Apply unseen, but do not sign unseen
Sending an application without a viewing is possible. According to the FDPIC leaflet on application forms for rental flats (updated 15 July 2025), the form is usually filled in after the viewing. So expect some advertisers to ask you to come by, or to send someone.
A safe order when you cannot be there
- Apply and explain. Say why you cannot come and when you could.
- Send a person you trust. A friend or colleague views for you, takes photos and asks your questions.
- Ask for a live video tour. You see the rooms and the building and can ask on the spot.
- Read the lease before you sign. Rent, ancillary costs, notice dates, deposit.
- Pay the deposit the proper way. Under Art. 257e OR the landlord must place a cash deposit with a bank, in a savings account or deposit in the tenant's name. For homes it may be at most three months' rent.
Why seeing it matters
A signed lease binds you. If you hand the flat back early, Art. 264 OR frees you from your duties only if you propose a new tenant who is solvent, acceptable to the landlord and willing to take over the lease on the same terms. Otherwise you owe the rent until the lease ends or can be ended. Photos do not show noise, light, smells or the stairwell.
The scam rule
Swiss Crime Prevention (skppsc.ch) describes the pattern: an attractive flat at a low price, an owner who says it is still free, and a request to transfer a deposit before viewing and key handover, mostly through a money transfer service.
| Situation | Advice of Swiss Crime Prevention |
|---|---|
| Deposit by money transfer, no valid lease, no viewing | Never pay |
| Owner abroad offers to send the key against a deposit | Ignore the advert |
| Advert too good to be true | Ignore the advert |
Live Tours on aptari
An agency on aptari can show a flat live in the browser to many people at once. Renters join from phone or laptop when an agency offers one. You see the flat without travelling and decide afterwards whether a visit in person is worth the trip. Your Tenant Passport keeps the dossier ready (ID, salary certificate, debt extract, references), so you can apply the same day.
This is general information, not legal advice.