It is one of the most common housing situations in Zurich – and one of the most stressful: your old lease ends at the end of the month, but the new flat only becomes available weeks or months later. In between yawns a gap that quickly adds up to a four-figure sum if you fill it with hotel nights. Or the reverse case: you are new to Zurich, the job has already started, but you have no flat yet – and the housing market famously refuses to be rushed.

This article looks at the options for the transition period, what they realistically cost, and what to think about in the weeks before you move.

Why housing gaps are so common in Zurich

Zurich combines short notice periods with a sluggish housing market. The official moving dates (end of March, end of June, end of September) bundle everyone’s moves together, and when you do find a new flat, the start of the lease rarely lines up neatly with the end of the old one. Typical causes of a gap:

Offset lease start: the new flat becomes available two to eight weeks after your move-out date.
Renovation or new build: the handover date slips – with new buildings, often more than once.
Moving to Zurich: the job starts immediately, but finding a flat typically takes two to four months.
Buying a home: there is a gap between selling the old property and taking over the new one.
Separation or life change: one person suddenly needs their own place – with no time for a long search.

The options at a glance

Hotel: expensive from the first week

For two or three nights, a hotel is unbeatably straightforward. From a week onwards it becomes the most expensive option: in Zurich, CHF 200 per night is quickly reached, so a month costs more than most rents – with no kitchen, no washing machine and no space for boxes.

Staying with friends or family: cheap, but limited

The guest room at a friend’s place works well for a few days. Over several weeks it becomes a strain for everyone involved – especially if you work from home or the transition drags on longer than planned.

Subletting: a good fit, if the timing works

Sublets (for example while the main tenant is abroad) can be a good and often affordable solution. The catch is the timing: you need to find a flat whose window matches your gap exactly – and the selection is small. If you want certainty, do not rely on this alone.

Furnished temporary housing: the plannable solution

Furnished apartments with flexible rental periods are made precisely for this situation: you rent from one month, extend month by month if needed, and move in with two suitcases. Kitchen, Wi-Fi, bed linen and utilities are included, and you get a proper rental contract – important if you need to register with the city during the transition. You will find our offers under temporary housing in Zurich; for shorter gaps of a few nights up to four weeks there is the short-term rental option.

What does the transition realistically cost?

Let us take an example: a six-week gap for one person.

Hotel (3-star): roughly CHF 180–250 per night → CHF 7,500–10,500, without a kitchen or laundry
Furnished studio: an all-inclusive monthly rate, depending on size and location usually well below hotel costs – for six weeks, roughly a half to a third
Sublet: often the cheapest, but hard to plan and rarely with a matching window

On top of that, every option involves furniture storage: a storage unit for a three-room flat costs roughly CHF 200–400 per month in and around Zurich. Many moving companies offer combined packages of transport and storage – almost always worth it, because your furniture is only handled once.

Checklist for the transition period

Quantify the gap precisely: move-out date and a realistic (not optimistic) move-in date – for new builds, add a buffer of two to four weeks.
Secure the temporary flat early: furnished apartments are plannable – enquiring four to six weeks ahead gives you the best selection. Negotiate an extension option right away.
Organise furniture storage: get quotes from two or three moving companies and ask about combined transport-plus-storage packages.
Redirect your post: set up mail forwarding with Swiss Post – a temporary address works just like any other address.
Clarify registration: if the transition lasts more than three months, register at the temporary address; a rental contract for the temporary flat makes this straightforward.
Check your insurance: household contents and personal liability insurance usually also cover the temporary home – a quick call gives you certainty.
Internet and everyday life: in furnished apartments, Wi-Fi is included – one item fewer on the list. For hotels and sublets, check in advance.

Our conclusion

The housing gap is not an exception in Zurich – it is everyday life, and the solutions for it are correspondingly mature. If you only need to bridge a few nights, a hotel or a short-term rental works well. From two to three weeks onwards, a furnished apartment is almost always the most relaxed and most economical option: plannable, with a rental contract, all-inclusive, and extendable month by month in case the move-in date slips again.

If you are facing a gap like this right now: have a look at our temporary housing offers or simply send us your dates – we reply within eight hours with genuinely available options.

Temporary housing in Zurich: bridging the gap between two apartments