- Working from home: how to organise your day
- Information on coronavirus
- Salary and housing costs
- The smartest irrigation systems
- Residence for Seniors or a Nursing Home? Tips
- Vacation! Who takes care of your apartment?
- Which municipality in the canton Aargau suits me?
- Keep your vacation home secure against burglary
- This is how I secure my house during winter times
- Living in the french-speaking part of Switzerland
- Tips on Living with Pets
- In Switzerland, community aid is booming
- Differences in Housing
- What to do if you lose your key(s)
- Housing search for seniors: Over 65 difficult
- Heating: what temperature should each room be?
- Fitting lamps made easy
- Smart home systems
Information on coronavirus
The current situation in terms of the spread of coronavirus is having a huge impact on our day-to-day lives. The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recommends staying at home as much as possible and reducing social contact to a minimum. We have put together a few recommendations on how to go about looking for a new home and moving house.
Finding a property
Can I still look for properties in the current situation?
All homegate.ch services are still available. You can look for a new home and browse our adverts at any time. We are also working on guides to viewings via video link or similar to make it easier for you to view properties.
What do I do if I want to find a tenant?
If you’re looking for a tenant to rent your property, you can still advertise on homegate.ch. Make sure that your advert is as clear as possible and provide photos of every room. This means you can keep any viewings as brief as possible. Keep in mind our tips on viewings in the section "Property viewings". You can also view our list of 360° providers to help you offer digital viewings here (in German).
Would you like to advertise your property on homegate.ch, but you are not currently conducting viewings? We now offer the option to pause an advert temporarily. Your advert will remain live, but enquiries will not be forwarded until it is reactivated.
What does it mean when an advert on homegate.ch is marked as ‘paused’?
If an advert is paused, it means that viewings of that property are not currently available. However, you can still register your interest using the contact form, so you will be notified as soon as viewings are available again.
Property viewings
Can I still have viewings?
Yes, viewings are still permitted. However, it is important you stick to the rules set out by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) at all times. There are also further recommendations you can follow for additional safety:
What should I consider with viewings?
- For the person giving a viewing:
- Offer video viewings where possible. This means you can avoid physical contact entirely.
- You should not conduct any viewings under any circumstances if you have symptoms of illness.
- Plan your viewing so that only one person views the apartment at a time. Avoid group viewings.
- Stay at least two metres away from other people.
- Provide hand sanitiser and soap. Ask the person viewing the property to wash or disinfect their hands before beginning the viewing.
- Open the doors to all the rooms you need to access in advance to avoid touching anything as much as possible.
For people viewing a home:
- You must stay at home if you have symptoms of illness.
- Avoid shaking hands and other physical contact with other people.
- Stay at least two metres away from other people.
- Take hand sanitiser to the viewing with you if possible.
- Try not to touch anything.
Is virtual home viewing an option?
As an alternative to a viewing, you can find a list of our partners offering a 360° or virtual tour here (German).
Moving house during coronavirus
Can I still move house?
Yes, you can move house at any time. Plan your move with as few people to help you move as possible. Removal companies are still permitted to handle home moves. Removal companies are instructed to follow all guidelines issued by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
- Provide the movers with soap or hand sanitiser to be safe.
- Avoid shaking hands and other physical contact.
- Stay at least two metres away from other people.
- Where possible, do not stay in the same room as your movers.
- If people you know are helping you move, follow the rules above and use as few people as possible.
- Cancel any plans for a thank-you dinner and schedule it for a later date.
Can my home handover take place?
Yes, home handovers can continue to take place. Please check whether this is possible without physical contact, such as via a video link. If this is not possible, you should also adhere to the provisions of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
Our local community
How can we work together to support our local community?
In these times, it's very important that we support one another. In particular, at-risk groups, such as people aged over 65 or those with underlying conditions, must be protected. If you have a neighbour in need, offer them your assistance, for example with shopping. However, do not ring their doorbell. Instead, you should offer your support in writing in order to avoid physical contact.
Countless Facebook and WhatsApp groups have also sprung up with the aim of bringing together volunteers and those who need help and assistance. Here is a good example: www.hilf-jetzt.ch.
Important: if you or someone close to you experiences symptoms of the virus, you must stay at home.
Thank you for your help at this difficult time. If you have any further questions, please contact us via our contact form.