What Baugenossenschaft Rotach Zürich does

Baugenossenschaft Rotach Zürich is a non-profit housing cooperative (Wohnbaugenossenschaft) founded in 1924 and headquartered at Gertrudstrasse 69, 8003 Zürich. It owns and manages a portfolio of 1,207 apartments organized across 14 settlements (Siedlungen), serving its cooperative members (Genossenschafter*innen) under Switzerland's cost-rent (Kostenmiete) framework rather than market-rate pricing. The cooperative applies the federal/cantonal gemeinnützige status rules, which cap rents at cost and exempt the entity from certain corporate taxes, and operates with approximately 21 employees. Its balance sheet stood at CHF 348.2 million as of year-end 2025, with approximately CHF 225 million in stille Reserven (hidden reserves) that buffer the entity against shocks and fund expansion.

Revenue is generated principally through cost-based rental income on the 1,207-unit portfolio, supplemented by ancillary charges, member Depositenkasse interest, and capital gains reinvested into the cooperative. All earnings are retained and redeployed into property maintenance, energy-efficiency upgrades, and new construction rather than distributed. Member-owned governance is exercised through the general assembly (Generalversammlung) and 14 Siedlungskommissionen that manage community life at the settlement level.

The 2024-2026 period marks a strategic inflection point: after a century of operation, Rotach is transitioning its presidency from Felix Zimmermann and Monika Sutter (each serving roughly three decades) to a Co-Presidium of Eliane Kobe and Tobias Frei, accelerating portfolio expansion via its first sub-regional acquisition in Hedingen (Riedstrasse 6/8, ~30 units) supported by a CHF 12 million arrondissement credit, and advancing new-build projects at Triemli 4 and Birchweid. Sustainability execution is layered on top via Natur & Wirtschaft certification (2018/2023) and a new photovoltaic installation in the Rotachquartier.

Name

Baugenossenschaft Rotach Zürich

Legal name

Baugenossenschaft Rotach Zürich

Website

https://rotach.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Baugenossenschaft Rotach Zürich is a non-profit, member-owned housing cooperative founded in 1924 that owns and manages 1,207 cost-rent apartments across 14 settlements in greater Zürich for its cooperative members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Cooperative Housing

NAICS

Lessors of Real Estate (5311), Rental and Leasing Services (532)

SIC

Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Build-to-Rent (BTR) Community Management (BPAJAFAC)

Keywords

• Affordable housing cooperative
• Non-profit housing
• Residential rental apartments
• Cooperative member housing
• Community housing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Residential Rent: The cooperative generates its primary revenue from rental income from approximately 1,207 apartments across 14 settlements in Zürich and the greater Zürich area. Rents are set based on the principle of Kostenmiete (cost-based rent), meaning they cover actual costs without profit maximization. This is consistent with the cooperative's non-profit, gemeinnützig (public-benefit) status.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Baugenossenschaft Rotach Zürich is a non-profit housing cooperative founded in 1924 that rents approximately 1,207 affordable apartments across 14 settlements in the city of Zürich and the greater Zürich area. Apartments are allocated under a cost-rent (Kostenmiete) principle and members additionally access a Solidarity Fund, a deposit savings account (Depositenkasse), a guest apartment, community spaces, and a resident mobile app (Roty-App).

Product overview

Baugenossenschaft Rotach Zürich operates as a nonprofit housing cooperative offering approximately 1,200 affordable apartments across 14 settlements in the city of Zurich and the greater Zurich area. The portfolio of services includes the Roty-App (a community and communication app), a Solidaritätsfonds (solidarity fund for financial hardship support), a Depositenkasse (interest-bearing deposit account), a Gästewohnung (guest apartment), a repair reporting system, and community spaces — all managed through a 21-person office covering property management, finance, construction, and an in-house painting service. Residents receive the Rotach Info newspaper twice yearly and an annual report. The cooperative is governed by a board, general assembly, and a business audit committee, and is subject to Swiss data protection law.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Roty-App: Mobile application developed by beUnity for community communication and event management within Rotach settlements.

Products and services

• Wohnungsvermittlung (Apartment Rental) Rental of approximately 1,207 affordable apartments across 14 settlements in the city of Zürich and the greater Zürich area, allocated to cooperative members and applicants under the cost-rent principle.
• Solidaritätsfonds (Solidarity Fund) Financial support fund for cooperative members experiencing financial hardship, funded by a CHF 2 monthly contribution per resident.
• Depositenkasse (Deposit Savings Account) Interest-bearing savings account offered to members and non-members, with the entire cooperative assets serving as collateral, paying 0.75% p.a. interest as of January 2026.
• Gästewohnung (Guest Apartment) Furnished one-room apartment in the Rotachquartier available for short-term rental by cooperative members, including kitchen, bathroom, balcony, and free Wi-Fi.
• Gemeinschaftsräume (Community Spaces) Shared community rooms available across settlements for resident events, gatherings, and cooperative activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Stille Reserven (hidden reserves) of approximately 225 million CHF, strengthening financial security of the cooperative and its Depositenkasse.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BDO AGminorOthersBDO AG serves as the external audit firm (Revisionsstelle) for the Baugenossenschaft Rotach, reviewing the annual financial statements and reporting to the Generalversammlung.
• Blickwinkel AGminorOthersBlickwinkel AG, Luzern, handled the concept and design of the rotach.ch website.
• Stiftung bvz (Berufslehr-Verbund Zürich)minorOthersPartnerbetrieb (partner company) for the apprenticeship program. The Baugenossenschaft Rotach participates as a partner company in the bvz apprenticeship consortium, which trains commercial apprentices (Kaufmann/Kauffrau EFZ) across multiple member companies. bvz handles administrative and organizational tasks while practical training occurs at the cooperative.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kraftwerk1: Zürich-based cooperative known for self-organized, community-driven housing projects; uses a non-profit cost-rent approach with strong Siedlungskommission-style resident participation, directly comparable to Rotach's community model.
• Genossenschaft mehr als wohnen: Innovative non-profit housing cooperative in the Greater Zürich area (Wallisellen) operating under a similar cost-rent philosophy but with a stronger focus on experimentation, mixed-use developments, and community programming.
• Genossenschaft Kalkbreite: Zürich cooperative running a flagship mixed-use, community-oriented residential project on a cost-rent basis; smaller in unit count but very similar in operating philosophy and target demographic.
• Allgemeine Baugenossenschaft Zürich (ABZ): One of the largest non-profit housing cooperatives in Zürich, operating several thousand apartments under the same gemeinnützig cost-rent model and serving a similar member-driven residential base in the Zürich metropolitan area.
• Stiftung PWG: Zürich housing foundation operating thousands of affordable rental apartments under a comparable non-profit framework, with similar focus on member governance and long-term cost-based affordability.
• Baugenossenschaft Glattal: Smaller non-profit housing cooperative serving the Glattal region adjacent to Zürich, operating on the same cost-rent, member-governed model with multi-settlement community structures.
• Gemeinnützige Baugenossenschaft Zürich (GBZ): Long-established Zürich housing cooperative offering affordable rental apartments on a cost-rent basis, with a comparable multi-settlement portfolio and member governance structure in the same primary geography as Rotach.
• Bau- und Wohngenossenschaft Famos: Zürich-based cooperative managing a portfolio of affordable rental apartments under the same gemeinnützig framework; comparable in scale and member-driven service offering.

Regional players

• Siska Wohnbau-Genossenschaft: Non-profit housing cooperative based in Eastern Switzerland (St. Gallen area); operates under the same cost-rent member-governed model but in a different geography, useful for benchmarking expansion potential outside Zürich.

Broad incumbents

• Wohnbau Genossenschaft Schweiz: National umbrella organization representing Swiss housing cooperatives; not a direct operator but the closest broad incumbent shaping policy, funding access, and standards for the entire non-profit housing sector.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baugenossenschaft-rotach-z%C3%BCrich

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Baugenossenschaft Rotach Zürich