A Geneva property transaction follows a marked-out path — but every marker has its pitfalls, and the buyer who knows them in advance negotiates better, signs faster and sleeps soundly. Here is the full journey, from the search to registration at the land registry — with an essential detour that most guides overlook: under what legal form are you actually buying?
The steps, in order
1. Financing first — a clearly framed bank agreement before any viewing: in Geneva, this is what determines which property you can pursue. 2. The search — listed properties, and the channel the best properties travel through: off-market. 3. The offer — written, with its conditions and duration: our guide to offers details the rules, and our guide to negotiation the balance of power. 4. Due diligence — the bank assesses the property, the notary checks and drafts. 5. The notarial deed — the signature that alone concludes the sale. 6. Registration at the land registry — the moment ownership actually changes hands. Allow one to two months between the agreement and the deed.
Under what form do you buy? The ownership regimes
Swiss law distinguishes several regimes — and they concretely change what you are buying. Sole ownership of the freehold plot (bien-fonds): the villa on its plot — you own the land and, by accession, whatever is built on it. PPE (condominium ownership): the flat — a specially arranged form of co-ownership where you hold an exclusive right over your own unit (use, interior fitting-out) and a share of the building, with a contribution to costs proportional to your share; the PPE regulations serve as the building’s internal law, and the weighted floor area its language. Simple co-ownership: two spouses buying together are the typical example — each holds their own share, which they may dispose of. Joint ownership: that of an estate of heirs after a succession — no one may sell alone, all must decide together. Right of superficie, finally: you buy the building, not the land, which remains with a third party in exchange for a ground rent — a regime common in Geneva, to be examined closely: the residual term of the right, the ground rent and the return conditions all bear directly on value. And one protection worth knowing: the family home cannot be sold without the express consent of the spouse (art. 169 CC) — even if only one spouse is the owner.
What the buyer checks before signing
Four non-negotiable checks. The land registry: the certified extract reveals easements, charges and annotations — our guide to the land registry explains how to read it. The status of the property: rented (LDTR authorisation), in a development zone (controlled price), heritage-protected — each status has its own rules. Your own status: for foreign buyers, the LFAIE determines what is possible. The technical condition: the pre-purchase inspection, all the more decisive given that Geneva deeds almost always exclude the warranty against defects.
The costs of acquisition
On top of the purchase price come the registration duties, the land registry fees and the notary’s fees — an overall order of magnitude of a few percent of the price, reduced for a main residence by Casatax below its ceiling. If the financing requires setting up a mortgage note (cédule hypothécaire), its costs are added — taking over an existing note from the seller, where possible, saves most of this expense: a point worth negotiating from the offer stage.
What begins the next day: the owner’s charges
The costs of acquisition stop at the deed. The owner’s charges, on the other hand, begin the next day — and one of them is specific to Geneva, often discovered on the first tax bill.
The supplementary property tax is owed by the person registered as owner or usufructuary at the land registry as at 31 December of the tax period. It is a tax on the asset itself: it depends on the property’s tax value, not on your financial capacity. A modest income does nothing to reduce it.
The rate clearly distinguishes by use:
- 1 ‰ of the tax value for an ordinary property held by an individual;
- 0.2 ‰ for a main residence — a four-fifths reduction, which rewards occupancy;
- from 1 ‰ to 2 ‰ for businesses, associations and foundations, depending on the type of entity and the use of the property — own operation or income-generating rental.
An exemption exists, and it is worth knowing before choosing between two new properties: those meeting high or very high energy performance standards may qualify for an exemption from the supplementary property tax for a period of twenty years. Over two decades, the difference adds up.
Add to this line the other recurring charges — wealth tax based on the same tax value, rental value for income tax purposes, PPE charges, maintenance — and you get the true cost of ownership, the one that must be compared against rent before deciding. Since tax value is the basis for several of these calculations, it is worth understanding rather than simply enduring.
The day of the deed — and after
The sale is concluded in notarial form, at the notary’s office: reading of the deed, signatures, payment according to the agreed terms — then the request for registration at the land registry, which effects the transfer. From that point, you are the owner — with the obligations of the chosen regime: PPE charges, maintenance, tax return. Our glossary defines every term encountered along the way; and if a question goes beyond this guide, our purchase support covers the transaction from start to finish — from the first viewing to the handover of keys.
The section on ownership regimes draws on a legal contribution by Me David Bensimon, partner, FSA specialist in construction and property law, and Me Nathalie Bréant (Rhône Avocat-e-s), published in May 2023. Editorial formatting: Rousseau 5. This article does not constitute legal advice.