Finding an apartment in Zurich as an expat
How tight the market really is, what flats cost, and how to choose between searching alone, a search agent or a relocation agency.
In short
Zurich is one of Switzerland’s tightest rental markets: on 1 June 2026 only 0.11% of the city’s homes stood empty. Have a complete dossier ready before you view, apply the same day, and widen your search to the rest of the canton. If time is short, a search agent or relocation agency can do the legwork.
How hard is it to find a flat in Zurich right now?
Very hard in the city, a little easier outside it. On 1 June 2026 the city of Zurich had 252 empty homes, a vacancy rate of 0.11%. The canton stood at 0.52% and Switzerland at 0.93%. Every region of the canton is below 1%, so expect competition wherever you look.
Of the city’s 252 empty homes, 246 were for rent and six for sale; two- and three-room flats made up most of them (Statistik Stadt Zürich, checked ). The canton counted about 4,200 empty homes, with Winterthur at 0.20% and the Oberland region highest at 0.95% (zh.ch, checked ). Nationally the rate fell to 0.93%, the sixth fall in a row, with Zug at 0.20% and Geneva at 0.31% (BFS, checked ).
What that means for you: the flat you like will have other applicants, so speed and a complete application matter as much as the flat itself. Looking a few train stops beyond the city limits widens the pool; our Zurich city page covers districts and transport.
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City of Zurich
0.11%
of homes empty on 1 June 2026: 252 flats.
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Canton of Zurich
0.52%
vacancy rate on 1 June 2026, up from 0.48%.
Source zh.ch (opens in a new tab) ↗
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Switzerland
0.93%
vacancy rate on 1 June 2026, down from 1.00%.
Source BFS (opens in a new tab) ↗
What does a flat in Zurich cost?
In the city’s 2024 rent survey, the median net rent for a three-room flat was CHF 1,578 a month: CHF 1,022 in non-profit housing and CHF 1,875 on the private market. These figures describe existing leases, not today’s adverts, and ancillary costs such as heating and hot water come on top.
The survey covers about 80% of the city’s rental flats on 1 April 2024; rents were six to nine percent higher than in 2022 (Statistik Stadt Zürich, checked ). Across Switzerland the average rent in 2024 was CHF 1,485, with Zug, Zurich and Schwyz the most expensive cantons. New builds cost most: nationally, a four-room flat under two years old averaged CHF 2,304, against CHF 1,838 for an older four-room flat moved into recently (BFS, checked ).
Adverts usually show net rent plus ancillary costs (Nebenkosten). Those charges are owed only if the lease lists them, and you may ask to see the receipts behind the yearly statement (CO Art. 256a, 257a–b, 266c, 270, checked ). Rent increases and reductions can follow the federal mortgage reference rate, 1.25% since 2 September 2025 (FOH, checked ).
Median net rent, city of Zurich (2024)
| Flat size | Median net rent a month |
|---|---|
| 2 rooms | CHF 1,424 |
| 3 rooms, all | CHF 1,578 |
| 3 rooms, non-profit | CHF 1,022 |
| 3 rooms, private market | CHF 1,875 |
| 4 rooms | CHF 1,870 |
Existing leases on 1 April 2024, without ancillary costs. Source: Statistik Stadt Zürich.
Where do Zurich flats come from?
Most flats are advertised online on property portals, and some through local newspapers, property managers and agencies. More than a quarter of the city’s rental flats belong to cooperatives, foundations and the city, with their own rules and waiting lists. Sublets and furnished stays help bridge the first months.
The canton’s newcomer pages point to online listings, local newspapers and agencies, and to non-profit housing organisations with lower rents (zh.ch, checked ). Set up search subscriptions on the portals, so new listings reach you quickly (FOH, checked ).
Cooperatives and city-owned flats
Non-profit housing made up 27.0% of the city’s rental flats at the end of 2023, and the city aims for one third by 2050 (City of Zurich, checked ). Cooperatives usually ask you to become a member and buy a share, and many keep long waiting lists (FOH, checked ).
The city lets its own flats through E-Vermietung in its online account: viewings are allocated by lottery, and only people who attended a viewing may apply (City of Zurich, checked ). The rules are strict: at least as many residents as rooms minus one, household income at the start no higher than four times the yearly gross rent, and the flat must be your main home (City of Zurich, checked ).
Temporary stays
Many newcomers start in a furnished flat or a sublet while they search. Get a written contract: Zurich city accepts a sublease as proof of address when you register (City of Zurich, checked ).
Should you search yourself, use a search agent or a relocation agency?
Search yourself if you are already in Zurich, can read German listings and can view at short notice. A home-search agent makes sense when you can’t attend viewings or need a flat fast. A relocation agency adds registration, schools and settling in to the flat hunt, which suits family moves and employer packages.
Whichever route you take, the lease is between you and the landlord, and the landlord may not charge you application or reservation fees (FOH, checked ). What you pay an agent or relocation firm is a separate contract with them, so get the scope and price in writing before they start.
Questions to ask any search agent
- Is the fee fixed, hourly or success-based, and what happens if no flat is found?
- Who attends viewings, and can they apply on your behalf?
- Do they cover your target districts or the wider canton?
- Will they check the lease and come to the handover?
- If your employer pays, what exactly does the package include?
Compare home-search specialists in Zurich and relocation agencies in Zurich. Our relocation agency comparison explains typical packages.
Three ways to search
| On your own | Home-search agent | Relocation agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best if | You’re in Zurich and flexible | You can’t attend viewings | Family move or employer package |
| Viewings | You go | The agent can go for you | A consultant can go for you |
| Beyond the flat | Nothing | Sometimes lease check and handover | Registration, schools, settling in |
| Cost | Your time | Agent’s fee, agreed in writing | Package price, sometimes paid by the employer |
Home-search help in Zurich
AAS Apartment Service
Serviced apartments · ZürichZurich provider of furnished and serviced business apartments (studio to 3.5 rooms) in central districts, with flexible lease terms and 24/7 on-call tenant support.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?AM Relocation
Apartment search · ZürichIndependent Swiss boutique relocation firm around Zurich (Gold/Silver Coast, Zürcher Oberland) whose most-requested service is home finding for expats and Swiss nationals.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?Blueground
Serviced apartments · ZürichInternational operator of furnished, move-in-ready apartments for stays from 30 days, active in Zurich and Basel with fully equipped kitchens and designer furnishings.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?What goes in a Zurich rental application dossier?
An application form, a short cover letter, a copy of your passport and permit or permit assurance, proof of income such as your employment contract or recent payslips, a recent extract from the debt enforcement register and references. Send it complete, as one file, on the day you view the flat.
Application forms typically ask about your job, salary, employer, number of children and nationality or permit (FOH, checked ); the canton lists a cover letter, a current debt register extract, references or payslips (zh.ch, checked ). Landlords may choose among applicants, but not on discriminatory grounds (FOH, checked ).
The debt register extract (Betreibungsauszug)
In Zurich city an extract costs CHF 17 plus postage. You can order it online, by post or at the counter with a passport, ID card or foreigner’s permit, and it is posted only to Swiss addresses (City of Zurich, checked ). It covers debt collection at your Swiss address, so a new arrival has little to show: add your employment contract and a reference from your employer or previous landlord.
Dossier checklist
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Debt extract
CHF 17
plus postage, in Zurich city.
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Application fee
CHF 0
landlords may not charge to apply for or reserve a flat.
Source FOH (opens in a new tab) ↗
What should you check before you sign a Zurich lease?
Check the rent, ancillary costs, notice terms and deposit. In the canton of Zurich the landlord must use an official form when telling you the initial rent. If you think it is abusive, you can challenge it at the conciliation authority within 30 days of taking over the flat. The deposit is capped at three months’ rent.
- Initial-rent form: required in the canton of Zurich for new residential leases since 1 November 2013 (zh.ch, checked ). Under federal law you may also ask what the previous tenant paid (CO Art. 256a, 257a–b, 266c, 270, checked ).
- Challenging the rent: within 30 days of taking over the flat, at your district’s conciliation authority, if you signed out of personal hardship or because of the local market, or if the rent is much higher than before (CO Art. 256a, 257a–b, 266c, 270, checked ) (Zurich courts, checked ).
- Deposit: at most three months’ rent, paid into a bank account in your name (CO Art. 257e, checked ). Our rental deposit guide explains how you get it back.
- Notice: for a flat, at least three months, to the dates set in the lease or by local custom (CO Art. 256a, 257a–b, 266c, 270, checked ). Note your termination dates.
- Handover report: at move-in, list every defect in writing, however small (FOH, checked ).
Household contents and personal liability insurance are not compulsory in Switzerland but are recommended, and some leases require them (zh.ch, checked ) (FOH, checked ).
How do you spot a rental scam in Zurich?
Be wary of a cheap, attractive flat whose owner is abroad and wants a deposit or advance before a viewing, often by money transfer, in return for posting the keys. Never pay anything before you have seen the flat and hold a signed lease, and pay deposits only into a bank deposit account in your name.
Swiss Crime Prevention describes exactly this pattern: once the money is sent, the ‘landlord’ disappears and the flat was never for rent (Swiss Crime Prevention, checked ). A genuine deposit goes into a bank account in the tenant’s name, never to a private account (CO Art. 257e, checked ). If you have been targeted, report it to the police.
What happens after you get the keys?
Register with the city within 14 days of moving in; arrivals from abroad need an appointment at the Personenmeldeamt. Book movers or storage early, set up the deposit account and keep the handover report safe. Then work through the insurance and tax deadlines of your first three months.
The city registers arrivals from abroad in person, with the lease or sublease, passport and job contract (City of Zurich, checked ); see registering at your commune for the full list. Shipping furniture? Our international movers guide and movers in Zurich help you compare quotes. Then follow the first 90 days checklist.
Relocation agencies in Zurich
Anchor Relocation Services
Destination services · ZürichZurich relocation company with 20+ years' experience supporting individuals, families and companies in the Zurich and Zug region, plus residential letting.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?Auris Relocation
Full-service relocation · ZürichRelocation and global mobility provider with nine Swiss offices offering immigration, destination services, move management and cross-cultural training.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?Bridging Cultures Relocation
Full-service relocation · ZürichZug-area relocation firm offering pre-move orientation, home finding, settling-in, schooling advice, cross-cultural training and departure services.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?Movers and storage in Zurich
Atlas International Movers
International movers · ZürichDutch-origin international mover with Swiss offices in Zurich and Geneva since 2020, handling international, domestic, corporate and office moves plus storage.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?BOXLY Self-Storage
Storage · ZürichSelf-storage operator with climate-controlled, video-monitored units and smartphone access at sites in Basel, Zurich (Dübendorf) and Lucerne.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?Crown Relocations
International movers · ZürichGlobal relocation firm with Swiss teams in Lausanne and Zurich handling international moves, storage, pet relocation and settling-in support.
Listed from public information. The business hasn’t checked it yet.
Is this your business?What else do expats ask about renting in Zurich?
How long does it take to find an apartment in Zurich?
There is no official figure, but with only 0.11% of the city’s homes empty in June 2026, expect competition. Book temporary accommodation to cover the search and have your dossier ready from day one.
Can I rent an apartment in Zurich before I arrive?
Yes, but you can’t attend viewings yourself, which is where a home-search agent or relocation agency helps: they can view and apply for you. You then register within 14 days of moving in.
What documents do I need to rent an apartment in Zurich?
Usually an application form, a cover letter, your passport and permit or permit assurance, an employment contract or payslips, a recent debt register extract and references.
Can I get a Betreibungsauszug if I've just moved to Switzerland?
Yes, once you have a Swiss address. In Zurich city it costs CHF 17 plus postage and is sent only to Swiss addresses. It will show little history, so add your employment contract and references.
Is it normal to pay a fee to apply for an apartment in Zurich?
No. Landlords may not charge for applying, reserving a flat or withdrawing an application, even if the form says so. An agent you hire yourself is a separate contract.
How much is the deposit for a flat in Zurich?
At most three months’ rent, paid into a bank account in your name, as everywhere in Switzerland.
Can I negotiate the rent in Zurich?
There is little room before signing in a market this tight. After signing, you can challenge the initial rent within 30 days of taking over the flat if the conditions of Art. 270 CO are met.
Sources
Last checked by the expat-services.ch editorial team
- City of Zurich Leichter Anstieg: 252 Leerwohnungen in Zürich (vacancy count, 1 June 2026; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Zurich Leerwohnungsziffer bleibt tief (canton of Zurich vacancy rate 2026; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Statistical Office (BFS), via WBF Leerwohnungsziffer fällt 2026 unter 1 Prozent (national vacancy count; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- City of Zurich Mietpreise 2024 in der Stadt Zürich (median net rents, existing leases; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Statistical Office (BFS) Rented dwellings: average rents 2024 by canton and by age of dwelling (in German) (opens in a new tab)
- City of Zurich Umsetzung wohnpolitischer Grundsatzartikel, Bericht 2020–2023 (27.0% non-profit share; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- City of Zurich Mietbedingungen für städtische Wohnungen (occupancy, income and residence rules; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- City of Zurich Ablauf bei Vermietungen von Wohnungen der Stadt (viewings by lottery; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- City of Zurich Auszug aus dem Betreibungsregister bestellen (CHF 17 plus postage; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- City of Zurich Zuzug in die Stadt Zürich (registration within 14 days, by appointment from abroad; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Zurich Welcome to the Canton of Zurich: living (finding a flat, application documents, insurance) (opens in a new tab)
- Canton of Zurich Formulare im Mietwesen (initial-rent form required since 1 November 2013; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Courts of the Canton of Zurich Anfechtung des Anfangsmietzinses (challenging the initial rent; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Fedlex, SR 220 Code of Obligations: previous rent (Art. 256a), ancillary costs (257a–b), notice for homes (266c), challenging the initial rent (270) (opens in a new tab)
- Fedlex, SR 220 Code of Obligations, Art. 257e: security deposits by tenants (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Office for Housing (FOH/BWO) Living in Switzerland: everything you need to know about renting an apartment (brochure, English) (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Office for Housing (FOH/BWO) Mortgage reference rate (1.25% since 2 September 2025; in German) (opens in a new tab)
- Swiss Crime Prevention (SKP/PSC) Betrug bei der Wohnungssuche (rental scams; in German) (opens in a new tab)