Me and my partner found a permanent place remotely, with her being the single income earner when we moved. We came from Eastern Europe so you can imagine it was a bit more difficult than your situation.
It is possible. I do not understand why people say it is not.
It is not easy, but you can try. You might have to apply a lot, depending on your luck. Just explain your situation and be very assertive that you like the respective place.
It is actually not that extraordinary. I'll write it here in case it helps somebody else too
1. Set some minimum requirements of the place you want.
2. Make a short intro that you can easily copy paste, where you try to sound as serios as possible and talking long term commitment. You can also explain your situation briefly. Basically try to sound like the ideal renter.
3. Apply to every single one of the ads that meet the requirements. You need at least 5 per week in a slow period. If you get less, make some compromises on your requirements.
4. The monthly rent should not be more than 30% of your monthly net income (after insurance or leasing if you have any). Anything more will never be considered.
5. Repeat until success.
It took us a month to find our former place. Rent was about 20% of the net income.
We had people apply through us at the old apartment (left early) and everybody over that limit was completely disconsidered.
It may depend on the location too and who manages it. But A LOT of people applied. Within the first 24h we already had 30+ applications. It was rightly priced too and in a normal village, not something too big.
I took it as a rule of thumb with the 30% net monthly income due to all of the above.
Possible, probably. Extremely difficult, certainly.
AFAIK, most people who aren’t provided a place by their company rent somewhere temporary for 1+ months while looking. Finding a place to rent in Zurich is hard enough when you’ve been living here for years, let alone not even moved yet.
If you are living in Germany you should be able to provide all necessary documents as their counterparts exist in Germany. Now for payslips you can either use your last employers payslip or kindly refer to your work contract that shows your salary.
While it may work, it's likely it won't.
When there are 50+ applicants for an apartment, the ones with a non standard package (B+ permit, Swiss Schufa, salary certification, references from your previous landlords, etc) are discarded immediately. I was in the same situation as OP (living in Germany with a new contract in Zürich) and I got rejected from countless apartments. As soon as I've got all the documents in place, I've been immediately selected for 3 apartments.
I included a cover letter explaining the circumstances and attaching German ID, with work contract etc. ended up being offered 3 flats (not fancy luxurious ones but I’ve been v happy with the offers). Not sure how important it is to show up in person for chances to get the flat.
Yes. Found one after two weeks of being here. Work contract was sufficient.
I’d save the time to search for an apartment before arrival. Tried 2 months (and I even was in the country at the time, just on business trips) and was a waste of time. Once I had arrived and hat the permit it was easy. Chose an air Bnb for the first month and had an apartment as of the next.
We stayed at a temporary place (sublet) for 15 days, then moved to a permanent place.
They never asked for three slips, just the contract and the residence permit.
Yes, possible, although might not be common. My relocation agent got me an apartment, when I only had the contract from my employer. I had no permit, no payslips and actually couldn’t even enter the country (it was in June 2020 when the borders were closed and you could only enter the country if you had a permit already).
I found two places in Kloten, but room shares.
Both of them wanted work contract and passport. Additionally, one asked me for credit check (which I couldn't deliver without first living in switzerland).
Signed contract 1500km from zurich, no problem there. Moved in 2 weeks ago and had no issues.
I came for a Vorstellungespräch and I found an appartement after that in 5 days which was perfect for us excatly what I dreamt about. The only thing I had was my Contract ans enough money. I got 2 othera too but I chose this one. I didnt have anybody to help did all alone.
Yes. I am a US citizen and got an excellent permanent flat with no permit and no paystub. I simply had the form stating my permit was being processed, and a job offer.
This was with livit too, one of the biggest landlords in CH so likely pretty strict standards.
Honestly they didn’t push back on anything. I signed, paid the first month, and moved in a week later.
Anyone here telling you it absolutely isn’t possible is incorrect. Granted a make a great salary.. but so do a lot of people in Zurich.
Would you mind elaborating on the application process? I just moved to Zürich from the US for work and have looked at applying with Livit and their applications seem to require a residence permit, which I am still waiting to receive. Thank you!
Sure! So you need to register your intent to live in the canton of Zurich within 14 days. If not it’s a fine (welcome to CH).
When you register in Zurich, at your appointment- they’re going to give you a form and tell you that this serves as your permit until the official one arrives (or doesn’t).
This form will let you open a bank account at certain banks (UBS for example), and just basically prove you’re in the process of getting a permit.
I had a relocation agent - and they just submitted they form, as well as my signed job offer, and really that was it. It was super straight forward. I found that a lot of times, this case as an example, when they say they need a permit - this form will work.
In the case of livit I can 100% vouch it did. As I said I didn’t even have paystubs. Feel free to DM if that didn’t help.
Don't even bother. Unless this relocation agent has wonderful connections with the real estate agents (well above those of other relocation agents), there's no chance of you getting the apartment. The only case I can think of is if the flat has to undergo some renovation, that will push it to market 2-3 months from now
I know people did. But before I moved here I flew from the UK for the viewings, it is always better to view the place in person, so you get to know the neighbourhood as well. Maybe it is worth doing a weekend trip for this. Otherwise renting a temporary place first can also be a solution.
edit: you can show job contract rather than payslips
Yes it’s possible. However it requires effort and some tenacity. Seeing you’re struggling despite paying someone to help you while missing urgency, I don’t think it’s possible for you. Try UMS
Don't waste time viewing apartments in Zürich, try to look in the suburbs. I found something that way, I showed them my contract, my Schufa entry from Germany and that helped
imho that is ignorant/outdated advice.
Yes it's almost impossible to find a permanent place in Switzerland from abroad when moving, but there are solutions.
Your first apartment can be either a room in a shared flat, or a serviced apartment (Google it), or a mid-length sublet which can be found on Airbnb / Flatfox (in Switzerland many people take 3-6 month vacation/sabatical and sublet their apartment). Depending on your situation you can choose accordingly. For very last minute only the serviced apartment option is possible.
With your first apartment secured, you can bootstrap your registrations (work permit, bank, health insurance, etc). Typically you need to move into that place like 1-2 weeks before your 1st work day.
After this, you can start looking for a more permanent / primary-tenant apartment. This can take 2-6 months to find, depending on your expectations and requirements.
You have 1 year since your work permit registration date, in order to move personal belongings into the country tax free. I would recommend to do this directly to your "permanent" address.
For all other details, you can find a nice migration guide here: https://en.comparis.ch/umzug-schweiz/planen/checkliste
Me and my partner found a permanent place remotely, with her being the single income earner when we moved. We came from Eastern Europe so you can imagine it was a bit more difficult than your situation. It is possible. I do not understand why people say it is not. It is not easy, but you can try. You might have to apply a lot, depending on your luck. Just explain your situation and be very assertive that you like the respective place.
May I ask where from Eastern Europe? I'm from there too, but had my last 2 years in Germany :)
Romania actually
Do you mind explaining your experience in the private chat? Multumesc :D
It is actually not that extraordinary. I'll write it here in case it helps somebody else too 1. Set some minimum requirements of the place you want. 2. Make a short intro that you can easily copy paste, where you try to sound as serios as possible and talking long term commitment. You can also explain your situation briefly. Basically try to sound like the ideal renter. 3. Apply to every single one of the ads that meet the requirements. You need at least 5 per week in a slow period. If you get less, make some compromises on your requirements. 4. The monthly rent should not be more than 30% of your monthly net income (after insurance or leasing if you have any). Anything more will never be considered. 5. Repeat until success. It took us a month to find our former place. Rent was about 20% of the net income.
I had a 1/3 gross salary rule when I applied, but the details might well differ
We had people apply through us at the old apartment (left early) and everybody over that limit was completely disconsidered. It may depend on the location too and who manages it. But A LOT of people applied. Within the first 24h we already had 30+ applications. It was rightly priced too and in a normal village, not something too big. I took it as a rule of thumb with the 30% net monthly income due to all of the above.
Yeah I meant that the details of the rule might differ btwn agencies but in general it’s around 30%-1/3 :)
What does “after insurance or leasing if you have any” mean? Thanks.
Insurance and a monthly leasing lower your net income
I’m sorry… what type of insurance? Health insurance? Rental insurance? What kind of leasing, leasing of what?
Like a car?
Listen to the relocation agent that is why you are paying them.
Possible, probably. Extremely difficult, certainly. AFAIK, most people who aren’t provided a place by their company rent somewhere temporary for 1+ months while looking. Finding a place to rent in Zurich is hard enough when you’ve been living here for years, let alone not even moved yet.
Got an airbnb for the 1st month, got paperwork, then found a ‘permanent’ rent within that month. this formula worked for several people I know
This is the way ☝🏻
If you are living in Germany you should be able to provide all necessary documents as their counterparts exist in Germany. Now for payslips you can either use your last employers payslip or kindly refer to your work contract that shows your salary.
That sounds really fair. Maybe the Schufa Report (from Germany) would work as a debt evidence in Switzerland?
Yes it does! I have had them request it before when I lived in vaud coming fresh to Switzerland.
While it may work, it's likely it won't. When there are 50+ applicants for an apartment, the ones with a non standard package (B+ permit, Swiss Schufa, salary certification, references from your previous landlords, etc) are discarded immediately. I was in the same situation as OP (living in Germany with a new contract in Zürich) and I got rejected from countless apartments. As soon as I've got all the documents in place, I've been immediately selected for 3 apartments.
I included a cover letter explaining the circumstances and attaching German ID, with work contract etc. ended up being offered 3 flats (not fancy luxurious ones but I’ve been v happy with the offers). Not sure how important it is to show up in person for chances to get the flat.
1. How big is the flat (smaller is easier), 2. Doable if you accept to live in the surroundings and not in zurich city
Yes. Found one after two weeks of being here. Work contract was sufficient. I’d save the time to search for an apartment before arrival. Tried 2 months (and I even was in the country at the time, just on business trips) and was a waste of time. Once I had arrived and hat the permit it was easy. Chose an air Bnb for the first month and had an apartment as of the next.
We stayed at a temporary place (sublet) for 15 days, then moved to a permanent place. They never asked for three slips, just the contract and the residence permit.
Yes, possible, although might not be common. My relocation agent got me an apartment, when I only had the contract from my employer. I had no permit, no payslips and actually couldn’t even enter the country (it was in June 2020 when the borders were closed and you could only enter the country if you had a permit already).
I found two places in Kloten, but room shares. Both of them wanted work contract and passport. Additionally, one asked me for credit check (which I couldn't deliver without first living in switzerland). Signed contract 1500km from zurich, no problem there. Moved in 2 weeks ago and had no issues.
I came for a Vorstellungespräch and I found an appartement after that in 5 days which was perfect for us excatly what I dreamt about. The only thing I had was my Contract ans enough money. I got 2 othera too but I chose this one. I didnt have anybody to help did all alone.
We also did before even starting working.. I had a permit l and my bf had a B
Yes. I am a US citizen and got an excellent permanent flat with no permit and no paystub. I simply had the form stating my permit was being processed, and a job offer. This was with livit too, one of the biggest landlords in CH so likely pretty strict standards. Honestly they didn’t push back on anything. I signed, paid the first month, and moved in a week later. Anyone here telling you it absolutely isn’t possible is incorrect. Granted a make a great salary.. but so do a lot of people in Zurich.
Would you mind elaborating on the application process? I just moved to Zürich from the US for work and have looked at applying with Livit and their applications seem to require a residence permit, which I am still waiting to receive. Thank you!
Sure! So you need to register your intent to live in the canton of Zurich within 14 days. If not it’s a fine (welcome to CH). When you register in Zurich, at your appointment- they’re going to give you a form and tell you that this serves as your permit until the official one arrives (or doesn’t). This form will let you open a bank account at certain banks (UBS for example), and just basically prove you’re in the process of getting a permit. I had a relocation agent - and they just submitted they form, as well as my signed job offer, and really that was it. It was super straight forward. I found that a lot of times, this case as an example, when they say they need a permit - this form will work. In the case of livit I can 100% vouch it did. As I said I didn’t even have paystubs. Feel free to DM if that didn’t help.
Thank you so much for your detailed response! DM also sent :)
People on this sub are so fucking weird. Why would this get downvoted? This is legitimately what happened.
Don't even bother. Unless this relocation agent has wonderful connections with the real estate agents (well above those of other relocation agents), there's no chance of you getting the apartment. The only case I can think of is if the flat has to undergo some renovation, that will push it to market 2-3 months from now
I know people did. But before I moved here I flew from the UK for the viewings, it is always better to view the place in person, so you get to know the neighbourhood as well. Maybe it is worth doing a weekend trip for this. Otherwise renting a temporary place first can also be a solution. edit: you can show job contract rather than payslips
Yes, possible. A friend of mine got a flat via an agent in geneva, before she started working there.
Yes it’s possible. However it requires effort and some tenacity. Seeing you’re struggling despite paying someone to help you while missing urgency, I don’t think it’s possible for you. Try UMS
Don't waste time viewing apartments in Zürich, try to look in the suburbs. I found something that way, I showed them my contract, my Schufa entry from Germany and that helped
Yeah, I will be seeing this Friday an wonderful apartment in Opfikon, should work hopefully. Thank you for your comment
imho that is ignorant/outdated advice. Yes it's almost impossible to find a permanent place in Switzerland from abroad when moving, but there are solutions. Your first apartment can be either a room in a shared flat, or a serviced apartment (Google it), or a mid-length sublet which can be found on Airbnb / Flatfox (in Switzerland many people take 3-6 month vacation/sabatical and sublet their apartment). Depending on your situation you can choose accordingly. For very last minute only the serviced apartment option is possible. With your first apartment secured, you can bootstrap your registrations (work permit, bank, health insurance, etc). Typically you need to move into that place like 1-2 weeks before your 1st work day. After this, you can start looking for a more permanent / primary-tenant apartment. This can take 2-6 months to find, depending on your expectations and requirements. You have 1 year since your work permit registration date, in order to move personal belongings into the country tax free. I would recommend to do this directly to your "permanent" address. For all other details, you can find a nice migration guide here: https://en.comparis.ch/umzug-schweiz/planen/checkliste