To find an apartment in Zurich you need to act fast, decisively, and be prepared. You need to act quickly to find an apartment, to get a viewing appointment, and to submit your application. The deciding factor for the landlord in this process is your application profile.

Read on to find out exactly what you need to include in your application to have the best chances of getting the apartment that you want in Zurich.

I used the strategy below and received a positive first response on all three apartments that I applied to in Zurich.

Step 1: Where to search for apartments in Zurich

The typical websites to find housing in Zurich are Homegate, ImmoScout, Newhome, Flatfox, and Comparis.

Of these four, Homegate and Flatfox were my favourites. Both are popular with a large number of listings and they allow alerts to be set whenever an apartment fitting your criteria is listed.

For students and people searching only for a room and not a full apartment, wgzimmer.ch is a great option.

Facebook is also a useful platform to search for both rooms and apartments. Especially for situations where the previous tenant is moving out before the contractual period.

My favourite platform, however, was the Immomail email that I received directly to my inbox every workday at 5.30 pm. Although it has a one-off fee of 50 CHF, this newsletter has true gems that are normally found only through personal contacts.

The apartments listed are exclusive to Immomail for a set period of time and often will not make it to the official housing market at all. Thus, this email can give you a valuable advantage in the competitive Zurich market.

If you are looking for an old town apartment or a loft with city views, I can recommend paying the 50 CHF fee.

Step 2: Make an appointment to view the apartment

Once you have found the fitting apartment, you need to make an appointment to view it.

It is highly unusual to get an apartment in Switzerland without viewing it beforehand and most landlords do not consider such applicants. If you are unable to view an apartment for any reason, be incredibly wary of a potential scam.

As soon as you see an apartment that fits your needs, call the number on the listing or email and politely request an appointment.

If you are lucky you may be invited to a personal viewing. However, in overheated market of Zurich, it is often the case that there will be a general viewing day for everyone who has expressed an interest.

In some cases the lines for viewings can stretch around the block. This is especially the case with family sized apartments.

The viewing is crucial for both you to decide if you would like to live there and for the landlord to get to know you.

Viewing appointments are also incredibly important in order to receive the application form that you will need to apply.

Generally, you will only receive the application form at the viewing.

Make sure you leave a positive first impression. If you are interested in the apartment, make your interest to the landlord clear and let them know how delighted you are by the apartment.

Step 3: Apply for the apartment

Once you have viewed the apartment and received the application form, I advise you to submit your application on the same day or at the latest, by the following morning.

In Switzerland, renters have a lot of rights and it is generally quite difficult for a landlord to get rid of a troublesome tenant. This, as well as the competitive Zurich market, means that landlords place high importance on the application documents.

The application helps the landlord know whether you have any debts, whether you can afford to pay the rent, and what kind of tenant you will be.

Technically the landlord can only ask you for the application form (and only those questions which are legally allowed) and the excerpt from the municipal debt collection register.

In practice, however, you will significantly improve your chances if you also include a motivation letter, proof of your income and/or employment, references, as well as a photo and CV.

Application Form

The application form is usually a one page document, at maximum two pages, which you need to fill out and submit to the landlord.

On the form are questions pertaining to your contact details, age, name, address, date of birth, etc. as well as questions on your profession, your income, and your legal status in Switzerland.

Not allowed are questions concerning membership to rental associations, chronic illness, as well as precise financial information such as questions on any leasing contracts or repayments you may have.

Other questions such as your confession, marital status, work hours, the reason for moving, previous rent, and references are allowed to be asked in some cases, but in general you do not have to answer them.

Of course, in practice, it is best to answer all questions in the form completely to maximise your chances of getting the apartment.

With the exception of the questions are that are not allowed, you must answer honestly, or risk dealing with the legal consequences later.

Excerpt from the Debt Register

All rental applications will require you to submit a “Betriebungsregisterauszug”. This is an excerpt from the debt register that you can order from your local municipality.

Make sure you order this in advance so that you already have it ready when applying for apartments.

The document costs approximately 20 CHF and can be ordered in person at the responsible municipal office or sometimes also online.

Most require that the excerpt is not older than 3 months. It should show that you do not have any debts, or if you do, you need to declare them in your application and provide a reason.

Motivation Letter

Yes, I know it may sound absurd to write an application letter for an apartment but believe me when I tell you it can make all the difference.

Your motivation letter should be one page where you present yourself, why you want the apartment and why you are a good fit for it.

Good things to mention are why you like the apartment, what you do and where you work, and tell the landlord a little bit about yourself.

Include a photo of yourself to show the landlord who you are and make a lasting impression.

Please do make the effort to write in German and pay attention to proper spelling and grammar.

Proof of Income and Employment

The rule of thumb that you need to know when applying to an apartment in Zurich is that your apartment should not cost more than one third of your gross salary.

Your application will not be considered if you ignore this rule.

This rule is essential, as if you exceed it, your rent would represent a too high portion of your income and thus affect your ability to pay the rent.

In fact, I recommend staying below one-third of your net salary to ensure you will also be able to cover the other costs of renting an apartment such as the electricity, parking, and television licence.

On the application form, only your salary range may be requested. However, landlords do want to know whether you are securely employed and earn enough to cover the rent.

Therefore, it is advantageous to include your employment contract, yearly salary certificate, or your wage statement from the last three months.

References

You do not have to include references on your application, however, many application forms do ask for at least two references and will call them.

The landlord is only permitted to call references which you have listed.

It is standard to list your previous landlord and your current employer as referees.

In my experience they were most interested in speaking with my employer.

To make things easier and to avoid annoying your boss with unnecessary phone calls, you can ask your boss for a general letter of recommendation or list the HR department as the point of contact.

Make sure you let your referees know you have listed them on the application and ask them to be attentive and respond quickly to any phone calls.

Identification Document and Residency Status

Do include documents that prove your legal residency in Switzerland.

For Swiss this is either a copy of your Swiss ID or your passport.

For foreigners, you must provide a copy of your residency permit, either C, G, L, B, or other, which proves that you are legally in Switzerland. Not required is a copy of your national passport.

Step 4: Sign the contract

Once you have successfully submitted your full application you can expect to hear from the landlord or agency within 1 – 3 weeks.

It is wise to follow up on your application within a week if you have not heard anything.

If the landlord likes your application they will call you with a verbal offer.

Although legally verbal contracts are binding in Switzerland, in practice they are hard to prove and not binding if the conclusion of a written contract is mentioned.

Upon verbally accepting the offer, you should receive the contract in the mail for you to sign.

Make sure to carefully read the contract for any unexpected clauses. Pay particular attention to the cancellation period, the costs, and any other clauses or rules for the apartment.

Step 5: The Apartment Handover

Once the contract has been signed, you will agree on a handover date for the apartment.

Normally, this is the first of the month. However, in some cases, it is possible to receive the keys earlier.

During the handover you will receive the keys to the apartment but, also crucially, you will have the opportunity to list all damages to the apartment that you can see.

Any visible damages that are not listed in this form could become your problem later and you will have to pay for them!

Be careful here if you are taking an apartment over from the former tenant. Make sure you are not responsible for any changes they have made to the apartment such as a new apartment or curtain rod that they put in and which you afterwards might have to pay for.

You can also report any damages up to 10 days after moving in, by listing them in a letter and posting it your landlord by registered post.