I could not find any posts on the forum using the search function or finding anything through the general info threads!
I am a foreign student here in Switzerland and I'll be checking
out a basement apartment later today, but I do however have a some worries..
I have been informed by the current tenant (Swiss national), that the apartment has previously been converted from a crafts room to studio apartment. Therefore it is not possible to use the address as a main address.
The tenant explained that legally he is still domiciled with his parents, but that the address still works as a PO box per say.
Furthermore, since it is a craft room converted to studio apartment there is no house insurance.
Does anyone have experience with a situation like this? I do not wish to be caught up in a potentially messy situation.
Sounds very dodgy. Either it is a crafts room and you cannot live in it or it is a studio apartment (in the basement??) and you have an official address.
And if it is an official apartment, you can have insurance on that address.
IMHO this should be a no-go for you. You need a main address and I don't recommend you renting out a mailbox somewhere else.
If the apartment can not have an address it could mean that it does not officially exists as "apartment", meaning that you won't be able to proper register as resident. Maybe even the contract will say "craft room" and then you have no proof of domicile in CH...
As a foreigner in CH the suggestion is to keep it as simple and straightforward as possible, because any problem or just extra paperwork will require a lot of work from your side. A Swiss national has "automatically" a plan B, a plan C and so on, you need to start with the right foot.
That's shady. If landlord is already showing respecting laws is not that important, I wouldn't expect the heating to work fine, or blame you for whatever damage and there's no insurance. After all, they're already showed that they're willing to do shady stuff for a few francs.
Finding accommodation is tiresome and sometimes one's tempted to accept the earliest offer in order to call the search off. But, keep searching.
Given that your location is Winterthur and you are an international student I assume you study at ZHAW. Each department has an International Office. As you don't need the accomodation for right now ask there. They might have an offer for next semester. Or they have an outgoing student who might be willing to offer you his room. If the International Office of your department can't help you, try the other. The School of Management and Law has the biggest International Office.
Also check the ads online and posted on the boards where you can post accomodation within ZHAW. You might have to do some walking as there is a board in each building.
This is EF at it's best. A polite user asking for clarification, then four helpful responses: direct replies to the question asked, some encouragement, and some practical advice of how to search for accommodation, plus a note of thanks from the person asking for advice - and all that within two hours. Thank you. Life can be good.