Geneva
Finding Accommodation, Flatsharing, Hostels in Geneva
Some permits (B and C) imply that you are resident in Switzerland, the "cross-border" G permit means that you must live in France and work in Switzerland as a "frontalier". Depending on your category, you may look for an accommodation either in the canton of Geneva, either in France in the areas of Ain and Haute-Savoie (Gex, St Julien en Genevois, Annemasse...).
Members of the Union Suisse des Professionnels de l'Immobilier de Genève (USPI) manage about 70% of the letting accommodation in Geneva (residential and commercial premises). Set up in 1879, with the name of Société des Régisseurs, USPI is a professional estate association that groups today about forty active members in property management, broker and surveyor business.
The lodging service of the Centre d'Accueil Genève Internationale (CAGI) gives a list of vacancies of accommodations (bourse du logement du CAGI) for international organisations, NGO, Consulates, International Sport Federations. USPI-Geneva section is one of the main member of CAGI and get regular updates and offers through the network.
However searching may be difficult as the market in properties is currently in crisis in Geneva with very few vacancies. As demand exceeds offer, it is useless to post accommodation search ads, chances are low that someone will answer.
Some tips to finding accommodation...
In the ad section published by free magasines:
- Genève Home Informations (GHI) ( http://www.ghi.ch),
- 022 (twice a month, on Monday)
- Tout l'immobilier ( http://www.toutimmo.ch), every week, on Monday, with more than 200 000 prints.
Newspapers:
- Each Monday, the additional Leman Express of 24 heures and of La Tribune de Genève publishes several ad pages throughout the French-speaking areas of Switzeland.
- On Tuesday, La Tribune de Genève publishes its own accommodation section.
- Each Wednesday: the additional accommodation print of the Temps.
On the Internet :
- http://www.geneveimmobilier.ch (about twenty estate agencies, 80% of the market),
- http://www.swissimo.ch,
- http://www.uspi-geneve.ch (USPI) : you can access the websites of the members. Better than subscribing on the agency website, go and meet them directly as a face to face contact is always better.
For social estates : Office cantonal du logement
For youths and interns, you can contact the Centre d'Accueil - Genève Internationale.
Youth Hostels, cheap prices, temporary solutions
- Youth Hostels:
- Cheap hotels (50 CHF per personne):
http://www.myswitzerland.com/fr/reservation_preiswert.cfm
- Bed and Breakfast Switzerland (from 25 CHF a night with breakfast):
http://www.bnb.ch
Update 13/01/2010
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21/08/2007
022 newspaper is dead long time ago
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