Home search in Switzerland: how agencies find the flat

The full transcript

0:00 Why home search is hard here

How do you find an apartment in Switzerland when you are new? Only 0.93% of Swiss homes stood empty on 1 June 2026. ReloFinder lists 48 agencies that do home search.

0:16 Why an agency helps

Can an agency really improve your odds? Usually, yes: applying alone without a Swiss dossier, you are often passed over in the tight cities. Agencies hear about flats before the portals, book the viewings and build the dossier landlords accept.

0:35 From brief to keys

It runs in five steps. A brief and search profile: budget, neighbourhoods, commute. Flats from landlords and property managers, before they reach Homegate or Flatfox. Viewings together, in person or by video, often in one day. A dossier landlords accept. Then the lease check, the deposit account and the move-in report, so old damage is not yours.

1:04 Dossier and deposit

Budget for the deposit: the law caps it at three months' rent, held in a blocked account in your name. Many landlords also want a debt-collection extract no older than three months.

1:18 What it costs

What does it cost? A home search typically costs around CHF 2,500 to 5,000, or about one month's rent when you sign the lease. Two Geneva agencies charge around 10 to 15% of a year's rent instead. 46 of the 48 price your case in a free first consultation.

1:41 Never pay before a viewing

And one rule: never pay before a viewing. Do not transfer money before you have seen the flat and signed a lease. Advance-payment listings are the most common rental scam aimed at new arrivals.

1:56 Get matched

Tell us about your move. Meet your consultant this week. Two minutes of questions, then a consultant from one of our partner agencies gets in touch. Free, with no obligation. The link is in the description.