Renting in Switzerland with Swiss Together

A Country of Renters

In Switzerland the majority of its residents rent their homes. Roughly six out of ten people across all income levels live in rented accommodation. Because land is limited and construction quality is consistently high, housing costs are among the highest in Europe. Prices vary a great deal: properties in large cities and low-tax areas tend to be significantly more expensive than those in smaller towns or rural regions.

Who Does What in the Market

Rental properties are usually overseen by professional management agencies. These agencies act for landlords and handle tasks such as advertising vacancies, choosing tenants, drawing up contracts, supervising maintenance, and managing utility charges. Some private owners—especially those with single-family homes—prefer to take care of these duties themselves.

Where Swiss Together comes in is on the tenant’s side. Unlike rental agencies, which protect the landlord’s interests, Swiss Together is dedicated entirely to supporting tenants. We help individuals and families understand the market, prepare complete applications, and secure the right property. In Switzerland the costs for the rental agency are already fully paid by the owners and the rental market is well organized and the different agencies have no conflicts of interest.

How the Application Works

Because demand is strong, landlords often receive several applications for one property. To be considered, tenants usually need to provide a full application form, which includes the following:

• Name, birth of date, address and contact details of the candidate
• For married couples: both must provide information because both will be lease holder
• Names and birth dates of accompanying children
• Nationality and work permit type
• Name and address of employer
• Reason for the application
• Salary (or at least an indication that the salary is above a certain amount)
• Contact details of a reference person – this can be the HR person in Switzerland or a superior, who preferably speaks the local language and knows the candidate’s salary.

In addition to the completed form, the following documents are generally requested (a scan is sufficient):

• Scan of candidates’ passports
• Scan of work/residency permit and/or confirmation of employment and/or copy of work contract (whatever is available)
• For candidates who have residence in Switzerland: scan of a recent statement from the debt authorities(Betreibungsamt / office des poursuites) to proof that the candidate has no disputes regarding unpaidinvoices
• For candidates with residence in Germany: scan of the Schufa Auskunft

Most landlords only consider candidates about whom all above information and documents have been provided. Failure to do so often leads to a refusal.

Common selection factors include:

• Income (rent is not expected to exceed about 30% of gross salary)
• Likelihood of staying several years
• Compatibility with the existing tenant community

Once accepted, the tenant must return the signed lease promptly, usually within five working days. Delays may result in the property being offered to someone else.

Finding a home in Switzerland’s two largest cities can be especially demanding. In Zurich, smaller apartments are in high demand, and available properties are often taken immediately after viewings. Decisions must be quick, and competition is fierce.

Rental prices up to around CHF 4,000 per month are generally fixed. For higher-end properties, there may be some room for negotiation. Swiss Together advises tenants on when and how to negotiate and can conduct these discussions on their behalf.