Hi, having read other posts (very useful) I checked couple of site (e.g. homegate.ch) and there are plenty of 1, 1.5 or 2 bedroom apartments in Basel in the price range 700-1300 or so. On the other side I also read a lot about difficulties with finding a place. So I'd be very grateful for the following advice:

1) How much (reasonably speaking) should I allow for 1.5br apartment in Basel-Stadt? (nothing fancy, relatively new/refurbished place, rather in the centre of the city). I suspect the offers mentioned on homegate.ch are just tricky and I'll end up paying the higher end of the price range...

2) How difficult would it be (i.e. how much time I should allow for) to find 1, 1.5 or 2br place in Basel (I'd be working for known company, have ca. 9-10k gross monthly, I'm single, from new EU-country)

3) For big pharma companies what's the reasonable relocation package (e.g. do they normally provide 2-3 months of accommodation till one finds his own place)? What's reasonable to ask for from the company?

Thank you a lot in advance!

Hi!

Welcome to the Forum and welcome to Basel (soon!).

One thing to point out when you look at the adverts for houses is when they say 2.5 rooms that means 1 bedroom, 1 living room and the .5 can be either an extra large living room or an area in the kitchen big enough to fit a dining table, that sort of thing. Bathrooms and kitchens are not counted as rooms as they are "assumed" to be in every apartment. Ideally, if you want a bit more comfort I would recommend at least a 2 room apartment for a single person. this would cost around 1200 - 1500 CHF depending on area and how nice it is.

With regards to how difficult it will be, I can't really say. You may be lucky like I was and be accepted for the first apartment you find. I have heard other people have more trouble than that but I don't think Basel is as hard as some of the other cities in Switzerland.

Normally a large Pharma company will provide some accommodation for you on your arrival to Switzerland (at least the company I work for did and I've heard many other expats have received the same from their company). So I would suggest that you try to negotiate 2-3 months with them so you have time to have a good look around. Also, my company had a service where they helped you find an apartment which can help when you put an application in.

Hope that helps!

Good luck

I think Basel is reasonable easy, at least compared to Zürich. We came for a week last January and had a choice of flats, some were empty after we moved. The market is not that hot.

I don't think you should worry about nationality in BS, in my wife's company they have a majority of foreigners and I have not heard of particular problems.

As long as you have a decent number on your contract, I think most landlords are happy.

For temp accomodation, Novartis has a couple of flats in the property we live in. My wife's company has one to save hotel bills, it seems quite common.

Good luck

Hi and welcome.

I can tell you we had no problems at all. Within 1 week of arriving had visited a dozen and withing the next had chosen and moved into a nice 2 bed apartment. We used the free papers and went with an agency in the end. If you can prove you are working for one of the big pharmas, they agencies tend to be very helpful, on one occasion they just handed us the keys and let us test-drive the apartment over the weekend.

If the company you join offers you temporary accomodation I would take it but don't let them find you an apartment, on more than one occasion I know of people having contracts arranged for them and then moving into expensive and small accomodation but not being able to leave due to the contract they had signed.

M.

When my company organised this for me I went to all of the viewings they booked for me and they accompanied me on the ones I booked privately. This was mainly to help me with my lack of German as some apartments were not shown by an agent but by the current tenant and not everyone spoke English. I knew therefore the size and price before committing to any contract and when it came to signing the contract I obviously read it through with some help from my Swiss colleagues to make sure it was ok.

I obviously didn't mean trust your company to find you a pad without you looking at it or reading the contract - I'm not that mad

Thank you all for replies and hints. Very helpful, encouraging and much appreciated.

I would second that. I'll be Basel house hunting in March/April, so its good to hear the low-down from those already on the ground.

Y'all, when apartment hunting, be sure to note if you will have your own washer/dryer and clotheslines -- saves the hassle of a shared facilities time-table.