term / bridging where an international or private lender supports it, at higher minimums than the UK.
- Development finance for corporate developers, against cost and value with staged drawdowns.
- Investment and term facilities to hold income-producing assets, typically the most available product locally.
- Specialist and structured capital — equity, mezzanine and larger raises on complex or cross-border mandates.
How we work on a Switzerland deal
We arrange and introduce; we are not a lender. Facilities are arranged with lenders licensed or permitted in Switzerland, and local legal and tax advice is taken in-country as a matter of course.
Corporate and SPV borrowers, on non-regulated purposes. We do not act for individuals buying residential property for their own occupation in Switzerland or anywhere in Europe — that work is regulated locally and a regulated broker in-country is the right route.
We will tell you early if a deal is not placeable. HyLend Limited is a UK credit broker and does not hold or claim authorisation to conduct regulated credit intermediation in any EU member state.
What to send us
The location and asset, the borrowing entity and where it is incorporated, the amount and term, and the exit. If a local bank or lender is already involved, tell us. We will come back on whether it is placeable, roughly where pricing sits, and what the structure needs to look like — before anyone spends money on fees.
Switzerland property finance FAQs
Can you arrange property finance in Switzerland?
Yes — investment and structured facilities on commercial property for corporate and SPV borrowers, via lenders licensed or permitted in Switzerland. Swiss lending is bank-dominated and conservative, so a well-structured proposition matters.
Do you lend to individuals buying a home in Switzerland?
Yes, for corporate and SPV borrowers on non-regulated purposes. We do not act for individuals buying a home for their own occupation — that is regulated locally and a regulated broker in-country is the right route.
Does Lex Koller stop foreigners buying Swiss property?
It restricts non-resident foreign acquisition of residential property. Commercial property is exempt, which is where we operate. A corporate wrapper does not get around Lex Koller on residential; the asset class decides it, and we will tell you straight if a deal falls on the wrong side.
Is Swiss lending in francs?
Typically yes — CHF-denominated to match Swiss income, at conservative LTVs through the Schuldbrief security system. The franc's strength against sterling and the euro makes currency planning a genuine part of the deal economics.
Currency: the cost line most borrowers miss
On a Swiss deal the franc is part of the economics: CHF-denominated debt against sterling or euro equity, and an exchange rate with a long habit of moving at the wrong moment. We work closely with Total Currency Exchange, a UK currency specialist whose payment services are provided through FCA-authorised partners, for competitive rates and properly managed transfers on cross-border deals.
Want an introduction? Tell us when you send the deal — or ask us directly — and we will connect you personally. We do not provide currency advice; timing and hedging decisions remain yours with your FX provider.
How the property will be valued
Valuation practice is national, not European, and the differences are not cosmetic. In Switzerland standard residential property is often assessed using hedonic models while investment property is valued on discounted cash flow, and banks apply their own conservative lending value beneath the market figure.
Two things hold true across every market we work in. The valuer is instructed by the lender and reports to the lender, not to you, whoever pays the fee. And the figure the lender applies its leverage to may not be the market value in the report — several European lending regimes work from a deliberately conservative value beneath it, in the same way UK lenders use restricted marketing period figures.
Build the valuation into the timetable rather than treating it as an administrative step: on cross border commercial deals it is routinely the longest single item. The full valuations guide →