Question 1

Which flat size is best suited?

Accepted Answer

One- and two-room flats with a separable sleeping area meet the most frequent demand in Zurich — and often add up better than large flats. The reason lies in cleaning costs: a studio costs CHF 80 to 130 per changeover, a three-room flat CHF 160 to 250. Nightly rates rise with size, but not in the same proportion, because the number of paying guests is limited. What decides it is not the floor area but the layout: a separable sleeping area turns a two-room flat into an offer for two people who are not related to each other — two business travellers from the same company, say. That widens the guest circle considerably. A room you have to walk through does not, even at the same floor area.

Question 2

Do I need a parking space?

Accepted Answer

In the city of Zurich usually not; around Lake Zurich and in the surrounding area, yes. City guests arrive by train or from the airport; a parking space barely raises the nightly rate there, whereas in Wettswil or Thalwil it can decide a booking. One middle course is often overlooked: where there is no private space but public parking is available nearby, that belongs in the listing — with the cost stated. Guests arriving by car filter on this feature, and missing information is read as «no parking». Conversely, for the city: good transport links are the stronger selling point. Two tram minutes to the main station weigh more than a parking space nobody needs.

Question 3

What fittings do guests expect?

Accepted Answer

There is a basic standard whose absence leads to poor reviews, and extras that raise the price. The basic standard includes: reliable Wi-Fi with adequate bandwidth, a working kitchen with crockery for the maximum number of guests, bed linen and towels in duplicate, curtains or blinds that actually darken the room, and enough sockets where you need them — beside the bed and at the workspace. What raises the price: a washing machine in the flat, a real workspace with a desk and light, a balcony. What achieves little: expensive designer furniture. Guests rate cleanliness, fittings and location, not where the sofa came from. A frequent mistake is having only one set of textiles — at the changeover one set has to be ready while the other is in the wash.

Question 4

Is an electronic lock worth it?

Accepted Answer

It is the purchase that relieves you most, and we recommend it almost always. The reason: it detaches key handover from anyone being present. Without an electronic lock someone has to be on site at every arrival — and with guests arriving late in the evening from another time zone, that is the point at which self-management fails in practice. With an access code that changes with each booking, it falls away entirely. Two points on implementation: with condominium ownership, replacing a lock cylinder can require the association’s consent, because the building’s locking system is affected. And a battery-powered lock needs its charge monitored — a dead lock at midnight is worse than no electronic lock. We check both before proposing one.

Question 5

How important are professional photographs?

Accepted Answer

They are the one item of expenditure we advise spending on — because the guest’s decision is made in the results list, not on the detail page. A guest sees a picture and a price first; everything else comes afterwards or never. What makes a good shot: daylight rather than a ceiling lamp, cleared surfaces, a wide angle without distortion, and a first image showing the main room in its full depth. What harms: phone shots under artificial light, sloping horizons, personal items in frame. We take the photographs ourselves and replace them when the flat changes — a listing with pictures from three years ago leads to disappointment on arrival, and that comes through in the review.

Question 6

Do I have to furnish the flat if it is empty?

Accepted Answer

Yes, short-term letting is not possible without furnishing — but the amount can be steered, and part of it can be taken over from what is already there. Strictly necessary: beds with proper mattresses, textiles in duplicate, a working kitchen with crockery, a table and chairs, blackout. What has effect without being expensive: good lighting, sockets in the right places, a workspace with a desk and chair. We put a list together before you buy anything, and also say what we advise against: seating groups that narrow the room, delicate surfaces, rugs in circulation areas. With furnished letting, wear is moreover deductible for tax as a flat rate in many cantons — that belongs in the calculation.

Question 7

Which location works best in Zurich?

Accepted Answer

There is not one best location but several that appeal to different guests — and that matters more for pricing than any ranking. The old town and Seefeld live on sights and location; guests stay longer and pay more if the flat delivers what the address promises. Oerlikon depends on dates: trade fairs, the Hallenstadion, the universities. Occupancy there is high during major events and quieter in between, which requires a look at the events calendar. Zurich West attracts a younger crowd active in the evening — good weekend occupancy, but house rules play a larger role in guest selection. Around Lake Zurich longer stays predominate: expats between flats, project assignments. Location therefore determines not just the price but the whole way the property is run.

Question 8

Is a flat without a lift suitable?

Accepted Answer

Suitable yes, but it costs more permanently — and that item appears in no listing. The reason is cleaning: every change of linen on the fourth floor without a lift is manual work up stairs, and cleaning firms factor that in when they bill by time. Over a year with twelve changeovers a month that makes a measurable difference. On the guest side there is more: families with a pram and older guests filter for a lift, which narrows the guest circle. And anyone arriving with large luggage — business travellers on a multi-week assignment — rates the climb worse than a weekend guest does. It is not a disqualifying criterion, but it belongs in the calculation, and the listing should state the floor along with a note that there is no lift.

Question 9

What about noise and neighbours?

Accepted Answer

This is the most frequent reason an arrangement ends — not the figures. Neighbours annoyed by changing guests turn to the property management, and with condominium ownership that can turn into a change of rules prohibiting the use. In 2019 the Federal Supreme Court upheld such a ban; the case decided concerned intensive use of communal areas by guests. What helps in practice: clear house rules in the listing with quiet hours, a ban on parties, a maximum number of guests, and a minimum length of stay that makes weekend parties unattractive. What also helps and is rarely done: telling the neighbours beforehand. Someone who knows guests are coming, and whom to turn to, complains to the management less often.

Question 10

Are period flats suitable?

Accepted Answer

Guests like them, and they are more demanding to run. In their favour: high ceilings, stucco, parquet — features that photograph well and stand out in the results list. Against them are practical matters: sound insulation between flats is regularly weaker in older buildings, which leads to complaints with changing guests. Windows are often single-glazed, which means heating costs in winter and street noise in summer. Plumbing is older and more prone to failure. And house rules in older buildings are frequently stricter, because the buildings have been lived in longer. We would not rule out a period flat — but we check sound insulation and windows before agreeing, because both are hard and expensive to change afterwards.

Question 11

How many guests should I allow?

Accepted Answer

As many as can sleep properly — not as many as theoretically fit. The temptation to list a sofa bed as an additional sleeping place is strong, because the nightly rate rises with the number of guests. The price for it is worse reviews: someone sleeping on a sofa bed in the living room rates the stay differently from someone in the bedroom. And reviews last longer than a single supplement. Two practical points: the maximum in the listing should match reality, because overcrowding is the most frequent occasion for complaints from neighbours. And the fittings have to match the number — crockery, towels and seats for full occupancy, not half. Where that is missing, you get exactly the reviews that push the price down.

Question 12

What do I do with personal belongings?

Accepted Answer

Clear them away, and completely. That applies not only to valuables but to everything personal: photographs, documents, clothing, medicines, post. Two reasons, the second of which is frequently overlooked. First, security: what is accessible can disappear, and the insurance position on theft during a letting is not settled in every case — household contents policies regularly exclude commercial use. Second, the effect: guests in a flat with someone else’s family photographs behave differently from guests in a neutrally furnished one. They feel like intruders, and that comes through in the review. What has proved itself in practice is a lockable cupboard or cellar compartment for whatever is to stay. Everything else belongs out of the flat.

Which flat is suitable for Airbnb in Zurich?