Thanks for all the great tips so far as I approach my move to Switzerland.
As a reminder, I am an EU national.
My new contract should start on the 1st of November, therefore I want to be there by the end of October.
I've read the difficulties in searching for a property to rent so I am starting to manage my expectation.
I will need a 2.5-3.5 flat in the Canton with a good connection to Zurich, and I want to make sure I make the right choice as I'd prefer not to move again and settle down for a couple of years (things always change, but that's life).
What is the best way to rent temporarily while I can look for a long-term property?
Since I arrive just before November and will fly back to Italy for the Christmas holidays to then return at the beginning of January, my plan was to:
- Rent a furnished flat from 20th October to 20th December;
- Rent a furnished flat from 15th January to 15th March;
This should give me enough time to start all the required paperwork and commence my house hunting, and many have advised me to wait until March where the leases expire.
Also I wouldn't need to buy furniture until I find a flat to settle down.
I might spend a bit more in rent, but save me some headaches when it comes to moving as I will have really few things.
What are the best platform to find such properties?
I know there is AirBnB but would that count as a valid address to obtain my B-Permit + open Bank Account?
You will need a plan for an address that covers the time you are away. Personally I would just rent through that period as changing address is not a small hassle etc
When I first moved to Zurich, we stayed in a City Stay apartment for a few weeks until we completed on our first apartment. I also booked an apartment at the Kieselgasse building for a friend when she was visiting in Dec 2019, as our place at the time, was too small to accommodate guests (she had studio apartment no.3 which has a huge terrace and loved it).
I had a furnished flat from Nest -- www.mynest.ch -- that worked out quite well for me. They were a bit pricey, but super convenient. I was able to rent essentially open-ended with 30 days notice, so that when I found a permanent place there was limited overlap between the time when I left the temporary and started paying for the permanent.
For the gap period, I would probably just keep the flat and not have two distinct temporary rentals - but it is definitely the more expensive choice.
If you really don't mind having two different temporary places then you could probably forward your mail from your first flat to your address in Italy and then when you come back in January change your registration and mail forwarding to the new address.
www.wgzimmer.ch , to which Medea linked, above, is a very good idea if you are single, or a childless couple, and could rent a room in a shared flat. That, too, can often be had as a temporary sublet.
There seem to be quite a lot under "temporary rooms" in Zurich City:
If you can use a short stay furnished apartment for the first 4-6 weeks, that would give you time to line up a 'befristet' (limited let) apartment for the next length of stay, and give you breathing space to buy furniture with a delivery date for your move. I bought all the household stuff whilst in the City Stay apartment and lined up the delivery of the bed and sofa for our move date.
There are currently 30 'befristet' 2.5 room + apartments available in Zurich beginning at 1,160 CHF per month.
So what you are suggesting is 1) start with City Stay for the first month, then 2) use a short term / limited let until March 3) find your long term property.
I was able to register with no issue using a furnished flat. Once I moved to my permanent place, I was able to switch my registration to my new address online. (both the temp and the permanent place were within the City of Zurich -- not sure if you could re-register online if it is not an intra-city move).