Hi there,
I am a computer science PhD student coming to Neuchâtel on the 29th of October. I just got my Master’s degree from the University of Manitoba, Canada but I am originally from Ukraine. Do not know a word in French, unfortunately. ;-)
I’ve been browsing through quite a few apartment rental ads lately but most of the apartments that I have ran into have been rented out already or are quite pricey for me (>1000 francs). I really need something in the 500-850(tops) range. I checked with the Univ. and the dorms are packed…
If somebody would be willing to help me out please let me know. I am 4 days away from coming to Neuchâtel and I would appreciate any help you guys can provide.
Thank you so much!

Kristanez here on EF has a really nice apartment to rent, but it is indeed above your price range. I am afraid that you will truly struggle to find anything for your budget - not even a studio. Your best bet is to find a room in a shared apartment or a bedsit with a family,etc. Not good news, I know, but you need to realise this is not going to be easy, unless you are very lucky.

Oh, and welcome to Neuchatel - it is a great place. I would offer you temporary accommodation, but i live in the mountains above, too far away.

(PS i am a native French speaker and teach French, if i can ever be of help). Bonne chance.

Well, at this point I would settle for pretty much anything and then see if I can get a more permanent place. I guess I would have to get find a hostel first or something like that. This looks like my only option at this point.

Hi Yarco - I too am in much the same situation as you, coming to Neuchatel soon and I do not have any housing pre-arranged. I thought it would be easy as I have seen many nice small apartments advertised on sites such as comparis.ch. However it seems that they are taken quickly, and besides I would not want to make a year-long lease without seeing the apartment in person.

So I am wondering what do people in our situation do? Are there any short-term furnished rentals, or long-stay hotels anywhere close to Neuchatel?

I hope you find a solution - and post it here so I can follow in your footsteps!
Cheers

Unfortunately you ladies are in a tough position. There is no hostel in Neuchatel and the hotels are horrendously expensive. You will also be competing with newcomers who have relocation agents from Philip Morris and Celgene working for them.

You could consider looking for apartments in smaller communities outside of Neuchatel. La Chaux de Fonds is quite a bit less expensive for example but it will mean a half hour commute by train each way, which has it's own expense. The smaller, more remote, the less expensive.

Another option is to stay in the nearest hostel and commute until you find something. There are hostels in Geneva, though there may be one closer, you'll need to do the research on that (maybe Biel? Yverdon?). Most hostels have a 3 week limit, so you might need to bump around until you secure accommodation.

Prepare a dossier that includes information about your earnings/savings. If you have any letters of recommendation from prior landlords get them translated into the appropriate language. Make sure you get a cell phone as soon as you get here...email is NOT the primary form of communication.

Good luck!

I have a friend who has a Bed and Breakfast in Fleurier (Pain et Confiture) near me- and a couple of minutes from train station for commuting to Neuchatel. I am sure she would give you a special price for a longer stay out of the tourist season, if it can help. You can look at timetables on www.cff.ch (click on English at top) - and I could help you scan local papers and agencies for adverts and with visits (if you pay my petrol).

Mate,
I am living in one of the dorms and I think there are a few free ones around.. But the agency who manages the dorms often say that it is not available just to drive up the demand.. I also remember seeing an advertisement for a room in the notice board yesterday.. Will look it up and send you the details asap..

Thank you for your help fellas! I got a hold of a list with apartments + landlord contact details and managed to book a studio yesterday. PM me if you need the list.