Apartment Hunger Games

Hi All!

This post has been a long time coming...we have a HAUS!  We moved in mid-September and couldn't be happier with our new home.  Why the delayed announcement?  Well, after such a long, painful process, better to wait until you can look at the experience with humor!

Here are some stats:

Length of housing search: Roughly 2 1/2 months
To be fair, we didn't start our housing search in earnest until we returned to Switzerland in July.  The Herr and I both needed to have all of our documents in order before we would be considered serious applicants for any apartment.  In addition to providing our work contracts, we also had to obtain a special form (betreibungsauskunft) from our local Geminde (town office) stating that we don't have any outstanding debts.  In typical Swiss fashion, you must pay for the form (17 CHF/person) stating you are debt free.    

Zurich is organized into 12 districts, or Kreis.  (See title reference)

Number of apartments visited: 45-50
With a country full of renters, it's estimated that approximately 1% of apartments are ever available at one time.  Apartment open houses can draw upwards of 100 visitors leading to registration restrictions (see below).  I put off counting the number of open house entries I had on my calendar because I thought the sheer number would make me want to cry.  It still does make we want to cry a little bit.  Now imagine the time it took to travel to and from these visits, actually view the apartments, and try lamely to make yourself standout as a good candidate while not being able to speak German.

Sadly, rejection was common.

Time spent combing listings online: Approximately 1-2 hours daily
This became an obsession.  Apartments can be listed for an open house as little as one day in advance.  Some apartments require that interested parties sign-up to attend an open house and will only offer a limited number of appointments for prospective renters.  Some apartments require you to call a real estate company or current tenant to arrange a visit...when you don't speak German.

Time required to complete and submit an single application: Approximately 2 hours
By the end of our housing search, the Herr and I had this down to a science.  All our documents were scanned into the computer.  The only items remaining were the application and cover letter.  In the USA, apartment procurement follows more of a first come, first served model.  If you express interest first, the apartment is usually yours as long as your employment info checks out.  Not so in Switzerland, where apartments are few and renters are many.  Rental companies and landlords, can collect tens to hundreds (a real estate agent verified this) of applications for a single apartment before making their selection.  If none of the applicants are suitable, additional open houses are held until an appropriate candidate is identified.

About 90% of Zurich residents rent their homes.  

Apartment offers received: 2
Ironically, we were offered the first apartment we visited.  It was in the old part of Thalwil, in a beautiful old building with stone floors, exposed beams, and wooden balcony.  Horses and chickens would have been our neighbors, and the white washed fireplace could have made for cozy winters.  It would also take the Herr 20 minutes to walk to the train station on top of an additional 30 minute train/tram commute.  Storage space was limited to the under-stair crevices, the kitchen was cramped, and the previous tenant was a smoker.  The pictures would make you swoon (or make you sing the "Little Town" song from Disney's Beauty and the Beast), but the reality was that while the apartment would have been perfect for one person, it would have been too cramped and inconvenient for two.

Deutsch Belle sings in German, but greets her neighbors with bonjour.  An interesting dichotomy, but so very Swiss.  Perhaps her little town is outside of Biel/Bienne?

Stay tuned for a post all about our new home!  -The Ms

Moving out!