Apartments for rent in Ticino and across Switzerland

The "affittasi" sign on a balcony is still how plenty of Ticino flats get let, but most searches now start on a screen. This site gathers rental listings from across Ticino, the Italian-speaking valleys of Graubünden and the rest of Switzerland, and you can narrow them by town, number of rooms and monthly rent.

North and south of the Ceneri

The Sottoceneri, meaning Lugano and the Mendrisiotto down to Chiasso, is the busier, more urban half, close to the border and to Milan, and it's where competition for a flat near the lake or the station is usually strongest. The Sopraceneri, with Bellinzona, Locarno and the valleys, tends to give you more space for the same money. Around Locarno and Ascona, though, a lot of what's advertised is holiday accommodation, so check that a listing is a proper long-term lease. Since the Ceneri Base Tunnel opened in 2020, the train between Bellinzona and Lugano is much quicker, which makes towns like Giubiasco or Biasca realistic bases for a job in Lugano.

How renting works here

Tenancy law is federal, so Ticino follows the same rules as Zurich. In practice:

• Landlords and the amministrazione (property manager) ask for an estratto del registro esecuzioni, the debt-collection extract, plus ID, your residence permit (or your employment contract if it hasn't been issued yet) and proof of income.
• The deposit is capped at three months' rent and goes into a blocked bank account in your name.
• Service charges (spese accessorie) are either a monthly advance settled once a year or a fixed flat rate. Only costs listed in the contract can be charged.
• At handover you and the landlord sign a verbale di consegna, a written condition report. Note every mark on it; it decides what you're liable for when you move out.

The site interface works in Italian, English, German and French, and listing text is translated on a best-effort basis. You contact the poster through each listing. Posting a rental of your own is free and needs no account.