Most people - who can afford it - can find a CHF3000 apartment; it's the CHF1500 - 2000 places which are like hens teeth. Perhaps there are Kantonal requirements in the percentage of one's property portfolio which need to be accessible to a cross section of tennants. I dunno, but Zurich for example is quite left leaning in this regard. I've heard such stories many times and it does seem fair play.

In addition to what Mica said: My apartment is government subsidized. They give priority to lower income families. I didnt have a job when i moved here, and my wife was pregnant. I must admit the projects in Switzerland are not bad at all, and now that I have a job its that much sweeter. but uh, I didnt have to lie. in your case, its all up to you.

Well I am sure you would agree that a landlord has quite a substantial interest in knowing whether you can afford the rent.

As to income being confidential...: Most Cantons allow a person to get information on the taxable income and property of another person...

Give me your name, the commune you live in, and for good measure confirmation that you intend to enter into some kind of contract with me, and in most cantons I can find out (legally) how much taxable income you declared last year.

Now that I think of it, if you are foreigner I probably don't even need to know in which commune you live in since I can request your address from the "Zentrales Migrationsinformationssystem". (ok the hurdles are a slightly higher to get this information).

All this in this land of confidentiality...

Salary/rent is not the only variable to renting an apartment. Often agencies and landlords look at how many people are living in the property. So, it will also be difficult for a single person making 120k+ to get a three bedroom apt that is renting for CHF2000, for example. They will pick a family over a single person. Conversely it will be difficult for a couple with a baby to rent a cheap studio apt.

Stating a lower salary will certainly help you get that cheaper apartment. One look at your 10k+ monthly salary and any decision maker is likely to think that you won't stay too long or that you can obviously afford better.

If you can live with yourself when there are people out there earning way less than you and can only afford cheaper, unrenovated places.

I'm not sure why you would need to live in something in the CHF 2000-2500 range when your earnings are way above average though.

The assumption is that if you lye about one thing, you will lye about anything = reject. Being reasonably "approximate" with the truth might get by, but why waste your time trying to fiddle a situation when it will likely backfire on you?

Because I don't think it's worth spending + CHF 3K on a apartment where I'll be living alone, and won't spend much spare time at?

As I said above, the # of people living in the apt is also considered when determining who they choose to rent the apt to. If you are a single guy people will certainly understand why you are looking for a smaller thus less expensive flat. But you will probably only get away with spending less than 25/30% of your salary if you go for a 1 bed flat. You probably will not get a CHF2000 2 bedroom flat.

I understand what you are saying. Just because you can afford a more expensive apartment doesn't mean you want to go that route. I have had many clients who have asked me to look for places in a lower rental range than what they can actually afford. There can be many reasons for this and it has never been a problem thus far. It isn't just about money, there are other factors too.

The competition for apartments in Zurich is tough, as I am sure you will discover. Good luck with your search.

I don't see anything wrong with stating that your salary is more than ...
Rental Amount X 4 X 12. so in this case saying something like above CHF120,000 should be sufficient in my opinion, ans is not technically lying.

Thanks. It is indeed. I therefore decided to look for apartments (2-3.5 rooms) that are around CHF 2600 a month.

3.5 room apartment is the most sought after for couples. If you are on your own, try to look for unusual apartments, such as lofts. Some of these can be spacious, quite open with fewer rooms but overall a decent amount of space. Places on top floors without lifts are often not popular. Renovated places may also be more expensive but you might get some extra features like your own washer/dryer.

Usually there is a reason why apartments in good locations have been on the market a long time. Try looking at some of these.

Isn't that being dishonest and unfair to those that put their true salary

I wouldn't feel comfortable lying about the salary, but we chose to rent an apartment that we can afford on a single income, and only declared one employer...I work too, but I have a not-unrealistic fear of being left with a lifestyle that cannot be afforded with two incomes...because we have three children.

And yes, it may well do with long-term reliability...our landlord said, on handing over the keys 'enjoy your ten years!'...maybe we just might really do that, this time...it was certainly nice to be treated as 'permanents' rather than 'temporary' residents, considering that it was all done whilst our L permits were in limbo...very generous, that!

I know what you feel like. I felt rather uncomfortable when stating my salary at a public viewing whilst others stated far less on the application forms that were lying around openly. It was an apartment, which happened to be in a prime location and reasonably inexpensive. I chose it because I didn't need or want more. But I also brought a cover letter explaining myself and why I wanted this place. There were definitely more than just this one variable of the income for them to decide to rent the place out to me. I think it always depends on the situation and if you don't get the flat because of the income you stated, then it's fair enough. They have reasons for putting up decision rules about who they want to rent a place to and I believe they should be respected. With honesty and friendliness, i.e. explaining your situation and why you would choose to rent the place despite your far higher salary, you will achieve more, even if they are Swiss. Good Luck!

This is what I was trying to say.... You've said much better though!

A single guy trying to for a less expensive 2 bedroom will be rejected in favor of a young couple or family. You will be better off looking for a larger or fancier 1 bed room which will be less expensive than a 2 bed but will not have as much competition as a cheap 1 bed or a moderate 2 bed. I hope that makes sense.

I had been wondering about this here.

I've been in the situation before where I was looking at apartments (in the US) that were a price I really wanted to pay and as they were on "bonded" land (essentially were government subsidized), I was told that I made too much money.

I was told at the time that I had to provide copies of my tax declaration as well as copies of two months worth of paycheck stubs... they REALLY had to make sure that such apartments were going to the people who truly needed them... perhaps the same goes here.


Soooo... to Harrie Nak I'd say that if the property isn't that sort and the landlord / rental agency isn't needing that much detail about your income, you should be safe in being truthful about your actual income amount AND getting someplace at the rent level for which you are aiming. Lying about such things can land you in hot water in the US, I'm sure the same would be true here as well.