Hi. I'm moving to Zurich in about a month, and am wondering how many month's deposit (on average) is required up front?

Thanks.

On average 2 months, plus a month in advance, so be prepared to fork out for 3 months. The deposit is put into a bank account that cannot be touched and you are credited with the interest.

@Gooner
I don't know what your average is based on, but the last 3 appartments I had and all the appartments for which I inscribed myself were 3 months deposit (1 in Zurich, rest Lausanne).
So count on 3 months deposit and the rent for the first month, to be on the safe side. They can ask maximum for 3 months deposit by law.

Klar. Danke.

Based on me and everyone else I know.

There is also this company called Swisscaution (http://www.swisscaution.ch/) who will pay the deposit for you... all you need to pay them is 231 CH for 2007 and in the following years they charge you a percentage of the entire deposit (for 6000 CHF deposit they charge you 300 CHF per year).

I used them last year and found the solution very convenient as i did not have to block 5000 CHF of my cash for a deposit.

Unfortunately I know some landlords who do not accept swisscaution (or similar companies) paying the deposit.

A+
Will

PS I asked around and everybody I could contact here in Lausanne have payed 3 times a months rent as a deposit. So count on 3 months remains my advice for the deposit - might be different though for Zurich.

If you have a C-Permit you don't need any deposit for most. You fill out a form which allows them to perform a check on previous rentals.

Don't know where you have this from, but I am not aware of any gérance (professional landlord) which makes a distinction between your permit or passport regarding payment of the deposit. The deposit is mentioned for damages you do to the appartment and for which you are not insured/not able to pay for them or you moving out without saying. Any guarantee from a past landlord is no guarantee for your future behaviour (looks like the stock market ), beside this, a landlord would be stupid not to ask a guarantee, the law specifically allows them to do so!

All my Swiss friends have all 3 months deposits.

I assume rental agencies = landlord. While looking for apartments in Bern 2 agencies didn't require a deposit at all, but they ask your consent to check your previous history in Switzerland. I am proof of the process.

Well, let me rephrase it like this: the situation you describe is an extreme exception and not "if you have a C-Permit you don't need any deposit for most."

The chance that you encounter an agencie (indeed, that's the word, thanx), which does not accept your B permit, but demands somebody with a C permit or Swiss passport to co-undersign the contract with you, might even be bigger.

whoa...!!! it seems like it gets complicated when work permits, eu/non-eu status are involved.

... or does it have to be so complicated? i've lived in frankfurt for the past 5 years and all i remember back then was that my relocation officer (who did all the flat search for me and accompanied me in the viewings, actual signing, etc.) took care of everything. being in german, she explained the details to me, but i really cannot recall that my visa status was checked, etc. the bank took care of the deposit guarantee and i moved in.

i understand, of course. different countries, different policies. but - is it difficult/does it get difficult in switzerland? there too i have been assigned a relocation officer and "knowing" a bit of the zurich, i asked to find a flat in seefeld along with apartment preferences.

one question i have is that, do landlords tend to get "discriminatory" with their future tenants? i'm asian by origin although i grew up in new york. i hope i won't encounter any of this... that would be so sad. (i read the thread on "are swiss people racist" or something like that... that's scary.) do landlords size you up with the organization you work for, your salary, level in the company, etc.?

i guess the 2 or 3 month deposit is a secondary issue now. my bigger concern is what to watch out for before signing a contract.

thanks so much in advance to everyone who would offer their 0.02.

From what I know Landlords don't get discriminatory at all, you don't need to worry about that.
Back to deposits, I first came to Neuchatel several years ago and was asked for only 1 months deposit, which then was given back at the end of the tenancy, with interest(They open a bank account for it specifically). So it may depend on the town.

The deposit doesn't follow any rules, it completely depends on your landlord/landlady. I've paid deposits of one month, 2 months, 2.5 months and 3 months here in Zurich and I'd agree with Gooner's initial response saying an average of 2 months should be expected.

The deposit does earn interest, but don't get too excited as it's only going to be earning you about 0.5% a year.

More important for you to know, is that finding somewhere to live in Zurich is currently a nightmare! It's often the case that tens of potential tennants will apply for the same apartment, and therefore the landlords have the choice of selecting who gets the apartment entirely at their own discretion, and they don't need to justify their decisions to anyone. If you work for a large bank then you're a good potential tenant as you've got a decent income and a certain amount of job security. However, if you're a good swiss person, you've got way more chance of getting an apartment than a foreigner with the majority of agencies and landlords.

Racism is fairly common in my experience but for every horror story there's a happy story, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Contracts are fairly standard things and are usually very fair.

Please note all the above information is coming from my own experiences and the experiences of my friends.

The 3 months limit stated above is interesting, I'm currently being asked to fork out 7500 CHF deposit for a flat with rent of 2070 CHF.

Yes, I was 'in competition' with several other people/couples for a few apartments and I guess you need to be prepared to have a good chat with the landlord and hopefully a good 'ambience' so they can remember you! Otherwise don't know how they decide, pick a name from a hat?

Deposits arent always multiples of the rent and can be pretty arbitrary. I'm not aware of any legal limits however, I think it's entirely at the landlords discretion.

7500.- definitely seems a little excessive though, and I'd start wondering about the landlords motives behind requesting such a large amount.

(edit: sorry, I forgot to quote chuk)

Note that its a good idea to tell the landlord that you're planning on staying for many years as that means less work for them and steady income.

There is actually a legal limit of three times the monthly rent.

OR Art. 257e (second paragraph)

I wonder if they somehow got round the limit by splitting the deposit into 2, half to be paid by me, half to be paid by me, I mean by the wife

The landlord is a big Baugenossenschaft and the apartment is a spanking brand new 5.5er so I'm not going to argue.