Hello again,

Thanks for all the great tips so far as I approach my move to Switzerland.

As a reminder, I am an EU national.

My new contract should start on the 1st of November, therefore I want to be there by the end of October.

I've read the difficulties in searching for a property to rent so I am starting to manage my expectation.

I will need a 2.5-3.5 flat in the Canton with a good connection to Zurich, and I want to make sure I make the right choice as I'd prefer not to move again and settle down for a couple of years (things always change, but that's life).

What is the best way to rent temporarily while I can look for a long-term property?

Since I arrive just before November and will fly back to Italy for the Christmas holidays to then return at the beginning of January, my plan was to:

- Rent a furnished flat from 20th October to 20th December;
- Rent a furnished flat from 15th January to 15th March;

This should give me enough time to start all the required paperwork and commence my house hunting, and many have advised me to wait until March where the leases expire.
Also I wouldn't need to buy furniture until I find a flat to settle down.
I might spend a bit more in rent, but save me some headaches when it comes to moving as I will have really few things.

What are the best platform to find such properties?

I know there is AirBnB but would that count as a valid address to obtain my B-Permit + open Bank Account?

Look either for a furnished/serviced apartment on these sites or maybe just rent a room for a while.

www.immoscout24.ch
www.immostreet.ch
www.homegate.ch
www.home.ch

www.wgzimmer.ch for rooms

AirBnB's are iffy for registering, some cantons accept them and others don't. Check with the canton whether they'd accept it or not.

Bear in mind that if you change accommodation then you'll need to apply for a new permit which will cost you.

This site gathers adverts from most of the main accommodation sites

https://en.comparis.ch/immobilien/default

tutti.ch also collate from other sites

You will need a plan for an address that covers the time you are away. Personally I would just rent through that period as changing address is not a small hassle etc

But this to me look all like long-term accommodation.

How can I rent one of these without being in Switzerland?

A considerable number of the apartments listed are short stay lets from companies such as City Stay https://www.citystay.ch/en/houses-ap...tments-zurich/

When I first moved to Zurich, we stayed in a City Stay apartment for a few weeks until we completed on our first apartment. I also booked an apartment at the Kieselgasse building for a friend when she was visiting in Dec 2019, as our place at the time, was too small to accommodate guests (she had studio apartment no.3 which has a huge terrace and loved it).

I had a furnished flat from Nest -- www.mynest.ch -- that worked out quite well for me. They were a bit pricey, but super convenient. I was able to rent essentially open-ended with 30 days notice, so that when I found a permanent place there was limited overlap between the time when I left the temporary and started paying for the permanent.

For the gap period, I would probably just keep the flat and not have two distinct temporary rentals - but it is definitely the more expensive choice.

If you really don't mind having two different temporary places then you could probably forward your mail from your first flat to your address in Italy and then when you come back in January change your registration and mail forwarding to the new address.

This site specialises in temporary furnished accommodation, which are often sub-lets.
https://www.ums.ch/furnished-apartments/zurich/

www.wgzimmer.ch, to which Medea linked, above, is a very good idea if you are single, or a childless couple, and could rent a room in a shared flat. That, too, can often be had as a temporary sublet.

There seem to be quite a lot under "temporary rooms" in Zurich City:
https://www.wgzimmer.ch/en/wgzimmer/search/mate.html?

and these ones under "studio only" are separate apartments (not shared rooms):
https://www.wgzimmer.ch/en/wgzimmer/search/mate.html?

Thank you!

Yeah wow, they're quite pricey.

What is the difference when registering for a permit from this sort of accommodation to instead airbnb?

Thanks!
Yeah no shared flat for us, I had my share of roommates in my 20s in London and provide myself never to share a fridge again in my life

Considering you do not state a budget, what do you expect the advice to be?

Vision apartments are popular https://visionapartments.com/en/serv...YaAo2BEALw_wcB

Totally with you on that!

Please have a read of this old post https://www.englishforum.ch/introduc...ml#post2652689

If you can use a short stay furnished apartment for the first 4-6 weeks, that would give you time to line up a 'befristet' (limited let) apartment for the next length of stay, and give you breathing space to buy furniture with a delivery date for your move. I bought all the household stuff whilst in the City Stay apartment and lined up the delivery of the bed and sofa for our move date.

There are currently 30 'befristet' 2.5 room + apartments available in Zurich beginning at 1,160 CHF per month.

There's this, too:
https://www.englishforum.ch/housing-...ap-zurich.html

It’s best to have your own flat.
You can’t register residency from an airbnb without the owner’s approval.

If it’s your own flat you’re free.

Oh that's interesting.

So what you are suggesting is 1) start with City Stay for the first month, then 2) use a short term / limited let until March 3) find your long term property.

Kindly account for the time necessary to actually obtain your work permit.
It can take a few months (maybe your employer can tell you more).
It will help you plan your arrival accordingly.

but I am able to work while I wait for that right?

My employer is not Swiss as mentioned elsewhere, so it's "up to me" to fulfill all the required paperwork to process my payroll.

Floroz, you’re a lovely, positive, educated young lady/man and I really hope it works for you. You’ve got the right approach.

I’m not quite sure what the right answer is.
You really need contact the employer/representative who will be asking for your work permit to ask them.

Why not contact a Swiss immigration lawyer and ask these questions.
You would get the right answers and advice.

I was able to register with no issue using a furnished flat. Once I moved to my permanent place, I was able to switch my registration to my new address online. (both the temp and the permanent place were within the City of Zurich -- not sure if you could re-register online if it is not an intra-city move).

You can't... "Die Umzugsmeldung ist nur möglich für eine Adressänderung innerhalb der Stadt Zürich."

https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/prd/de/...er/eumzug.html