Hi,
I am relocating to Switzerland along with my family (size 4 including 2 kids of age 5)
Have a few questions regarding my move and i would appreciate if anyone can help with answers.
1. what is the minimum nbr of bedroom needed when taking a lease? Do kids require a separate bedroom mandatorily as kids sleep with parents
2. For Non EU country; do resident permit mandatory for identity to sign a rental lease contract? I would be getting this RP only at a later stage
3. Can you recommend a Service apartment which i can rent for 3 month period.
Welcome to the forum.
The usual rule to work to is number of people less one so 3 bed is probably what you need to look for. You might get away with a 2-bed for a little while as the kids could share a room, but when they’re a bit older the Swiss will expect them to have separate rooms. So you might have to look at moving to a bigger place in 2-3 years’ time.
As a non-EU your permit is already approved so I wouldn’t think it would cause a problem not to physically have it in your hand.
www.immoscout24.ch
www.immostreet.ch
www.homegate.ch
www.home.ch
should all have an option to look for serviced apartments.
That's total nonsense. Or maybe just for foreigners.
Tom
Ahhh, welcome to double standards. One for locals, one for foreigners
We had a similar thread before for the 1st Q but can't recall what the subject was. If I remember correctly it was mentioned that the apartment size depends on the canton but some cantons, e.g. Zurich, require number of rooms >= number of people -1, i.e. you'd need a 3 room or a 2 bedroom apartment.
You may also add comparis.ch to your search.
Last resort would be airbnb type of places.
Are you moving into the Geneva area? If so, I can connect you with the company that helped us with number three. I don’t know if they were the best, but we were satisfied and they can help you with number two. As for number one, we never heard any restrictions but, apparently others have.
We found a house just outside Geneva (others might think it’s far, but thirty minutes door to door on public transport or fifteen minutes by car is quick enough for us), in about a week - with our agent, but by using the websites above.
If living in Geneva, a large concern is which side of the lake/river you want to be on. Commute is affected by crossings. We are on the same side as the UN offices, so living outside the city wasn’t too difficult.
There’s quite a bit about schools as well in these pages, and as you have children, I suggest a look. We are happy with our current public school, but it’s quite small. Our daughter didn’t like the big school she attended in Geneva - but she was largely overwhelmed by the number of children and being disoriented. The language acquisition programs in the area public schools seem quite good. We also researched the local international schools as well and located options we liked there as well.
I would suggest taking a 4.5 Zimmer (3 bedroom) apartment. It is difficult to find an apartment anyways so without a permit and remotely it's going to be even more difficult. Initially, I would suggest booking a service apartment and start looking for an apartment once you are here and have received the permit. There are many service apartment providers e.g. swiss star, city apartments, vision apartments etc. Google or search in this forum.
This is good advice - one caution though, apartment descriptions appear to vary by canton/city... so a 2 room apartment in one place may be exactly two rooms... and in another it may mean two bedrooms, not counting the kitchen and bathrooms. Usually the bathroom/toilet is not counted, and often the kitchen is not as well, but sometimes the living room is. As an example, our house was listed as a four room, but actually has eighteen rooms (some are tiny) - the caves, utility rooms, bathrooms, toilets, kitchen, and other storage rooms were not counted. You have to ask. And often, there are no closets, so those additional "rooms" are used for storage. We have wardrobes in the larger bedrooms, but my daughter's room wouldn't fit one, so her hanging clothes are elsewhere.
Also, most real estate companies here do not know how to photograph very well, and often do not take photos of important things, such as the kitchen or the showers and tubs, or a bedroom will be missed. You'll have to have at least one family member who is committed to looking for a place as a full time job. Having someone to go through the contracts and such is really worthwhile, especially if you don't speak the local language. On the positive side, if in Geneva, English is pretty commonly spoken, more common than German actually. On the other hand, the occupancy rate is stunning... around a half a percent vacancy rate - so there is a lot of competition.