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Accommodation

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General information

The University of Neuchâtel is in the heart of the city, and has no campus in the strict sense of the word.

Students live either in residences, homestay arrangements or shared apartments; they can also register for the Appart-Âges programme, which aims to create links between generations.

The UniNE cannot guarantee housing to the entire student body; however, every effort is made to secure as much accommodation as possible. We recommend that you find accommodation before the academic year begins, and urge you to begin looking as soon as possible.

The UniNE maintains a database of the accommodation on offer for those studying at the University, accessible only to registered students. You can access this database directly using your personal UniNE credentials:

Average accommodation costs
The average cost of a room varies from CHF 450.- to CHF 800.- per month.

Different forms of accommodation

Things to consider before signing a lease

Termination period

The law stipulates a notice period of at least three months; the date on which you can terminate your rental agreement is specified in your lease.

As a general rule, if no such date is indicated in the lease, the ordinary lease termination days – which differ from one canton to another – will apply.

In the canton of Neuchâtel, for example, there are only three lease termination days per year: March 31, June 30 and September 30.

Rental guarantee

What is a rental guarantee?

A rental guarantee is an amount of money corresponding to either one, two or three months’ rent, which secures your lease. A rental guarantee is an alternative to paying into a bank account a deposit which you cannot withdraw during the lease.

Here are some examples of organisations offering this service:

The service is also provided by certain insurers and banks.

Formalities on arriving in the Canton of Neuchâtel

Registration at the Contrôle des habitants

Formalities in Switzerland

Civil responsibility insurance, household insurance and fire insurance

You are advised to take out civil responsibility insurance (CRI), or even household insurance. Household insurance covers more than CRI, insuring you in cases of burglary, water damage and broken panes of glass, and is available at a reasonable price.

Additional information

Scams and fraudulent advertisements

Fraudsters seem increasingly inventive and subtle. To date, the majority of attempted frauds relate to apartments; however, an increasing number of fraudulent advertisements relate to rooms. Be wary of accommodation offers which seem too good to be true, and try to visit any accommodation before booking or making any down payments.

If an initial rental payment or guarantee is requested, avoid paying in cash and in particular making payments via Western Union, MoneyGram, etc.; you should instead make any payment from a Swiss bank account.