yes ive used them when i moved here. Never really any issues with them. Just make sure your landlord will accept them first. Been here two years, and no issues with them.

I agree with MotoPhan same experience!

Theyre a rental guarantee firm, so instead of depisiting 3 mths rent in a closed bank account, Swiss Caution take up the slack. You pay a one time registration fee... and then a annual fee for them to guarantee your rent equivalent to approx 5% of the total amount guaranteed..

They send a certificate of guarantee to your Regie which is then kept on bond until you leave your appartment in good order.

Worth it if you dont want to tie up 3 months rent in cash (or dont have the 3 months rent in cash).

I also used Swisscaution in my previous flat because the regie proposed it to me at the time, everything was fine, but be aware that - compared to the 3 month deposit in a bank account - you end up losing money. In fact as Charlie said you pay an annual fee (which depends on your rent) and all they do is guarantee the 3 month deposit for you. If you break something you stil have to pay it yourself, it's not an insurance. And you don't get the annual fee back at the end of your contract.

It's a practical solution for people who don't have enough cash for the deposit, but if you can get that cash together I suggest you do the deposit at your bank (you will even get some interest - not much but still) and you get your money back at the end (if you don't break anything in your flat...).

This is the most wonderful company I have ever worked with and they are so efficient! Serving both, the tenant interests and the interests of the landlord. I have been working in a well known real estate company in Geneva and had to sort out the conflicts at the end of the contracts

It's not always easy to get liberated your deposit at the bank depending on damages, it can take some time until the conflicts are solved. I agree that you will not get back your money from the annual fee, but you will really get professional advise and help from Swisscaution.

and true, you first have to check with the Regie or the landlord that he accepts this kind of guarantee! Good luck Marianne 

Thank You for all the infos  We have to think about this. It's hard when the company doesn't help you with these kinds of deposits.

EAsy and simple, if you have the money, cash, then use that as a deposit, but be prepared to loose it if you damage anything, or are late with the rent.

If you dont have the money, then use Swiss caution. Yes it costs you each year, so work out how long your going to be here for , then decide how much you want to pay. 450chf per year covers my caution. Im happy to pay that rather than, deposit 3 months rent in a bank account and leave it.

Just to echo pretty much what everyone else has been saying:

If you can somehow manage to get the money together for the deposit, then this should be your first option. Only use SwissCaution as a last resort, and only if you plan on staying somewhere for a short while and really have no other means of getting the deposit together.

We had a bad experience with SwissCaution. We were advised that the annual premium we paid in November would also cover the following year, as our regie had an agreement with SwissCaution. Not the case. When we queried it, I found the customer service and lack of empathy particularly disheartening. We essentially ending up paying 2 x annual premiums for just 14 months coverage. If your 3 month deposit is a big amount (as ours is) then you end up paying several thousand francs in fees over a 5 year period... with NOTHING to show for it at the end. At least if you manage to get the deposit together yourself you will see it as a sub-account of your personal bank account - and you earn interest on it too!!

So, SwissCaution only as a last resort would be my advice.

In addition  to  all  this  good advice given above, it is essential to  do the most thorough walk-through possible of the apartment  or house and note on the required form even the tiniest of scratches, knicks, holes, etc. any issues with the ceramics in the bathroom and  so  on.

Second,  make sure you  get good renter's insurance  that might cover any damage so you don't lose any of your deposit.  Regies are notorious  for claiming damages and keeping large portions of security deposits.

I've used SwissCaution and not had a problem. You might  want to use it for the first year and see whether you can save up your  deposit throughout the year.

The website www.comparis.ch may cover some of your questions as  well.

Unimpressive! Their site does not note which type of residency permit one must have. I applied for the insurance and received an immediate note indicating that I would need to have either a B or C permit or a Swiss person as guarantor. I have a carte de legitimacion.

Obviously, I chose another route. The special part is that Swisscaution decided to charge my credit card anyway. I just noticed this and tried to call. The woman said that they cannot refund my payment to my credit card, nor can they process a "refund" (in quotations since there never should have been a charge) to a credit card. They also cannot help on the phone. One MUST send an email with bank details and have a refund sent to one's bank account. Yes - not only are they inconvenient, but they're also promoting insecure transmission of banking information.

I'm not sure why they have a telephone number if one cannot call it for service. I'm also not sure why someone to whom they cannot provide service was charged, rather than just denying the application.

I'll have to advise against this company, since they are not only dishonestly charging non-customers, but they also make it as hard as possible to get one's money back.

These kinds of problems should be reported to the following entities, if you have the time and inclination:

Fédération des Consommateurs Romand

http://frc.ch/

Comparis

https://en.comparis.ch/comparis/info/wir.aspx

as well as the Swiss Federal Consumer Affairs Bureau

http://www.konsum.admin.ch/index.html?lang=en

Have been reading about this method so we can consider when we move in the New Year..

If you do damage something or abscond without paying rent or something like that, then how does the regie or landlord get paid?  From what I read, they make a claim from Swisscaution and in turn, Swisscaution persue you?

Seems risky to the landlords but if they accept it, i guess it must work ok?

Yes it depends on the regie if you can use swisscaution.