Studios for rent in Switzerland

A studio is a single living room with a kitchen or kitchenette and a bathroom of your own. It's also the first home of many students in Lausanne, Geneva, Neuchâtel and Fribourg, which makes late summer the most crowded time to look. The university year starts in mid-September, and starting your search in June or July leaves more to choose from than August does.

Furnished or unfurnished

An unfurnished studio (non meublé) often comes with a fitted kitchen and nothing else. Sometimes even the light fittings are missing, leaving bare wires in the ceiling. You'll usually sign up for electricity in your own name and arrange internet yourself. A furnished one (meublé) costs more but is liveable from the first night, which suits an exchange semester, an internship or a few months' assignment. In that case have an inventory of the furniture signed along with the move-in inspection, and ask whether the charges are a flat fee (no yearly statement) or paid in advances.

Studio, room or flatshare

Under Swiss contract law, a furnished room rented on its own can be terminated with two weeks' notice. A studio, even a furnished one, is normally treated as an apartment and needs three months' notice. Some furnished studios come on a fixed-term lease that simply ends on the agreed date without notice, often the easiest option for a short stay. A flatshare costs less per head, but you either share the lease or depend on whoever signed it.

Renting without a payslip

Without a regular income, régies generally ask for a guarantor, often a parent, who then supplies their own payslips and debt-collection extract. The housing offices of the universities and colleges also publish their own offers, so check them alongside this search.

Filter by town and maximum rent, and choose the furnished option if you're arriving with a single suitcase.