We’ve seen tents on balconies in Zurich advertised as “rooms with a view” and a shop in Basel offering a place to stay for 3.300 Swiss francs a night, but now we have something arguably even sillier: the property listing website Homegate has advertised a nine-square-metre room in a shared house in Canton Zurich for 1.080 francs a month. The twist? The bedroom in question is actually a bathroom.
Finding a house or apartment to rent in Switzerland can be a challenge, especially with overpriced housing and rental costs going through the roof. A recent study by the KOF research institute found that rental costs in Zurich have increased by 3,7 percent in the last month alone.
This has led to some innovative housing solutions for people hoping to live in Zurich to study at university or pursue a job, encapsulated by a new listing on Homegate, which has advertised a “Furnished Bijou Shared Room” in Dübendorf for 1.080 francs a month.
The house share has eight rooms with a kitchen, living and storage area. The property is also only 10 minutes away from the centre of Zurich and Zurich Airport via public transport. However, the room advertised in the shared house may dampen many a renter's enthusiasm, as it is a 9-metre squared shower room with a bed.
According to the images in the listing, the “fully furnished room” boasts a single bed, mirror, sink, radiator and a shower cubicle. The cost of all this luxury? 1.080 Swiss francs a month - perhaps no wonder that the listing says that the property “should definitely be viewed in person.”
Of course, with an ad as silly as this, it is likely that the offer of a shower bedroom for rent may be a joke or a protest. Indeed, the tent on a balcony advertised in Zurich turned out to be a political stunt by the Young Green Liberals of Zurich, who were protesting excessive rental prices. However, at the time of writing, no organisation has come forward to claim the shower room as their own.
You can check out the listing on the Homegate website.