Mortgage
The loan that carries your home, from structuring the financing to the death and disability covers that protect it: one overall view, one point of contact.
Two minutes is all it takes: tell us who you are and what needs covering. We come back with compared quotes.
The essentials
In Switzerland, a mortgage finances up to 80% of the property value: at least 20% of own funds, half of which from outside the pension fund, and an imputed cost that must stay within one third of income. The loan is structured in ranks, concluded at a fixed rate or on SARON, and the debt above two thirds of the value is amortised within fifteen years at most. Well structured, a mortgage can be negotiated: lenders do not all read a file the same way.
The debt is almost never repaid in full: as a rule it is brought down to two thirds of the property value, then kept. The financing therefore rests durably on the household income. If the person carrying the loan dies or loses their earning capacity, the charges remain and the bank re-examines the situation: this is where the insurance linked to the mortgage comes in.
These covers are not a single product but a combination of death and disability protection sized on your debt and your family situation. Survivors' pensions from the first and second pillars often leave a gap; an insurance capital or annuity fills it. Indirect amortisation through pillar 3a completes the arrangement: deductible contributions, a stable debt, and the capital repays the loan at the agreed term.
What this insurance covers
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Structuring and renewing the financing
Loan structure, the choice between fixed rate and SARON, maturities and renewals: we put lenders in competition and negotiate the terms, line by line.
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Lump sum on death
A capital is paid on the borrower's death: it repays all or part of the debt so the spouse or partner can keep the property.
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Loss of earning capacity and disability
An annuity or a capital offsets the lasting loss of income, so the affordability required by the bank remains secured.
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Indirect amortisation through pillar 3a
Your 3a savings, pledged to the bank, repay the loan at the agreed term, without giving up the tax advantage of restricted pension savings.
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Waiver of premiums
If you lose your earning capacity, the insurer takes over the premiums: the amortisation plan continues even without income.
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Beneficiary clause for the partner
Naming your cohabiting partner as beneficiary secures them a capital of their own, independent of the estate, to stay in the home.
Who it is for
- Buyers structuring their first mortgage financing, or owners approaching a renewal.
- Households whose home financing rests mainly on a single income.
- Unmarried couples buying together: inheritance law does not protect the cohabiting partner.
- Buyers who withdrew or pledged their pension fund assets to build their own funds.
- Owners who prefer to amortise through pillar 3a rather than reduce the debt directly.
How we support you
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Analysing your risks
What you have, what is missing, what overlaps: an honest assessment.
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Competitive tenders
Several insurers approached against a precise specification, compared item by item.
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Long-term follow-up
Set-up, renewals, claims: a single point of contact, year after year.
Frequently asked questions
How is a mortgage structured in Switzerland?
The loan covers at most 80% of the property value: a first rank up to 65%, kept durably, and a second rank above it, to be amortised within fifteen years at most or by retirement. The rate is fixed for a chosen term or follows the market with a SARON mortgage, and both can be combined in tranches. The right structure depends on your horizon, your tolerance for fluctuations and your tax situation: it is a file decision, not a catalogue choice.
Can the bank require insurance linked to the mortgage?
No law imposes it in general. The lending institution can however make it a condition of the credit, in particular when affordability rests on a single income or when pension fund assets served as own funds. Even without a bank requirement, the analysis is worthwhile: survivors' pensions rarely cover all the housing costs.
What is indirect amortisation through pillar 3a?
Instead of repaying the debt directly, you pay into a pillar 3a account or policy pledged to the bank. The debt and its interest remain stable, the 3a tax advantage is preserved, and the accumulated capital repays the loan at the agreed term, at the latest at retirement. A 3a policy can also include death cover and a waiver of premiums in case of incapacity to earn.
How do you protect a cohabiting partner who stays in the home?
Without a disposition of property upon death, an unmarried partner does not inherit. Death cover with a beneficiary clause in their favour pays them a capital to take over the deceased's share or reduce the debt, and to discuss keeping the loan with the bank. In unrestricted provision, the beneficiary clause is drafted freely; in pillar 3a, the law sets who may receive what, but leaves room for the partner, particularly after several years of shared household. To be coordinated with a will or an inheritance agreement.
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Jules Rossier, non-tied insurance intermediary within the meaning of Art. 45 of the Insurance Supervision Act (ISA), registered with FINMA under no. F01581788.