As for documents, it can vary. I only showed a passport upon arrival and rented an apartment without having to show anything else.
Some agencies/landlords may require a permit, others a document that shows the permit has been applied for or is secure, others may want to see a job contract.
Sometimes a Swiss certificate of solvency is asked for, but if you are not already resident, I don't think it is possible to be issued with one.
6 weeks........your too optimistic !
The sea passage alone takes about 55 days on a direct sailing, plus the time for stuffing the container, transport to container temrinal plus stack dates, count 2 weeks minimum for all this, so already 70 days ALL GOING WELL....which it never does.
Your container arrives in Antwerp or wherever, 1 week for customs clearance and formalities, tranport to Switzerland by the container handler, another 2 weeks in reality.
Total is more like 85.90 days which is 3 months/12 weeks if you prefer
@natp: there are towns in the Zürcher Oberland closer to Zürich than Winterthur with lower rents and nicer views. Look around two lakes: the Pfäffikonsee and the Greinfensee.
Kathryn, I could assemble a list of links of regional rental agencies for you covering the Worb/Muri/Kehrsatz/Münsingen/Belp etc. area.
Since your hubby is German it wouldn't be a problem writing/phoning to one of those agencies to make further enquiries in regards to renting a flat.
What would you want in regards to rooms/comfort/balcony/garden,bathrooms, elevator etc etc?
Do you prefer to rent a detached or semi or would you like to start in a flat, assimilate yourselves with the country and region and then search for a house yourself??
Also, it could be that you see a place and you get accepted, but then they send you the contract by mail and you have to sign it and send it back, the point being that you might not get the keys before the end of your week.
Be prepared to spend some extra money for two or more weeks in a temporary accomodation. Maybe everything works well, but 5 working days is a short time, don't be unprepared.
.....15 days ?
You visit, accept contract gets posted, you sign and return, takes 4-5 days max.
Etats de lieu, providing th eguarantee is in place and rental paid, you get the keys.
Takes 10 minutes for a guarantee to set up with the bank
We did what you are planning, also with two dogs. Only difference was that my trip was 3 days, not a week. Our goal, like yours, was to secure a place in that time so that we could move in directly when the dogs and I arrived.
We used a relocation agent. This was provided by the company, but if your husband's relo package does not include this service you can still hire an agent yourself.
I spoke with the agent prior to my trip to define our needs. The agent's job was then to set up appointments for the days I planned to be in town.
As we were looking for a house with garden, not a flat, our choice was quite limited - in fact there were only three properties available in the entire canton. But hey, that made the choice easier.
So day one: I saw three places, picked one, agent got the landlord's approval and took care of the paperwork. Done and dusted and back on a plane to Chicago.
Now it helped that I wasn't too picky. My priority was a garden for the dogs. Location, as long as my husband's commute wasn't too terrible, wasn't a priority, nor was the condition of house itself. After all we were only going to be there a year, max two. (Twenty-plus years on...)
The place I chose was rather run down - which actually ended up being a plus, as there was less worry about damage caused by the mutts. Turned out I got lucky, as the location was fantastic, neighbors very nice. We ended up staying there five years.
(In hindsight, had I stayed rather than moving to where we are now most of my posts on the forum might have been written from a very different perspective... )
That I came with a 'we are only passing through' mindset helped in the intial house hunting. Had I come expecting to stay and thus looking for the perfect place I would likely have had a difficult time. The house or flat you choose now can be short term; you can look for the dream place later, when you have learned more about what you really need/want in your new life here.
If you have limited time for house hunting, perhaps consider an agent. While ours fell short in some other areas, certainly having someone do the advance and follow-up work for you can be well worth the price so that the short time you have here is used efficiently.
That largely depends on the agency/landlord and how they do things!
Some agencies may really be that uncomplicated and quick.
The majority though, want additional info such as the 'Betreibungsauszug', to organise that paper also takes time, then some are indeed asking the previous landlord/agency for references.... gathering all that also takes time.
Furthermore, some agencies hand out a pink paying slip to a specific 'locked' account, for you to pay in the deposit. Even if you do it at the respective bank directly, it may take time to process.
And then there are those aqgencies who wait if there are more applicants, in case they don't like you that much or think you don't fit in well with the other tenants etc etc....the reasons for delays are manifold.
Got quite an insight for 15 years in my landladying/janitoring days.....
I will definitely consider an agent, but I don't know any. Do you have any recommendations? We are mainly looking for flats on homegate and flatfox.
I would suggest simply contacting several agencies (search 'relocation agent Zürich'. A search in English is fine, assuming you need an English speaking agent, as agencies catering to the expat population will likely have their websites in English. If your German is not up to snuff, an agency that only works in German won't be of use to you.) I did that search and several agencies pop up. If you are hiring privately, look for someone who lists private (as opposed to corporate) relocation assistance as one of their offerings.
Be aware that agencies who highlight 'executive' relocation assistance might be on the pricier end.
If your company has not yet offered relocation assistance, is there still room for negotiation to include this? If so, ask. Often large companies have preferred agencies. Be aware, though, that in such a situation the agent works primarily for the entity who signs the check. Your company's interests might not exactly align with yours... If possible, negotiate an amount to pay for an agent, and then hire the agent yourself.
You might also start a thread asking for relo agent recommendations in the title, so that more people will see and hopefully respond. While the days of relocation package perks as a standard are behind us, there are still some people who might have more recent experience than mine.
If you choose to use an agent, do be very clear about your priorities. Separate the 'must' from the 'would be nice'. The more focused you can be the less work for the agent - which might result in a savings to you.
Speaking of which do make sure you fully understand costs involved. There are different pricing models, from multiples of the rent to hourly fees to flat fees. Get every discussion in writing and ask for an official quote for the project.
All the best with your move.
When they moved across to Basel they were in the building for 3 months on their own whilst the other flats were still being completed.
So it is possible , to rent a flat without having a inspection date, but usually this counts mostly for newly built flats.
For the first flat i rented in zurich, i applied from my home country and got the contract.
In most cases, the landlord will prefer somebody, who watched the flat and applied for it.
I am gathering the documents we'll take with us for the applications next week, and to add a personal touch I wrote a "letter of interest" for the landlord. It says the reason we are moving to Zurich, our expat life in 4 other different countries, and how quiet and friendly we are. All in a very professional tone, of course, and written in German - although I don't speak it, and the letter even makes it clear (it says that it was translated by a German friend of ours).
Do you think it's too much? Is that something Swiss landlords will appreciate?
Thank you!
I've had 2 lots of 3 tenants in the house I rent out in the UK, which is my former home of 18yrs. The first tenants had 2 English Mastiffs and a Yorkshire Terrier. The current tenants have a French Bulldog. I've only had sight of the dogs because photos were attached to the standard (and extremely cheap) pet damage insurance policy that each tenant took out.
You may only meet an agent acting for the landlord and not the landlord themself, so a useful exercise for you might be to think like a landlord for a moment. Several of my family and friends are landlords, and their reasons for doing this are varied: to put their kids through university, to build up a pension plot, to have a home they love to return to when they retire, purely as an investment, because they're a workaholic joiner who loves the refurbishment process, to have something to occupy themself with whilst they're to ill to work full-time, etc... Many landlords have invested a great deal of time, energy and finances into a property. They possibly had many late nights doing work on the place themself, and handpicked every last fixture and fitting.
All a landlord wants from a tenant is someone who will look after their investment. That's the bottom line. Somebody with a bit of common sense who will let them know if there's the beginning of a problem the property before it becomes a real, and expensive, issue. So when you do eventually view the place, if it's what you want, don't be a 'tyre kicker'. Compliment the choice of fixtures and fittings. Ask how appliances work.
Good luck!