Hello,

I've been searching for a 3 bdrm apartment (for a WG) since the beginning of summer and having absolutely no luck at all. I'm wondering... am I doing something wrong?

I plan to move in with 2 female co-workers whom I met as we all started full time work around May/June. Two of us are Swiss, and the other is German and we all have a Betreibungsauskunft and copies of our passports/auslaenderausweis.

We're not sure what or if we are doing anything wrong in the application process. I go to a ton of Besichtigungs and mail the applications almost every time. Sometimes we've even included a sort of 'cover letter' with a photo of each of us.

Are WG's really that unattractive to landlords? Or is the housing market in Zurich REALLY that cut throat?

Would appreciate any advice/tips at all !

I think posting the pictures on here would really help

WG are usually less attractive to landlords than a couple or single people.

However, I found it helps if you establish some sort of relationship with the agent. it worked for us twice!

get a nice coverletter ready, addressing the actual person you send your application to (if you have the name), say who you are and why you love the apartment so much....
follow up with a phone call to see if all data has arrived and talk to them, give them a voice, a "face" to the random application that came together with 200 other random applications............

point out that it is urgent, you are non-smokers, quiet, working hard and a lot.

it worked for us. once they have a "connection" between a real life person and the application, it gets easier. small talk.
remember its an application, as if you were to try a job.

all the best, hope you get sorted soon.

ps: maybe approach some agencies and ask if they put you on a waiting list of if they look for you for a provision?!

As anyone vaguely involved in EF has noticed, finding housing is a problem here. So you can be pretty sure that someone has asked this question before, and there might, just, be an answer which could assist you in your search. Someone took the trouble to put together this Thread concerning how agencies select tenants - after all, you want them to select you! You might find a couple of useful tips there.