Please note that everyone is responsible of contacting the landlords on their own, either by email or by phone, precising that you are already in Switzerland, working for EPFL, with a salary and a residency permit if this is the case.
If you are not yet in the country, the best would be to organise a few days’ trip in order to make a few visits. This will allow you to get a better sense of the city and meet some people in Geneva, however it will not guarantee that you will find a place during this trip.
If you have no possibility to proceed this way, you will have to make your search from abroad and we highly recommend you to search for a temporary place for 2 to 3 months at your arrival in order to have a place to stay. Finding a place by being on the spot is easier than from abroad.
Please see the temporary options in the paragraph “Short term housing options” below.
Please note that in Geneva, the kitchen is counted as a room. A 2 piece apartment will then have one main room (used as a sitting- and a bed-room) as well as a kitchen.
While looking for a place, the location is very important.
Do not select only the city of Geneva in your search criteria. Indeed, the cities and villages surrounding Geneva are very well served by public transports. In order to find a suitable housing, not too far from the public transports, use the CFF website. It will give you precise commuting times and many options and useful information.
If you can, it is always better to contact the landlords by phone, but if you write an email, be precise, short and straight to the point. Your goal is to make a visit of the place/get in touch with the landlord.
Most of the landlords do not necessarily speak English, therefore we would highly suggest you to write in French (using google translation for example) in order to get in touch with them or ask the help of a colleague or friend.
Lab secretaries cannot help you with this as they are not always available and very busy with lab works.
You will find on our website a lot of relevant information related to housing.
The access to the housing portal is restricted to admitted Bachelor, Master and PhD students ONLY, who have already received their GASPAR account.
Please note that the portal gathers mainly ads around Lausanne area. Geneva’s Campus being about 60 minutes away from Lausanne’s train station, it is however interesting to search in this area or in between Lausanne and Geneva as well.
Would you be interested in a pdf list of apartment ads from our portal, please ask us by email.
There are possibilities of renting rooms with private landlords or in a private structure and we encourage everyone to pursue these options.
You can find more information as well as a list of websites dedicated to flatshares on our website.
Please be aware of scams!
You will find on our website a lot of relevant information concerning the conditions required by real estate agencies.
Note that the rental of an apartment with a real estate agency in Switzerland is extremely difficult when you look from abroad. Many conditions are required in order to hope to get a housing. Do not hesitate to contact the real estate agencies before visiting a place in order to know about their conditions, the documents and the guaranties that you will have to give. (for ex: Swiss guarantor)
Some useful links for your search:
We highly recommend anyone arriving from abroad to bring their search down to rooms with private owners or flat-sharing or even a temporary room. They will not ask you for a Swiss guarantor as the agencies do.
Please contact the student halls directly in order to know about their conditions and availabilities :
- Student hall Point Commun
- Student hall with the Régie Foncière: Student hall open to anyone, student or not.
- Protestant University Center (only in French): Open to Bachelor, Master and exchanges students as well as to PhD students.
- La Maison des étudiants Grand Morillon: priority is given to students of the Graduate Institute Geneva but accepts students from other institutions.
- Student hall Omestay
While looking for a place, the location is very important.
Do not select only the city of Geneva in your search criteria. Indeed, the cities and villages surrounding Geneva are very well served by public transports. In order to find a suitable housing, not too far from the public transports, use the CFF website. It will give you precise commuting times and many options and useful information.
Links to external sites are provided to facilitate your search. We cannot and do not provide any guarantee with regard to the accuracy or the maintenance of the content of these sites. Furthermore, we recommend you take care as unfortunately there can be dishonest users on even the most reliable sites. The Housing Information team can advise you in case of doubt.
Nevertheless, we decline any responsibility for any financial loss or other consequence linked to your use of these sites.