Moving to Basel: housing questions

Accomodation, House and Garden
1
Hey all,

I'm quite new to this forum. I have been checking it out lately, there's some very useful information around, but I have some specific questions to which I have not been able to find an answer.

First, I'll provide some background information. I have been recently accepted to a Masters Program at ETH Zürich, which happens to have its campus in Basel (oh, the irony). Although the program starts in September, I have started to look around for housing, since I have been told that it's not easy to find accommodation there. Does it make sense to start looking so early (i.e. 6 months in advance)? Perhaps since it's so early nobody will want to commit, right?

Another important piece of information is that I want to live with my girlfriend. Hence, in some way that might pretty much exclude WGs, right? In Spain this concept (WG) is not so extended, so for me it's a bit hard to say whether other people would be comfortable living with a couple.

From what I have been told, it is not an easy process to rent. For instance, I spoke with a guy who told me that he had to write an application for an apartment. Is that common? I mean, the apartment I'm currently living in, which is in Barcelona, was quite easy to get: one day I was checking it out, the next week I was signing the contract. So, question: is it difficult to actually get someone to rent you a place?

Very close to the previous question: Is it necessary to be in Switzerland in order to rent, or is there some way to get around that? I'm sure that other people must be facing the same issue. In case there is no way to get around it, would you recommend to get temporary housing (e.g. hotel/hostel) and then look for housing? Again, this would make me go back to the previous point, if it's not easy to rent in Basel, then it would be a bad idea to wait until I'm physically there, right?

Much in mind, I know. Thanks for bearing with me so far.

I have also been contemplating the possibility of living in Germany and commuting everyday to ETH's campus, which is in Mattenstrasse 26. For example, I've seen a couple of apartments available at Weil am Rhein which look alright. The price is not so much of an issue, as I am getting a scholarship for my studies, but I'm still a student. So, would there be any problem with living in Germany while studying in Switzerland (especially regarding crossing the border)?

I think this is all for now. Some other questions might come to mind later on, but this is definitely the most important issues that I would like to figure out.

Many thanks from a Spaniard seeking Swiss knowledge :)

A hug from Barcelona,

- L

2

Have you checked with the uni on what info they might have on accommodation? I think most will have contacts/notice boards where you can find places for rent. Yes, you may be a bit early in your hunting, but I’m not really up on the student side of things. You could also have a look down in the Property Offered section of the EF forum to see if there’s anything suitable.

What nationality is your girlfriend? EU or not basically. If EU it shouldn’t be a problem for her to come here and find a job, if non-EU it’s a different matter entirely.

It depends on how popular an area is and its location. Yes, you will probably have to write an application as sometimes there’s great competition for places. You can easily have 30-40 people chasing a place. Might not be quite as competitive for students, but again it will depend on location, rent, etc. It may be best to come over in the summer and see if you can find something in person, if it is competitive in Basel then it’s almost certain you won’t a chance with a remote application. You need to be on the spot to make your case for why you’re the best choice as tenant. Bear in mind that most rental contracts are geared around the “official” cantonal moving dates: 31st March, 30th June and 30th September, but they’re not always all 3 so check which apply for Basel. Here in Fribourg canton for example the March and September dates are our official ones, but not the June.

You can’t live in Germany and study in Switzerland. Your Swiss permit means you need to live and study here. The permit grants you residence in Switzerland and without it you can’t study here. If you don’t live here, you don’t have a permit so you can’t study in Basel.

3
It's been a while since I was in your shoes, but for what it's worth:

-6 months is not too early to start looking. Even if you don't find anything now you'll get a feel for what's available, which will put you in a position to decide quickly once you do find something suitable.

-It's not excluded that a WG will welcome you as a couple. Ask.

-The housing market is totally dry in Basel: only 0.2% of apartments are on the market. http://www.statistik-bs.ch/thema/umwelt/leerstand . So no, not easy.

-Yes you'll need to submit an application for every apartment you're interested in. Be prepared to apply for many apartments before being offered one -- see above. The application is typically a one-page form asking for your name and address and your job, and whether you have pets or if you play noisy musical instruments. They'll often ask for a "Betreibungsregisterauszug" which serves the same purpose as a credit check in the US. This process is more formal with large real estate companies like Livit or Gribi, and less so with individual homeowners. One advantage of joining a preexisting WG is that you can avoid some of this.

-This is a fantastic resource: https://markt.unibas.ch/nc/inserate/...ohnen-angebot/

4
Hey guys, thanks for replying.

She's Norwegian, so I think there shouldn't be a problem for her to find a job, right? They're not in the EU, but they do belong to the Schengen area and have other EU "commodities"

That's f^cked up. At least it's good to know, but not at all encouraging.

Are you 100% sure about that? I mean, it wouldn't make much sense that if someone is from, say Weil am Rhein, that s/he should move to Basel just for studies. I'll still ask someone at ETH about it, but it definitely seems strange that they would want to control that.

Very useful info! The link is also pretty cool, I hadn't stumbled upon that WG page. I'll definitely look into it!

Cheers guys! Thanks so much for the quick replies. I might post again in case new questions come up :)

5
Here's a link to the info about G permits (cross-border permits) on the official Swiss website. There's no mention of studies but rather employment:

https://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home...g_eu_efta.html

See also here in the FAQs under cross border commuters:

https://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home...hweiz/faq.html

6
Not easy to find an apartment in Basel. It took 7 months for my gf, while she was actually here (something like 20 applications). So no, it's not too early to start 6 months before arrival. Perhaps your university can help you with it?

7

Wasn’t sure if a G permit would even be possible for a student.

8
Possibly it will be easier to find accomodation in St.Louis or Moulhouse and commute to Bale.

First in the line are people with swiss passport, the permit C, permit B, Permit L.

It all depends on your contract (unlimited is better) as employee.

9

Um, he’s coming here to study.

10
Yes , i know, but the system works this way.......

So , as a student it will not be easy to get a flat.

11
Oh, wow... That's amazing (in a discouraging way). I wouldn't be able to go to Basel until mid-August, with my MSc starting mid-September. I'll look into whether the university can help.

So, I was in Basel two years ago after hiking the Black Forest, starting in Pforzheim. I remember I didn't even realize when I crossed the border from Germany to Switzerland (only that I started seeing Swiss flags on houses). That's why thought that, if you're walking/hiking when you're crossing the border, then there's no actual control. And that would be my plan: cycling from Weil am Rhein to Basel.

Ach...yeah, if that's the order they follow, then as a student (and I'm not even sure which kind of permit I'll be getting) I don't think I'd stand a chance. I'm adding St.Louis and Mulhouse to my list.

Again, thank you guys!

12
Mulhouse is far away. St.louis is having a regeneration but away from the main road it still has some seriously crap areas.

13

As a student you’d get a B permit which puts you second on the list. Of course there will be other factors the landlord/agency will consider.

The point is that very few people are lucky enough to set up their permanent accommodation beforehand they arrive, especially if they’re looking in/near the big city centres.

Yes, you may be able to cross the border (depending on your route there will be checkpoints), but the uni is probably going to want to see your Swiss permit and to get that you need to register as living in Switzerland and to do that you need an address/rental contract for a property here.

Best thing to do is enquire at the Basel-Stadt migration office to see if the G (cross border) permit is available to students or not. Then you can decide where to go from there. If it is, then you could look at living in Germany or France, if not then you have to live in Switzerland.

Justiz- und Sicherheitsdepartement
Bevölkerungsdienste und Migration
Spiegelgasse 6
Postfach
4001 Basel
Tel.: 061 267 70 70
Fax: 061 267 70 80
Internet

14
Just to mention there are areas near Basel (blink and you miss the dividing line) in Baselland that you can also consider - Birsfelden for example. Some towns further out are nonetheless well served by the public transport infrastructure. E.g. Pratteln.

15
That's a good plan health-wise, but you would still need a permit in order to study in Switzerland. As best I can tell, the only permit available to students is a B-permit that requires them to live here. You'd also need a permit/registration card to live in Germany , btw.

I'm not a lawyer or a permit expert, of course. Your best bet is to contact the authorities in Basel and find out what your options are for living across the border.

The last thing you want to do is delay your studies or miss out on them completely because you didn't follow the permit rules of one country, or both.

16

Yes, it’s quite clear in the info ETH Zurich provides for international students.

“You must in any case have a residence permit to study in Switzerland.”

https://www.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/main/education/internationales/pdf-en/guidelines-master-en.pdf

Check about the G permit and its possibility for you, otherwise Switzerland is where you must live to be able to study at ETHZ.