Looking for a family flat in Zurich or nearby

Accomodation, House and Garden
1

Let me try here. I know all the websites (comparis, flatfox, immoscout, homegate, etc etc) including the ones with membership, but every time I managed to get an apartment here in Switzerland it was out of luck or word of mouth, so please if any of you knows anything that has not landed on the ads yet, let me know :slight_smile:

Our family of 4 is looking for a new home.

  • min 4,5 rooms, 100 sqm, no underground living area
  • private washing machine
  • indoor parking spot
  • max 3600 CHF/month incl. parking
    Location also outside Zurich works, as long as it’s not Zurich NE (around the Affoltern-Bassersdorf-Dübendorf triangle) and not close to the airport. Ideal would be Leimbach/Adliswil, but can go as South as Thalwil/Küsnacht and as West as Dietikon. We are also considering kanton Zug (and ready to increase the budget in that case), but we need to find somewhere nearby primary schools.

We are also considering Baugenossenchafts but it seems easier to be accepted in the Freemasonry than in one of the few ones who have availability now.

We are also available to swap with our current 3.5-rooms ~2900 CHF/month very central in 8003.

Again, not asking for any random option (I keep scouting the websites), only if you know of someone who’s moving out or renting and has not posted an ad yet, because the moment the thing goes on a listing the competition becomes fierce :slight_smile:

Please no comment on the budget. Thanks!

2

Give this valley a try.

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I’m sorry but you may not have realised that this is a discussion forum.

If you want private, tailored requests for specific rental possibilities then I suggest then I suggest you employ a private agent.

Good luck with your hunt.

4

People often come here and ask a relatively simple question like “What time is it?” And we feel compelled to teach them how to build a clock, how to wind it, and how often. How to keep the fouines away and if brown sugar can be sourced nearby.

To the OP, you are right, many properties move by word-of-mouth. I laud your courage coming to this dragon’s den and asking the question although this type of knowledge is power, not really something to be shared with someone on the internet.

I do wish you good luck and apologise I cannot help as I’m on the other side of the country and am not aware of anything.

But if anyone is looking to buy a 4 bedroom house ( almost) on the lake in Perroy for 2.6 million send me a PM. I know someone anxious to sell.

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We didn’t consider this area before. Do you know first-hand how life is there? (especially for a family of expats who’s not really proficient in Schwizerdütsch)

I specified “no comment on the budget” because otherwise, since I know this forum very well, I expect half of the replies to be snarky “Hah! You won’t find a cellar for that price”, and the other half to be “Wow, with your deep pockets and such a budget why don’t you hire a VIP flat hunter?”. You know I’m right.

I offer a batch of very good dried Italian sausages in exchange? :man_shrugging:

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It’s a nice area. No idea who can speak English though. Hear it often cause a fair share of Expats live in the vicinity. Most Swiss, at least in Zurich, know the language. Otherwise they all know High German. Assume it has something to do with survival?

7

Hello,

Sorry, I don’t know anyone moving in Zürich right now. A colleague moved last year from Adliswil to Freienbach last year. So, it’s not uncommon to open the search area.

But my previous job office was in Baden/Wettingen. You mentioned Dietikon which is not so nice. Wettingen is 2 train stops more and it’s a nice little city, people is open-minded, it doesn’t feel like Aargau.

8

Along the Limattal there are lots of decent places and rents are somewhat reasonable I think.
Moved to Oberengstringen 3.5 years ago and we’re quite happy.

Good luck with your search, it ain’t easy!

9

Sorry to say, but it’s not about the “word of mouth”, you’re asking for 5 years old pricing, that’s impossible! Shed 5k at least out of your pocket or start looking at the outskirts with good commute time, like Aargau (Aarau, Brugg, Baden), Zurich (Ruti, Wald), Thurgau (Frauenfeld, Weinfelden), Glarus, Schaffhausen

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Leimbach is very closed in. Little sun in the afternoon.Its a narrow valley.

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User “Zaffer” recently moved there.
@Zaffer how are you doing?

I live nearby. But not renting. And I am from Germany.

It’s close enough to Zug that you can probably get by with English only.

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Sorry to resurrect this, at the end we paused our search for the holidays, will resume in 2026.

All major housing websites (Comparis, Flatfox, Homegate, Immoscout, etc) say that you are wrong. There are plenty of flats that fulfill my criteria, just not as many as the demand is. We even got a couple of offers, which we eventually turned down just because connections with schools were suboptimal. I’m not saying this to be pedantic, but just because I recently had the following experience, which made me think.

Friend of us contacts me, saying that their neighbours (living super central in 8003, literally 100m from us) are moving out of their 4.5 rooms. Doesn’t know more details, but it’s so close it doesn’t make sense not to drop by, so we arrange an appointment.

The neighbours are a young couple of expats, well-educated and good jobs, moved in a couple of years ago, no kids, they are leaving Switzerland for good and going back to their home country. The 4.5 apartment in question:

  • built in 1953
  • 83 sqm, smaller than our 3.5, claustrophobically small bedrooms
  • only one washing machine in the basement shared with 8 families
  • cellar is a damp 1.5x2 meters
  • no possibility of parking
  • at least 5mm gaps between the planks of the parquet, our socks were continuosly getting stuck.

The price: 4,500 CHF/month (incl. additional costs).

The poor lads have been scammed.

The thing is, there is a sizeable amount of flats in Zurich that go for prices way above market rate (meaning: no Swiss would pay that) and are specifically targeted at expats who either 1) don’t know yet very well how the market is, or 2) are really in a rush to find a home and running out of options, or 3) are here with no plans of staying, searching only for a temporary accommodation, and somehow uncomfortable to the idea of going for a serviced temporary apartment like CityPop.

So, I guess what I’m saying is: don’t fall for the trap of thinking there is no alternative. Sure, there are crazy prices like these, they are part of the market after all, and they might be your only option for whatever reasons. But don’t think these are “normal” prices, these are apartments where you literally pay the premium for getting a place instantly and without dealing with the crowd.

If we get lazy and don’t fight back at least a little bit before giving in, prices will just keep going up.

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These were just delivered, I’ve seen people moving in last week. It seems the two penthouses are still available and withing your range:
Erstvermietung ZĂĽrcherstrasse 42-44, 8903 Birmensdorf - OMIT

Birmensdorf is a great place to live, we moved here 3 years ago with 2 kids and are very happy with the school and the people in general. There’s also a large expat community and two S-bahn lines that take you to Zurich HB in 15 minutes. We have both Migros and Coop, what else can one ask for :smile: Good luck with your search!

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Good for you then

Obviously, with such strong tenant protection people stay in the same apartment until they are forced to move out, either by life changes or by the landlord opting to refresh the whole building to charge current rent levels

crazy, I remember rents < 2k for that location, so…

15

Actually good for wine bottles :wink:

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Hi All

Yes we have been living in Affoltern Am Albis for about 5 months, for us its great, all the major shops are within walking distance, good connections to train either to Zurich or Zug.

We have not made many friends yet, but we get by on speaking english and very limited German.

Schools are great, but we can only compare to South African schools, if we were to move again, we would stay in Affoltern but only a bigger apartment - So if i can piggyback on your thread asking for word of mouth as this seems to be the best was to get an apartment, we were lucky that our landlord was easy going when we were looking for a place, as I did not even have a work permit when i arrived.

We have been monitoring the property websites, and in some cases places get advertised and taken down within 5 minutes.

Good luck with your search, if i hear of a place within your budget you will hear from me, if the place is within my budget i would like first option please :grin: