Flat-hunting in Zurich

This was in interesting experience. It started with the following repetitive case… You tell someone in Zurich/who has lived in Zurich or lives in Zurich that you will be moving there and will be searching the apartment and you get one and the same answer: “Oh, it is very difficult to find a place, it takes months, it is very expensive, there are no apartments, and it is very very difficult, be ready to search for months”.  So what can such reactions make you do? Increased fear makes you go the extra mile. Some people can search the way they search, but I set the objective to find a place effective Dec/Jan and find a nice place. Considering how painfully result oriented I could be and how much I love challenges, the actions started.

I could have had some luck finding a place but the base was well set:

-          Looking on the website for apartments was like the air and water.

-          Since viewings in Zurich are usually set by the landlords and you have a set time once/twice a week normally, you have no option to bargain and therefore, traveling to Zurich every day after work for apartment viewings became a standard practice. It was really tiring t he first few days because you work all day, leave the office at 4/4.30, take an hour train ride to Zurich, go and see 1-2-3 apartments, train back to Basel, arrive at home late. You begin read on the train, eat, and drink, music – it is like your living room. I don’t think I’ve boarded a train 2-3 min before departure as much as I have done it during the search.

-          Some landlords are absolute bastards! You go and visit and apartment on Tue, ask what the process is and you could be told: “I’ll make the decision on Fri evening, I’ll call the person and the chosen should come, pay and take the keys on Sat. I don’t care when you’ll move – these are the rules and it is what it is”. Scr** you j**k! I don’t want to have a landlord like you at all – even if you want to have me as a tenant!

-          Some places are so poorly maintained and highly priced that it is unbelievable!

-          Apparently, you can be rejected an apartment when your income is higher – I was rejected the less expensive apartments and approved for the more expensive ones.

Bottom line, after about 12-15 apt visits, 5-6 application, 1 instant rejection (I think they new beforehand who’ll get the apartment), I had 2 options and made a choice which I hope is the better one!