Expats new in Geneva must decide: Share an apartment or rent your own?

Sharing an apartment with other expats in Geneva? Or rent your own? Both options have advantages and disadvantages. There are practical and personal aspects to consider before making your decision.

Obviously there are personal preferences when it comes to the question whether you prefer to rent an apartment in Geneva or find a shared apartment possibly with other expats in Geneva. Do I like to live with other expats in Geneva who I don’t know very well yet? How much privacy do I need? Am I OK with living on my own?

Besides the personal aspects there is the obvious question about your budget. Renting an apartment in Geneva is generally very expensive, especially because it’s really hard to get the cheaper offers. Sharing an apartment, possibly with other expats in Geneva, can be a major advantage money-wise: Not only the part of the rent you must pay is usually way lower compared to when you rent your own apartment in Geneva. Also you can split your cost of lots of other things you may need with your expat house mates in Geneva: Internet, cleaning material, basically any common stuff you will have to buy, and cooking together can save you money, too. From the budget perspective renting a room in shared apartment is clearly the way to go.

There is another big advantage of sharing a an apartment with expats in Geneva: A room in a shared apartment is usually way easier to get than a whole apartment! Normally you don’t have to deal with a real estate company who checks your finances, your work and legal situation, you won’t have the language problems, etc. If you share an apartment usually what it takes is making a nice impression to your future flatmates! Just remember once your moving out, it can get complicated: who pays for the damages in your rental apartment in Geneva, who officially holds the contract and deals with the real estate company landlord in charge?

On flatsforexpats.com you find both rooms in shared apartments with other expats in Geneva and whole apartments to rent. Good luck for the apartment search!