Is B permit good to buy a property here?

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
1
Hello,

A quick one:

If I buy an app/house in Canton Vaud with a B permit and then I change job or I leave Switzerland to go working abroad, can I still keep the house or I am not allowed? I read somewhere that I wont be allowed to keep it or i have to rent it out?

I am a EU citizen.

(right now i own only a L permit since 6/2009, but I will get a B permit soon).

Thanks,

Giulio.

2
Hi,

You cant rent it out, unless you have a C permit & however you can keep it.

3
You can't rent it out if you have used your pension fund to pay any part of it. Not until you've paid back the pension fund because that money is to be used for you personal residence not a rental property. The way they explained it to us was that the problem is with the bank/pension fund and not related to the permit.

4
With a B permit if you buy a flat / house in one canton and then change job to another canton, you can keep the original property, and also you will be allowed to buy another flat / house in the new canton, provided your job change is not aiming at buying another property.

5
OK Thanks to all for the answers.

So with B permit I can buy the app and then after I can decide to go abroad and rent it out, right?

Also, I dont have to use any pension found...

Just last curiosity... in which office can i ask these kind of questions? Only to a notary or also in the commune office de la population?

thanks!!!!

6
Hold on! Not so fast. In terms of PERMIT yes you can rent it out. But if you have a mortgage you MAY NOT be able to rent it out. The issue of whether you rent or not has to do with the bank. You can't if you use a pension fund. But that doesn't mean you can if you don't use the pension fund.

Talk to the bank about it and make sure they know you may want to rent the property. They will tell you if they allow it. If you do it without their agreement they could "call in" the loan.

Of course anything is possible if you work it out before hand.

Good luck!

7
OK thanks for the clarification.

My final question: If i get a 5-year B permit and I buy an appartment.

After 5 years my permit expired and I go back to my hometown.

Will I have to sell the property?

Is there a case where I have to sell my property being a foreigner? Which one?

Thanks

Giulio.

8
I heard that if we paid off the house / apartment we'll be highly taxed on the property tax?

9
I had similar questions, I made an appointment with a guy in my bank (tell them than you want to buy a house withing the next 3 months and you have the appointment within a few days) and he explained me everything. You can start from there because they differ slightly from canton to canton.

10
So what did he tell you? It would be nice if you shared with us. That's what the forum is for.

11
EU citizens do not have any restrictions in buying property - they have the same rights as Swiss.

12
OK so to recap....

1) being a EU citizen, with B permit I can buy a property and keep it also after my 5 y. visa expires?

2) the Bank (or the one who lends me the money) decide if i can rent it out or not...

3) can i rent it out only for 1 year or short lettings?

13
The above assumes it is a single dwelling. If it is a house split into flats, and you bought the whole house, then if you occupy one flat, it may be OK, if the fraction you live in is bigger* than the fraction of the purchase price coming from the pension.

*I don't know how bigger is interpreted. Floor area? rentable value? Not sure.

Assuming it is a single apartment:

You may even be able to rent out 3 rooms of a 4 bedroom apartment, if 10% came from your pension. I am less sure about this point, but reasonably sure of the first above.

As far as short lettings go, I have rented an apartment by the month, when I first arrived. More expensive, more convenient, no deposit required by me. It seems that the firm that does this only takes apartments in certain areas, rents them off the owners, and manages the short terms lets, having direct contacts with cleaning firms, etc for their portfolio.