Finding somewhere to live in Switzerland can be difficult, especially in certain parts of the country. Knowing how the market works can give you the upper hand.
Most people in Switzerland (60%) live in rented flats, although the proportion of homeowners has been rising steadily since the 1970s. Over half of all housing comprises two to three bedrooms and a living room.
In 2019, the average net monthly rent was CHF 1,362 ($1,391). The cantons of Zug, Zurich and Schwyz were the priciest, with Jura, Neuchâtel and Valais at the other end of the scale. Rents are around 10% higher in the major cities.
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How the Swiss live – from co-operatives to mobile homes
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From a single-family dwelling to a hip co-operative to a quirky home on wheels: in this series, Swiss people open their doors to swissinfo.ch.
The easiest way to find a flat is to scour the lists of available housing on specialised websites or directly on the websites of estate agents in the area where you want to live. The advertisements usually provide a contact number or person, so you can make an appointment to view the property.
The next stage is to send in an application form, backed by accompanying documentation, to the estate agent or the landlord directly. This should generally include: proof of identity; an employment contract stating your income, or salary slips from the last three months; a clean record from the debt enforcement register; a residence permit for foreigners; and a copy of your liability insurance policy.
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Cooperative living: a hip alternative for the Swiss
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For residents of the Hunziker housing cooperative outside Zurich, sharing space and resources is more than efficiency – it is about community.
Once a tenancy has been allocated, the property manager or landlord signs a rental contract with the tenants. This contract includes the contact details of all the parties, the assets included in the rental (garage, cellar, etc.), the term of the lease, the rental price as well as utility costs (heating, water, electricity, etc.) and the rent guarantee.
Most agencies and landlords require this guarantee, which can represent up to three months’ rent. It serves as a security deposit to cover any damage to the property beyond “normal wear and tear”. The money is not paid directly to the manager or landlord but is deposited in a special rental-guarantee account opened by the tenant in a Swiss bank. If there are no problems, the value of this rent deposit is returned at the end of the contract.
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Tiny houses carve a small niche in Switzerland
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Despite the legal difficulties in Switzerland, one occasionally comes across a tiny house next to a farm, on wasteland or even in the city.
A tenancy agreement may be of limited or indefinite duration. Most often, it is concluded for an indefinite period and either party may terminate it with a set notice period and in accordance with specific rules laid out in the contract.
Moving out often requires a three-month notice sent via registered mail. A tenant who wishes to leave before the terms of the agreement expire must find a replacement tenant who is solvent and willing to take over the lease under the same conditions.
It is expected that rental properties be well maintained and that they are returned exactly as they were when rented.
For more information on housing in Switzerland, see:
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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How the government is regulating Airbnb in Switzerland
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A new proposal could make it easier for tenants to sublet using online platforms such as Airbnb. Other regulations continue to clamp down.
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For Devendra, applying for a room in a shared apartment in Zurich was like a cross between a job interview and a blind date.
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An alliance of the country’s tenants associations, backed by leftwing parties and trade unions, handed in 106,000 signatures to the Federal Chancellery in Bern on Tuesday. Campaigners said it was high time to counter the spiralling rents over the past few years in Switzerland as parliament had refused to take action. About 125,000 signatures were…
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The survey, commissioned by price comparison website Comparis.ch, shows that 28% of house-hunters succeed in their quest in a month’s time compared to 21% three years ago. A total of 1,028 people were surveyed in December. The ease of finding a new place depends on which part of Switzerland is targeted. The German-speaking part of…
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The study analysed the average price of a detached house in the canton, according to a reportExternal link in the Tuesday edition of Zurich’s Tages-Anzeiger. In 2008, this amounted to CHF980,000 ($1 million), but by 2015 buyers would have had to fork out CHF1.3 million. This increase is the main reason that fewer people are…
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The broad brush strokes of the Credit Suisse report make for familiar reading: cities and popular tourist destinations suck more money out of your pocket than remote, rural locations. This makes canton Uri the least expensive place to live in Switzerland, while Geneva is the most costly canton. The survey measures discrepancies in the disposable…
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Johannes Wartenweiler, a long-term resident of the Lorraine area of Bern is worried about the future of his neighbourhood, where individual buy-to-sell investors can “demand up to CHF2 million ($2.2 million) for seven rooms”, and the effect this influx of money will have on rents. He formed a co-operative in this much talked about area…
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On March 11, 2012, 50.4 per cent of Swiss voters agreed that “in every commune where at least 20 per cent of homes are second homes, no more second homes may be built”. This has affected some 500 communes, where around 2,500 second homes were built per year between 2000 and 2010, according to a…
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“A famous place where the landlord would inspect was the water container above the toilet. They would lift the top and see if the scale had been cleaned out,” Thomas Köppel tells swissinfo.ch, recalling the handovers of his student years about 25 years ago. Little has changed. On the last day of August four women…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.