Hi, I wanted to ask your advice on your experience with looking for apartments for rent in Geneva. So far I don't have much luck in the market, so I was thinking to work with an agent who could help me to find one. What is your experience with agents? Is it worth paying for?

I talked to one agent (recommended by a friend), and she told me I should be looking for an apartment in the higher price range, as regies will give apartment for 1500/1600chf range (for 3pieces apt ~50m2- room/salon/kitchen) to people who don't earn much. She said they would take my gross salary, divided in 3, and aim for the rent at that level.
I earn ok salary, nothing crazy, so I was thinking that spending 1500/1600chf on a rent is reasonable. I'm wondering whether regies really prioritize people with very low salary, and I don't stand a chance? Or an agent was just trying to increase her future commission indirectly?

I've known many professionals on good salaries in studios and one bed flats, it happens.


Have you sorted out your dossier? What a regie often wants is a good tenant who will pay the rent on time and not annoy the neighbours and in the short term someone who can sign the rental contract quickly so they can move onto the next place . So bring all the paperwork like job contracts, pay slips, non poursuites letter and if you've rented before see if you can get a letter from the past / current landlord saying you've been a model tenant. Literally having these under your arm during a viewing can go a long way but as ever there's a real shortage of properties and many people queue and view for a long time before finding something.

thanks, Neko, for getting back to me! Really appreciated

Yes, I do have my dossier sorted out, just added a letter of recommendation from my employer and heard it's worth adding my cv.
You are right on shortage of properties... Hard to find any good apartment, and if you do, there's 40 people applying, or often they don't even reply when you request a visit.
So far the agent is still claiming that I should spend more on the flat, so I'll be looking on my own I suppose.
Wish me luck!

I think "thanks to" COVID, the rental market has become friendlier recently. I used to rent a studio in central Geneva for 1700 CHF per month. 42 sqm, very spacious for one person and very bright. I had to give my dossier to the private owner right away and promised that I would pay the deposit the next day. I got the flat. That was back in 2012. I really I couldn't believe my luck. Fast forward to 2016, when I had to look for another flat. I set my criteria at CHF1700 maximum per month but Homegate only gave me 20 results. Most of them would be gone just within a week after being posted. That time I went through the whole regie business and eventually I got a studio, smaller, but also cheaper, CHF 1400.

Then when I had to move out in 2019, I also posted an ad on anibis to look for someone to take over my lease. I had about 20 visits and 5 people left their dossier. The regie eventually decided only 2 met their criteria and gave it to an IT professional.

Now I am looking into buying, so just out of interest and in an attempt to gauge the market, I did a quick search on Homegate again. This time, with rent set at CHF 1700 per month, targeting Geneva Geneva (ville de Geneve), I get 109 results. Many of them are around 1400, 1300. This was UNHEARD OF a few years back.

So, good luck. I think you have a pretty good chance of getting something. Just view places actively and send your dossier to regies.