Offices for rent in Switzerland

Renting an office in Switzerland often means renting a floor and then having it finished yourself. A good share of office space, especially in newer buildings in Zurich West, Geneva's Pont-Rouge district or around Lausanne-Malley, is handed over at a basic finish. How much money and time lies between signing and your first working day depends mostly on that one line in the listing.

Three levels of finish

• Rohbau (bare shell): structure, facade and service connections. No floors, ceilings, lighting or partitions. Only worth it on a long lease.
• Edelrohbau (basic finish): screed, ceiling and the main electrical, heating and ventilation installations are in place; flooring, lighting, partitions and network cabling are yours to add.
• Ausgebaut (fitted): ready to move in, sometimes with the previous tenant's furniture. Faster, with little say over the layout.

Who pays for the fit-out

The tenant usually pays for their own fit-out. On longer leases, though, landlords often contribute with a fit-out allowance or a few rent-free months, and that's open to negotiation. Settle the end of the lease too, before you sign: do you have to restore the original state, or can your fit-out stay? If the landlord agreed to the works in writing and they leave a considerable added value, Swiss law gives you a claim to compensation unless the contract excludes it. Put all of this in writing.

When a full office is too much

For a team of two or three, or a project with an open end date, a coworking desk may be the saner choice: furnished, no fit-out, often cancellable month to month. Another route is renting a spare room inside someone else's office, which needs their landlord's consent to the sublet.

Filter by town, floor area and price, and message whoever posted the office directly through the listing.