How to find an apartment in Switzerland as an expat

09/11/18 • 35 min

Swiss and Chips - Your British guide to Switzerland

It's not easy to find the perfect place to live and it's even more difficult if you move to a different country. In this episode we answer the all-important questions for English speakers moving to Switzerland, who are looking for the perfect apartment. Should you rent or buy? How much will it cost? Where to find an apartment in Switzerland as an expat, and which documents will you need before you can secure a lease on a new place. After this episode you'll know where and how to start looking and be prepared for when you find the place you could start to call home, whether it's in Geneva, Zurich or Bern - or somewhere in between.

Notes on this episode of Your British Guide to Switzerland: How to find an apartment as an expat

This is where it all began for this episode: in our Facebook group, Kate from Moscow asked: "How to find an apartment to rent in Switzerland?"

General things to know about finding a place to live in Switzerland, should you rent or buy, is it difficult to find a place, what possibilities you have as an expat when you move to Switzerland and what are the prices you can expect?

How do you find the perfect area to move to?

A flat-share is called a WG in German, short for Wohngemeinschaft
For a bit of fun and to get the feel of a place, check out this hipster map

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Notes on this episode of Your British Guide to Switzerland: How to find an apartment as an expat

This is where it all began for this episode: in our Facebook group, Kate from Moscow asked: "How to find an apartment to rent in Switzerland?"

How do you find the perfect area to move to?

A flat-share is called a WG in German, short for Wohngemeinschaft
For a bit of fun and to get the feel of a place, check out this hipster map

Previous Episode

Going to school in Switzerland: for kids and adults

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Children in Switzerland walk to school alone. They go home at lunch time and there is no security at the school. A typical Swiss school day also contains some surprises compared to other countries and can be quite a revelation for expats new to Switzerland. In this episode, you'll get two different perspectives: what surprises expats in Switzerland about the schools and what a typical Swiss school day looks like (from someone who's actually been to one)! Plus, we discuss German language exams, and take a trip to a traditional Swiss sports festival.

Notes on this episode of Swiss and Chips: Your British Guide to Switzerland

The school run - Swiss style - and other surprising aspects of Swiss school routines
The expat and Swiss perspective
Reasons behind these differences
Extra: A visit to the Eidgenössisches Hornussenfest (Federal Hornussen Festival) 2018

Next Episode

What to do on a Sunday in Switzerland?

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"All" shops are closed on a Sunday in Switzerland! Well, maybe not all, but many at least. Luckily Switzerland offers many other exciting things for expats and tourists to do on a Sunday. We recorded this episode on the top of the Gurten, a 'must see' in Bern - on a Sunday. Tune in and get some inspiration and ideas about what you can do, and what the Swiss do, on a Sunday.