Société vaudoise pour le logement

The Société vaudoise pour le logement SA (SVL) is a semi-public property company based in Lausanne, in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It was created under article 16 of the cantonal Housing Act (Loi sur le logement) of 9 September 1975, and its constitutive assembly took place on 27 October 1981 under the name Société vaudoise pour la création d'appartements à loyers modérés SA (SVLM SA). The company's purpose is to support the creation of rental apartments at affordable rents, acting as a proactive and innovative partner for municipalities and other actors in the Vaud housing market. SVL is not a conventional private developer. Its share capital is held 55% by the Canton of Vaud and 45% by the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV), and it is guaranteed by the Canton of Vaud, which also exercises legal and economic control over it. Its supervisory authority is the Service des communes et du logement. This ownership structure gives SVL a public-policy mandate while allowing it to operate with the flexibility of a limited company. The company's activities span the whole housing development chain. It advises and supports municipalities that lack the critical size to maintain their own housing services; it acquires and holds land so that communes can pursue a more active housing policy without overloading their balance sheets; it provides operational support throughout development projects without replacing the architect or the project owner; it grants loans to finance studies up to the granting of building permits and construction credit; and it can undertake projects on land owned by the State, in collaboration with the Direction du logement (DIL) and the Direction de l'immobilier et du foncier (DIF). SVL is actively seeking land for future developments, including plots of all sizes, built plots with remaining potential, buildings to renovate, and real-estate projects requiring restructuring. Its board of directors is composed of seven members, with representatives of the Canton of Vaud and one representative of BCV. The current president is Florian Failloubaz, and the vice-president is Yves Ferrari, director of the FMEL. Through its land, financing and advisory roles, SVL is a key instrument of cantonal housing policy in Vaud.

The Société vaudoise pour le logement SA traces its origins to the cantonal Housing Act (Loi sur le logement) of 9 September 1975, whose article 16 provided the legal basis for its creation. The constitutive assembly of the company, then named Société vaudoise pour la création d'appartements à loyers modérés SA (SVLM SA), was held on 27 October 1981. It was established with share capital of 2 million Swiss francs and its registered office in Lausanne. From the outset, the company was designed as a semi-public instrument of cantonal housing policy rather than a purely commercial developer. Its shares were held 55% by the Canton of Vaud and 45% by the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV), and the Canton guaranteed the company while retaining legal and economic control over it. The Service des communes et du logement acts as its supervisory authority. Over the decades, SVL broadened its role beyond the direct creation of moderately priced apartments. It developed a set of missions covering advice and support to municipalities, land acquisition and holding, operational support during housing development projects, financial aid in the form of loans for studies and construction, and projects on land owned by the State of Vaud in collaboration with the Direction du logement (DIL) and the Direction de l'immobilier et du foncier (DIF). By the 2020s, SVL presented itself as innovative and proactive in the field of creating apartments at affordable rents, and it actively sought land for future developments: plots of all sizes, built plots with remaining potential, buildings to renovate, and real-estate projects requiring restructuring. Its board of directors is composed of seven members, including six representatives of the Canton of Vaud and one representative of BCV. The current president is Florian Failloubaz and the vice-president is Yves Ferrari, director of the FMEL.

• 1981

  Constitutive assembly held on 27 October 1981 under the name Société vaudoise pour la création d'appartements à loyers modérés SA (SVLM SA), with share capital of 2 million and registered office in Lausanne.

• 1975

  Article 16 of the Vaud Housing Act (Loi sur le logement) of 9 September 1975 provides the legal basis for the company's creation.

• The company is held 55% by the Canton of Vaud and 45% by BCV, and is guaranteed by the Canton of Vaud.

• SVL develops missions covering municipal advice, land acquisition and holding, project support, financial aid, and projects on State-owned land.

A semi-public, canton-guaranteed housing company that enables municipalities to deliver affordable rental housing without carrying land and development risk on their own balance sheets.

• Advisory and support to municipalities

  Support based on the observation that most municipalities lack the critical size to maintain dedicated housing services.

• Land acquisition and holding

  Enables municipalities to pursue a more active housing policy by acquiring land without burdening their balance sheets.

• Operational support for development projects

  Support at all phases of housing development projects, without replacing the architect or the project owner.

• Financial aid

  Loans to finance studies up to obtaining the building permit and construction credit.

• Projects on State-owned land

  Projects on land the State wishes to develop, in collaboration with DIL and DIF.

1. 1Société vaudoise pour le logement SA-SVLsvl-vd.ch
2. 2A propos - Société vaudoise pour le logementsvl-vd.ch
3. 3Société vaudoise pour le logementwikidata.org