Swiss rental guides

Everything you need to put together a winning rental application — checked against official sources, with the date of the last verification on every page.

Documents & eligibility

1. 01 Swiss Rental Application Documents Checklist Every document Swiss landlords expect in a rental application dossier — with formats, freshness rules and accepted substitutes for newcomers.
2. 02 Betreibungsauszug: Cost, Ordering & Validity What the Swiss debt register extract is, why landlords ask for it, the CHF 17–18 fee, and official ordering links for Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Zug and Vaud.
3. 03 No Betreibungsauszug Yet? A Newcomer's Guide Newcomers can't get a Swiss debt register extract before living here. What landlords accept instead — and the exact wording to use in your application.
4. 04 Common Mistakes in a Swiss Rental Dossier The avoidable mistakes that get a Swiss rental dossier rejected — stale debt extracts, missing income proof, a slow or messy file — and the quick fix for each.

Money & deposit

1. 05 Swiss Rental Deposit: Account vs Guarantee The 3-month deposit cap, how the blocked bank account works, and what rental guarantee insurance really costs — compared honestly, official route first.
2. 06 Swiss Deposit Guarantee: Costs & Providers How a Swiss rental deposit guarantee works, what the premium costs versus a blocked account, the main providers compared, and whether zero-deposit is worth it.

Safety & market comparison

1. 07 Swiss Rental Scams: Red Flags Before You Pay The warning signs of fake Swiss apartment listings — deposits before contracts, landlords abroad, transfers to private accounts — and what to do instead.
2. 08 Zurich vs Geneva: Renting Compared Zurich vs Geneva for renters: vacancy rates, German agencies versus French régies, how to order your debt extract in each city, and what actually wins a flat.