Find a cooperative apartment in Zurich today.
In the greater Zürich area, almost 100 cooperatives advertise available apartments online. On average, around 20 apartments are listed per week. Even more interesting than such isolated ads, however, are the initial leases of new-build projects by cooperatives. These are often so-called replacement new builds: an aging estate is replaced by a new building. This usually means densification and thus more living space. Not infrequently, around 100 apartments are leased at once in such projects. Your chances of getting a cooperative apartment in Zürich are particularly good with these lettings. However, you need to go into it well prepared. Here we explain what you should watch out for with initial leases by cooperatives in Zürich.
The key points in a nutshell
- Prepare the documents early - you can draft the motivation letter weeks in advance
- Be online on time - often only a limited number of applications are accepted
- Don't rely on the length of the leasing window - the apartments are often gone before then
Prepare the documents early
Building a new estate takes years. Accordingly, we also monitor the various projects of the cooperatives over a long period. We share our findings with you on our website, of course. For some new-build projects, the leasing window is announced very early (weeks in advance). For others, it remains a mystery until the end. What is certain, though, is that the leasing will happen at some point. It pays to prepare various documents early. You can use our checklist for this. We recommend creating a folder on your computer for each project that interests you. You can then keep certain documents there, such as the motivation letter (ideally with a photo!), ready until it's time. You can view our tips for the application letter here. The debt enforcement register extract usually has to be less than 3 months old, so unfortunately you'll need to order one every now and then to stay ready. By the way: Where possible, we send our subscribers an advance warning about 10 days before the initial leasing of a cooperative estate. A second email is then sent when the leasing window is open. Unfortunately, many cooperatives do not disclose the leasing start date. In such cases, we can't provide a warning in advance and only inform you when the application process starts. It has also happened that the initial leasing was delayed by several months: in one case, September was announced and we sent a warning accordingly. In the end, however, leasing didn't happen until February.
Be online on time
This point is really extremely important. If a time is given on the initial leasing page, we recommend going online exactly then. If the leasing start is announced for 17:00, you should really click onto the website at that time. Sometimes the portals are overloaded due to high demand. Recently, when the new estate in Oberengstringen by Baugenossenschaft Schönheim was being leased, nothing worked at first for about 15 minutes (see photo). But after that we were able to apply. It's worth reloading the website repeatedly and possibly trying different browsers. For us, Chrome worked best last time. By the way: sometimes the leasing start is delayed by a few minutes because someone at the cooperative has to click something manually to "open" the portal. You need to be patient and keep reloading the page. So far, it has never happened to us that an initial leasing with an exact date and time was announced and then didn't take place. One more point: if no time is given, we recommend checking regularly from 8:00 in the morning. That time is quite popular with cooperatives. Initial leasings also often start at 17:00 in our experience.
Don't rely on the length of the leasing window
For some initial leasings by cooperatives, a time period during which you can apply is specified. For example, it might say: Leasing takes place from 1–7 January. At the same time, however, only a limited number of applications per apartment is often accepted. In such cases, the length of the leasing window is irrelevant. It is based on an estimate by the cooperative and is often shortened due to high demand. If it states that only a limited number of applications per apartment will be accepted, it's really essential that you apply as soon as the portal opens. At Baugenossenschaft Schönheim, it recently said you could apply for a week. However, the apartments in Oberengstringen were all gone on the first evening, precisely because the number of applications was limited.
You should only wait with your application if it explicitly states that all applications will be considered. That was the case last year, for example, with the Projekt Tokeh at Baugenossenschaft Vrenelisgärtli.
Conclusion: With preparation and punctuality, initial leasings at cooperatives are relatively stress-free
Initial leasings at cooperatives can be hectic. With the right preparation and the insider tips we've shared here with you, it should work out relatively stress-free. Ideally, prepare your motivation letter in advance and make sure you always have a current debt enforcement register extract on hand. You should also have commonly requested information (salary, employment, references) readily available.
So you don't miss any new-build project, we naturally also recommend our Suchabo. Where possible, we send an advance warning about 10 days before the respective leasing start to our subscribers. This gives them time to prepare all the documents. Sometimes this isn't possible because the exact date is kept secret. In any case, our users receive an email as soon as the leasing portal is open. That way they can be among the first to apply. We also share important information about initial leasings on our website under the new-build projects section.
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Baugenossenschaft Vrenelisgärtli