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Finding an apartment in Switzerland

Prepare before you arrive. Apply once you are here.

How it works

  • You usually need to be in Switzerland to view a long-term apartment before you can apply.
  • Landlords often choose from many applications, and popular apartments can be let within days.
  • A complete application pack, ready to send the same day, makes the difference.
What this is
Two steps: somewhere temporary for your first weeks, then a long-term apartment.
Why it matters
Very few apartments stand empty, so good ones go quickly. Arriving with your documents ready gives you the best chance when you find the right one.
Who needs it
Anyone who has not signed a long-term lease yet.
When to do it
Temporary place: before you fly. Long-term apartment: once you have arrived and registered.
Where it sits in the order
Before: Registering at your commune (temporary address), then your long-term apartment after.
What you’ll need
  • Passport and permit, or proof it is on its way
  • Extract from the debt enforcement register
  • Employment contract or salary confirmation
  • References, if you have them
  • A plan for the deposit: cash for a rent deposit account, or a deposit guarantee (see Resources)

Questions to ask

  • Does our temporary place give us an address we can register with?How to find out: Ask the provider in writing whether you can register there, then check with your commune's residents' office what it accepts.
  • Which areas fit our commute, school and budget?How to find out: Plan the journey on the SBB timetable at the hour you would travel, check which school an address is assigned to on the commune's site, and compare rents in two or three areas on the listing sites under Resources.
  • How do we spot a fake listing asking for a deposit before a viewing?How to find out: Don't pay anything before you have seen the flat and signed a lease. Check that the agency or owner exists, and search the photos to see whether they appear elsewhere.
  • Deposit account or a deposit guarantee such as SwissCaution: which suits us?How to find out: Compare the guarantor's yearly fee, on its own site, with the money a deposit account would tie up, for as long as you expect to stay.

Official source

ch.ch: rental agreementsOfficial page on ch.chch.ch: extract from the debt enforcement registerOfficial page on ch.ch

On your plan

Resources

Where to search, and deposit guarantees, on Resources.

Compare temporary accommodation on Resources

Furnished places for your first weeks or months, while you look for a long-term home.

UMS

Furnished apartments for a fixed period, many of them sublets, in Zürich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and across Switzerland.

Blueground

Furnished, move-in-ready apartments for a week, a month or longer, in Zürich and Basel.

Vision Apartments

Fully furnished apartments for short or extended stays, in Basel, Lausanne and Glattbrugg near Zürich Airport.

Homegate

Rental and purchase listings.

ImmoScout24

Rental and purchase listings.

Flatfox

Rental listings, including from landlords and current tenants.

Newhome

Listings from cantonal banks and partners.

Listed on Resources. No commercial relationship. How we list

Read next

Furnishing an empty apartment, room by room

HomeFor membersRead

Which of these apply to your household?

Free to start. We put them in order and show who owns each one.

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settlein is a guidance tool, not a lawyer, tax adviser, insurer or public office. Where we have not verified a figure against an official source, we leave it blank.

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Finding an apartment in Switzerland · settlein