Tips and Tricks for finding a home in Switzerland
To help you find a home, we have collected a number of tips here. We wish you the best of luck in your search and hope that you will soon find a nice home.
Preparation
Consider in advance how far you are willing to travel to your workplace and whether you are going by public transport, bicycle or car. Sometimes there are faster train connections to your work, so it can be advantageous to travel by public transport instead of the car. You can view all the options on the Google Maps route planner. If you live in Switzerland, you can travel with a 50% discount, making public transport very affordable.
Websites
Finding a home in Switzerland can be done through various Immobilien websites.
Frequently used websites are:
There are also Facebook pages for most Cantons where homes are offered.
For more groups, search within facebook for the name of the Canton you are looking for + Wohnung. For example ‘Bern Wohnung’. Then select by groups.
Abbreviations
If you start looking, you will soon come across German abbreviations in the ‘immobilien’ world.
To get you started, here is a list of commonly used abbreviations, their meanings and their translation.
| Abbr. | German | English |
| DHH | Doppelhaushälfte | semidetached |
| EFH | Einfamilienhaus | detached house |
| 3 Zi.-Whg | 3 Zimmer-Wohnung | 3 room apartment |
| 3 ZKDB | 3 Zimmer-wohnung mit Küche & Bad | 3 rooms plus kitchen and bathroom |
| DG | Dachgeschoss | attic apartment |
| EBK | Einbauküche | fitted kitchen |
| EG | Erdgeschoss | ground floor |
| OG | Obergeschoss | floor |
| HH | Hinterhaus | at the back of the house, often less sunlight |
| K | Kaution | deposit |
| KM | Kaltmiete | rent excluding extra costs |
| WM | Warmmiete | rent including extra costs |
| NR | Nichtraucher | non-smokers |
| KN | Kochnische | small kitchen attached to the living room |
| Nachmieter | subtenant | |
| NMM | Nettomonatsmiete | net monthly rent plus additional costs |
| MVZ | Monatliche Vorauszahlung | monthly prepayment |
| Prov. | Provision | provision |
| qm | Quadratmeter | square meter |
| TG | Tiefgarage | underground garage |
| VH | Vorderhaus | in front of the house |
| WG | Wohngemeinschaft | residential community |
| WBS erford. | Wohnberechtigungsschein | evidence for beneficiary of subsidized housing. |
| Wfl. | Wohnfläche | living area |
| Zi | Zimmer | rooms |
| ZH | Zentralheizung | central heating |
| zzgl. NK | Nebenkosten | including extra costs |
Have you come across useful websites or special abbreviations?
We would love to hear it, then we will add your tip to the list!