Frequently asked questions

Yes. For people looking for a home, NIVOZA is free, for ever: search, Radar, True Budget, comparison, favourites and requests. For agencies and owners, everything is free during the launch.

The Base offer will stay free. A Pro offer (monthly subscription) and featured listings will come later. Prices will be announced at least 3 months ahead and nothing is charged without express agreement.

A score out of 100 that says how well a home fits your criteria: budget (30 points), location (25), rooms (20), priority feature (15) and way of life (10). Every line is explained. It is neither artificial intelligence nor a prediction.

It adds up rent, service charges and running costs (energy, transport, insurance, Serafe fee). For a purchase: interest, amortisation and upkeep. All assumptions are shown and can be changed. It is an estimate, not financial advice.

Yes. Every listing is read by our team before it goes online. You can report a doubtful listing from its page.

Not to search, ask for a viewing or send a message. Yes to apply, so you can follow your application in your space. Your favourites stay in your browser as long as you are not signed in.

None at first: household size, an income range and the preferred move-in date. If the agency picks your application, it asks you for the documents itself.

It stays in NIVOZA’s database, hosted in Switzerland, and is used only for your request. Your e-mail address is not given to the agency before it replies. You can ask for your data to be deleted at any time.

They are optimised automatically: straightened, brightened, colours corrected. No flaw is removed, no room is enlarged. Added furniture carries the label “Virtual staging” and the original stays visible.

They show how NIVOZA works before agency listings arrive. They are neither for rent nor for sale.

Create your agency space, add your listings and photos. Every listing is checked before it goes online. To import many listings, write to us.

Usually you view the home, then send an application to the agency: often an ID or residence permit, a recent extract from the debt enforcement register and proof of income. If you are chosen, you sign the lease, pay the rent deposit and do the move-in inspection. On NIVOZA, no document is needed at the start.

A security paid at the start of the lease. For a home it may not exceed three months’ rent (art. 257e of the Swiss Code of Obligations) and must be placed in a bank account in the tenant’s name. A guarantee company can replace it for a yearly premium. It is returned at the end of the lease if the landlord has no claim.

More than the advertised rent: add service charges (heating, hot water), energy and internet, household and liability insurance, the Serafe radio and TV fee, and often transport or a parking space. NIVOZA True Budget adds these items up; every assumption is visible and can be changed.

Banks usually ask for at least 20 % of the price as equity, of which at least 10 % must not come from the 2nd pillar pension. They also check that the theoretical cost (5 % interest, amortisation, maintenance of 1 % a year) does not exceed a third of gross income. True Budget does this calculation as a guide.

Notary and land register fees and, depending on the canton, property transfer tax: often 2 to 5 % of the price in total. Some cantons, such as Zurich, charge no transfer tax. These costs come on top of the equity. True Budget estimates them at 3 %; the notary gives the exact amount.

Across Switzerland, in all 26 cantons, in French, German, Italian and English. NIVOZA launched in 2026 and starts in French-speaking Switzerland.