So, we plan to go back to Switzerland (currently in London) and we need to find an apartment to rent in Lausanne. We know how difficult it can be, especially not being physically there to do the visits and possibly to bring the dossier to the agency (although I guess it is now all digital, but anyways). We are considering hiring an agent to help us with the search. I have found some online and wrote to them, trying to get a price estimate and services offered. But I also wanted to know if any of you know of an agent that could help us with this. Especially, if you have used it in the past and worked fine for you.
Or maybe also, any other experiences of how to find a flat while being abroad. In the past, I went as a student to a student house and from there moved to rental apartments, but I'm not a student anymore , and now we have a child.
God, no. The agents we had so far were an absolute waste of time... it's expensive, but you probably need to rent a furnished apartment for 1-3 months and hunt while you are here.
From hard experience (and legal insurance assistance) I can strongly recommend that you avoid dealing with an agency with the initials N and B (not neccesarily in that order).
We had no end of problems when I rented an apartment with them for my son.
I had good experiences with ums.ch - rented twice through them. Although renting a place without seeing it in person is a big no-no in my book. Also, in many cases - certainly in my experience in Switzerland so far - personal sympathy trumps any kind of "dossier" you might be able to present. Another reason for in-person visits...