Accommodation

Accommodation in Switzerland can be hard to find and is expensive, especially when compared to other European countries. Canton Zug, Zürich and Geneva have the highest rental prices of anywhere in Switzerland. The rental system can appear complicated if you do not know. It is advisable to have someone on your side to inform you of the procedures and to represent you towards the local landlords and agents.

Property Size

Generally, the indicated size of the apartment or house does not include the kitchen, bathroom or dining rooms. Usually an open kitchen, dining room and living room counts as one-and-a-half rooms. For example a 2.5 room apartment means 1 bedroom, open plan living room and dining room count as 1.5 rooms.

What you can find

Houses are hard to find, as they are in short supply; it is more common to find apartments with balconies and terraced apartments with large terraced balconies. When applying for a accommodation, you rarely deal with the actual owner, more commonly a real estate agent will be coordinating the rental/ purchase. (Expats mostly decide to rent properties first and buy later. In fact, 75% of the Swiss live in rented accommodation and are not home owners). Apartments are usually let unfurnished, but they come with complete kitchens, including a dishwasher, oven and stove. Washing machines and tumble dryers are available for common share and sometimes apartments are equipped with their own washing machines. Furnished accommodation is more difficult to find and is expensive. Properties in Switzerland never come with curtains or light fittings, which need to be purchased by the tenant. They do, however, come fitted with shutters and/or blinds.

Electricity

The electric current in Switzerland is AC 220-240 volts, frequency 50 Hz. If you are coming from the States, you will require a step-down transformer, which can be purchased at an electrical store, but it is advisable to leave your US appliances at home and buy new ones here for safety reasons. Most sockets are for two-pin plugs.

How to rent a property

Making a good impression with the application form is essential, if you are to be in the running for getting an offer of your desired apartment. When deciding on an apartment, you will need to be quick and flexible as to when you would like to begin the lease, because if you aren’t flexible, the next candidate will be. Leases are usually open ended but one year minimum and a deposit of between one and three months’ rent has to be paid into a security holding account before you can get the keys, as does the first month’s rent, so please be prepared for this. The deposit amount will be refunded back to you along with any accrued interest at the end of the rental period. The costs for possible damages in the apartment will be deducted.