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Hundreds queue for Zurich apartment viewing on freezing night

The Local
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Hundreds queue for Zurich apartment viewing on freezing night
The apartment in the Glattbogen development is owned by the Asig housing cooperative. Photo: Asig

Over 500 people queued up on Tuesday evening for the chance to rent a three-bedroom apartment with a price tag of just €1,000 Swiss francs (€880) in Zurich, according to reports.

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The apartment in a family-friendly part of Zurich’s Oerlikon district was renovated in 2011, according to Swiss news site 20 Minuten.

One reader of the site said she had waited an hour and a half to see the apartment.

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“Many people left because of the cold, and the long waiting time,” she said.

The kitchen of one of Asig's Glattbogen properties. File photo: Asig

The reader said that once she had seen the apartment, she had immediately wanted to apply. However, because of the high interest levels there were no forms left and she had to go online to download the paperwork.

The property belongs to the Asig housing cooperative.

Rent is so low because it is based purely on the original cost of the apartment without a profit mark-up, Asig manager Reto Betschart said.

He said interest for these properties was always high and up to 200 people were usually expected at viewings.

He added that the cooperatives's application procedures were clearly geared towards “efficient” use of properties and that, in the current case, a family would have a far better chance of being successful.

On the other hand, a couple without children would be unlikely to be accepted for the three-bedroom apartment he said.

Read also: 'A lot of the Swiss rental market is about personal connections'

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