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SWITZERLAND LIFESTYLE GUIDE

PROPERTY

How to find a Swiss home of your own

Moving home provokes more stress than almost any major upheaval except death, divorce and delivery goes the tired cliché. So how does it rate if you throw in a change of country and culture? Looks like you might need our survival guide.

Published: 28 February 2011 18:21 CET
How to find a Swiss home of your own

Renting versus buying

Over 70 per cent of residents in Switzerland rent accommodation. Furthermore, nearly every house owner doesn’t actually own their property outright and will continue to manage a mortgage throughout their lifetime. This is because certain taxes penalise a property’s potential for renting while mortgages generally require a minimum 20 per cent down payment (figure another five per cent for legal fees) by law before you can play. For a four-bedroom house in say, Zurich this could set you back 500,000 francs. 

Outside major cities, houses, chalets and apartments are more reasonable and it’s possible to buy a three-bedroom house at say, 600,000 francs with a down payment (and fees) of 150,000 francs and monthly payments of about 1,200 francs.  

Renting has its pitfalls too. Cantons with significant international communities, such as Geneva, Vaud or Zurich are not cheap with a two-bedroom apartment going for around 3,000 francs per month or more depending on location. And that’s if you can find one. On average less than 0.2 percent of all rented accommodation is free at any time in Geneva. 

Where to look

The Local's own property section has English-language listings of hundreds of apartments and houses in all parts of the country. There are also other online sources at Homegate.ch or the more complicated immo.search.ch. Furnished lodging can be found at City Appartements and AAS Apartment Service. For flat sharing (Wohngemeinschaft/colocation) opportunities try wgzimmer.ch or Students.ch. The major newspapers are now linked to sites such as Homegate, but still offer classified sections on select days, generally Wednesdays. The property section (immobilier) in GHI in Geneva – a local Exchange & Mart in French – is still worth checking. 

One upshot of being an international is that landlords used to dealing foreigners are more likely to rent to you. Typically expats don’t hang around for long (average 2-3 years) which means the owner can jack up the rent again on your departure. Also, if you’ve secured your employment, many international organizations and companies will assist with finding or even providing accommodation. 

Subletting is quite common and legal in most areas. Make sure you get arrangements of the deal in writing. Check with the Swiss tenants' association. Scam artists offering non-existent accommodation have been reported on rare occasions. 

Deposits

Landlords demand a standard three-month deposit against damages, a sum locked into a minimal interest savings account until your departure.  If this is prohibitive, we suggest checking out Swiss Caution, a new deposit insurance scheme for a couple of hundred francs a year, which eliminates the hefty outlay.  

Mortgages

Most banks in Switzerland provide an online service which allows you to calculate your monthly outlay etc. which is pointless if you don’t possess 20 per cent of the purchase price. Interest rates are currently attractive. 

Disputes

Head to the SMV (Swiss association of tenants), a bunch of lawyers who know how to untangle the vagaries of the accommodation market. A fee (around 50 francs) is required to join.

In theory, rents should track national cost of living indexes according to location. In reality, this seldom happens so if you suspect you’re being ripped off, check with the SMV who will advise on how to proceed. Then be patient – recuperation can take more than a year, but will be paid out retroactively should your appeal be successful. 

There may be a downside however – rumours have it that Swiss landlords circulate a black list of such tenants, a practice they deny.

Utilities

 Landlords generally take care of registration with electricity and gas companies for you. These are usually payable every quarter while water is covered in “charges” paid with rent. 

Garbage disposal will provide you with anecdotes. Some cantons charge two francs or more per 35-litre bag purchased from special outlets. Get caught using anything else and face a fine. You can also expect to spend more time separating your trash amongst the handy receptacles stationed in most municipalities. 

These garbage bag taxes have triggered a trend in rubbish tourism, where individuals will transport refuse over cantonal borders to dump. We don’t reckon that the 30-odd minute trip, petrol consumption and risk of arrest are worth saving a few francs.

Oddities 

Bring your own light fittings when you move into your new flat. Their absence is a familiar source of bemusement amongst rookie expats. 

Central heating in apartments is often switched off in the summer months (in Fribourg it’s even off at night in winter). No matter how cold it is in the late summer early autumn, you won’t be able to turn on the central heating, which is activated at a set time every year.  

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LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

Checklist: What you need to do if you move house in Switzerland

Moving from one house or apartment in Switzerland to another is not as simple as just packing up your furniture. Instead, the process involves quite a few administrative tasks.

Published: 25 January 2024 12:10 CET
Checklist: What you need to do if you move house in Switzerland

Anyone who has ever moved, whether in Switzerland or elsewhere, knows it is not just a matter of simple logistics.

In fact, whether you are relocating to another town or canton, or just to another neighbourhood, moving is a big, expensive, time-consuming, and stressful experience.

These are various tasks you will have to cross off your list, one by one.

Getting your old apartment in order

It goes without saying that before you move out, you must make sure to leave the place clean and in order. Most people hire a cleaning company to do so, though you can, of course, do this yourself.

If, for instance, you broke or damaged anything while living in the apartment, you must repair it before you leave.

The condition of the apartment will be assessed during the final inspection process, when the landlord or the management company will write down all damages which you are responsible for either repairing yourself or paying someone else to do it for you.

You are not officially off the hook with your previous landlord until this process is completed.

De-register your old address and register the new one

Whether you are moving across the country or just across the street, this is an obligatory step.

You must let your ‘old’ commune’s population office (Einwohnerkontrolle / Contrôle des habitants/ Controllo abitanti) know you are leaving, and from which date.

You can do so either in person or (if available) online.

Then, when you settle in a new home, you have 14 days to announce your arrival in your new municipality, though in some places the deadline may be longer.

You will need the following documents:

  • A passport or ID card for each member of the family, in addition to a passport-sized photo for everyone
  • Documents relating to your family status — whether you are single, married, and with children
  • Your work or residency permit 
  • Your lease contract or proof of home ownership
  • Your health insurance card or proof of your current health insurance policy.

The rules are the same regardless of where you arrive from, that is, if you are Swiss, an EU citizen or from a third country, however the supporting documentation may vary. 

Some cantons may require other or additional documents, which you can find out ahead of time on your commune or canton’s website.

READ ALSO: Why you need to tell Swiss authorities where you live 

Inform the post office about your change of address

To ensure that your mail arrives at your new home, fill out the ‘change of address’ form online at least four days before your move. 

Four days is a minimum required time for the post office to process the address change and register it in the electronic database.

If you wait longer, your mail will continue to be delivered to  the old address.

You also should notify these companies of your move and new address:

  • Your mobile telephone / internet provider (if you still have a fixed phone, you should have it switched off at the old address and re-activated at the new one)
  • Your bank
  • Your insurance companies (health, car, and any other ones you have, both mandatory and optional)
  • Your doctor / dentist

If you forget to inform anyone of your new address, no worries — the post office will automatically forward the letters to you, provided your notified them of the change (see above).

What about the tax office?

You don’t have to do a thing.

Your local commune will automatically inform tax authorities of your move, so there is no chance whatsoever that they won’t find you.

Rental versus owned property

If you move into a rental property, you don’t need to, in most cases, notify utility providers like the electric company of your move.

But if you are going to live in your own house, then you must let the local power company know to switch on your electricity supply.
 

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