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7 sections · approx. 5 min
Home-Voice
- What is Home-Voice?
- Home-Voice is a platform for housing knowledge. Experiences from verified rental periods are assigned to a building so that future tenants better understand what living there is really like.
- Is Home-Voice a classic review site?
- No. A classic review boils an experience down to stars and a comment. Home-Voice asks for concrete observations, shows recurring patterns and always says how many rental periods a value is based on.
- Does Home-Voice decide whether a flat is good or bad?
- No. Home-Voice provides experiences and context. What matters for your decision is up to you.
- Where is Home-Voice available?
- Throughout Switzerland. Home-Voice knows every address from the official building register.
- In which languages?
- German, French, Italian, English, Portuguese and Albanian. Translations are marked as machine-translated; the German version is authoritative.
Searching and reading
- Does Home-Voice replace the viewing?
- No. Opening the windows, running the water, asking questions, reading the contract – that is still up to you. But you know what to ask.
- What do the stars and the Home-Voice sign mean?
- The stars show the value from 0 to 100: one star per 20 points, half stars possible. The number is always shown next to it, for example “70/100”. As long as there are fewer than 3 tenancies, you see the Home-Voice sign instead of value and stars – it shows how many tenancies are still missing.
- Why don’t I see a value for a building?
- A value only appears from 3 tenancies – the same for every building, small ones too. If nobody has shared anything yet, you see the official facts about the building.
- How is the value calculated?
- From questions about what people experienced, for example “How often was it too cold in winter even though the heating was on?” – 17 topics in five areas, each with a fixed weight. Explained in detail on the page “How a value is made”.
- How old is the knowledge?
- The number of tenancies is always shown with the value, and comments show month and year. We don’t discount older experiences – what has changed shows in the development, such as proven renovations.
Contributing
- Why do I have to verify my rental period?
- Because an experience is more credible when it’s clear that it comes from a real rental period in that building. The proof builds trust without making your name public.
- Which documents are accepted?
- Rental contract, service charge statement, handover report, electricity or internet bill. You don’t have to be a party to the contract: flatmates and subtenants can prove their tenancy too.
- I don’t have a document to hand.
- Then you add it within 30 days. Until then your review doesn’t count and isn’t published.
- How long does reviewing take?
- About ten minutes. Everything is saved as you go, and you can stop at any time. What you don’t know, you leave open.
- Can I share a good experience too?
- Absolutely. A trouble-free rental period, fair costs, reliable maintenance and good communication matter just as much as difficulties.
- I still live there. Can I review?
- Yes. About once a year we invite you to confirm or refresh your answers. When you move out, you add how the handover and the deposit went.
- We share a flat. Do we count several times?
- No. A household counts once, even if several people review.
- Can I review several tenancies?
- Yes, each tenancy separately – also in different buildings.
- Can I change or withdraw my review?
- Yes, at any time. A change is checked again; until then the previous version stays visible. Once withdrawn, it is no longer visible straight away; you can restore it for 30 days, after which it is permanently deleted.
Anonymity and data
- Will the property manager find out who I am?
- No. Home-Voice never passes on who you are. A property manager may sometimes link a comment to you from details, though – so we show you a note while you write, more clearly in small buildings.
- What is public?
- Your answers only count together with others. You publish a comment and defects only if you want to. Never public: your name, your flat number, your floor and your documents.
- What happens to my document?
- A person checks it. Then it is deleted, at the latest after 72 hours.
- Does Home-Voice sell data?
- We do not sell data about you. And we never pass on who you are – not to property managers either.
Defects
- Does Home-Voice forward my defect to the property manager?
- No. Home-Voice is not a reporting channel. Report a defect to the property manager yourself, ideally in writing – the tools help you do that.
- What happens if a problem has been fixed in the meantime?
- That is exactly what becomes visible. A fixed defect is different information from one that persists or recurs.
- Who decides whether a defect is fixed?
- You do. The status of a defect is set by the tenant household. The property manager can respond alongside it.
Property managers
- Can managements respond?
- Yes. Managements can respond factually. An answer doesn’t change the tenants’ experience – it shows how the story continued.
- Can a property manager have a review deleted?
- Not for money. If a specific factual claim is demonstrably false, they can request a review. Our moderation decides, not the property manager.
- I am a property manager. How do I respond?
- You prove that you are responsible for the building. Then you can respond to comments and defects for free. More on the page “For property managers”.
Account
- Do I need a password?
- No. You enter your email address and receive a sign-in link. One click and you’re signed in.
- How do I delete my account?
- In your account settings. After 30 days to think it over, everything is permanently deleted – immediately if you wish. You can get your data as a file within 30 days by writing to info@home-voice.ch.
- How do I report a contribution that breaks the rules?
- Every contribution can be reported. How we check is explained on the page “Rules”. Nothing is deleted for money.