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Terms of Use

Conditions of Use · Condizioni d'uso · AGB — Last updated 16 July 2026.

1. Scope and parties

These Terms govern use of homehunt.ch (the “Platform”) operated by IBEX PROPERTIES SA (“IBEX”, “we”). They apply to all users — persons searching (“Seekers”), persons or businesses publishing listings (“Advertisers”), and visitors. By using the Platform you accept these Terms. Separate written agreements may apply to Advertisers and to paid services and prevail over these Terms where they conflict.

2. What the Platform is — and is not

The Platform lets users search and publish advertisements for the sale and rental of real estate in Switzerland, and offers related services (search alerts, a mortgage enquiry service, a property-valuation enquiry service, editorial content).

  • For third-party listings, IBEX acts as a host/intermediary platform only. We are not the seller, landlord, or broker of those objects and are not party to any resulting contract between Seeker and the Advertiser or its principal.
  • For listings expressly marked as IBEX mandates, IBEX acts as real-estate broker/agent for the owner. Brokerage is governed by OR Art. 412 ff (SR 220) and our LFid duties; commission is owed by, and agreed with, the principal (see §9).
  • A listing, a saved object, an enquiry, or any online “reservation” is never a binding contract of sale. Sale of Swiss real estate requires a public deed (OR Art. 216, SR 220). Nothing on the Platform constitutes an offer in the legal sense, a public deed, or a substitute for one.

3. Accounts

Seekers may create a free account for searches, saved searches and alerts. You must provide accurate data, keep credentials confidential, and are responsible for activity under your account. We may suspend or close accounts for breach, misuse, or as required by law. Minimum age 18.

4. Advertiser obligations (listing content)

Advertisers are solely responsible for the legality and accuracy of their listings and warrant that each listing:

  • states the actual price payable in CHF and handles “from” prices, charges and, for rentals, ancillary costs (Nebenkosten) transparently — no misleading or bait pricing (PBV/OIP, SR 942.211; UWG Art. 3, SR 241);
  • is accurate and not misleading as to surface area (and whether net/Nettowohnfläche or gross), room count, condition, “renovated/new”, photos (which must depict the actual object — no stock or unrelated images presented as the property), and any “sunny/quiet/lake-view” type claim (UWG Art. 3(1)(b));
  • includes any legally required disclosures for the object's canton, in particular the building energy certificate (GEAK/CECB/CECE) where the canton requires it on sale/advertising, and for rentals the correct treatment of ancillary costs and, where the canton mandates it, the official initial-rent form (Art. 270 CO + cantonal activation; VMWG SR 221.213.11, incl. previous reference interest rate and CPI);
  • does not misstate buyer eligibility where Lex Koller (BewG, SR 211.412.41) or Lex Weber / second homes (SR 702) are relevant;
  • correctly describes the legal object (plot, co-ownership share, Stockwerkeigentum/PPE per ZGB Art. 712a, easements) where applicable;
  • discloses the Advertiser's identity and, for professional agents, any cantonally required licence.

5. What “verified” means

“Verified” on the Platform currently means only that our team has manually reviewed the account before allowing it to publish, checking the information the account holder provided (such as name, contact details and, for professional accounts, the business behind them) for plausibility. It does not mean that we have verified the person's identity documents, that the advertiser owns or is entitled to market the property, that the property exists or is available, or that the listing's price, surface area, photos or other details are accurate. It is not a guarantee against fraud. Users should still take normal precautions — in particular, never pay a deposit or fee before viewing a property and confirming the counterparty. We may strengthen our verification over time (for example with one-time-code checks of a Swiss mobile phone number); the meaning of any “verified” label will always reflect the checks actually performed at the time.

6. Our review of listings

We may (but are not obliged to) review, refuse, edit, suspend or remove listings that breach these Terms or the law. Performing a review does not make us responsible for listing content and does not transfer the Advertiser's responsibility to us.

7. Prohibited use

No unlawful, misleading, discriminatory or infringing content; no scraping, bulk extraction, reverse engineering, or republication of Platform content without our written consent; no circumventing fees; no uploading of third parties' personal data or images without a legal basis.

8. Fees

Prices are shown including 8.1% Swiss VAT (the price actually payable, per PBV/OIP SR 942.211).

Listings — launch period. Until 30 September 2026, all listings are published free of charge for every account.

Listings — from 1 October 2026. The first 3 active objects per account remain free on an ongoing basis. Each additional active object costs CHF 1.00 per object per month (incl. VAT). Charges apply only while a listing is active. Listings are billed monthly in advance (on publication, then on the 1st of each month). No pro-rata applies: a listing published mid-month is charged for that whole month, and a listing removed, sold or deactivated mid-month is charged for the full month in which it was active. Fees are billed to the account holder.

Consumer (buyer/renter) features — always free. Searching, saving searches, instant and daily match alerts, creating an account, and contacting listers are free. We never charge buyers or renters to access listings or to contact a lister. Mortgage pre-checks and financing enquiries, where offered, are free to the consumer.

Optional paid consumer feature. A detailed property valuation can be prepared by accredited third-party partners. The partner contracts with and invoices you directly and sets its own price; homehunt does not set or collect that price. homehunt may receive a referral fee of up to 30% from the partner; we disclose this referral arrangement to you. Where IBEX also acts as your broker for the same property, we additionally observe the conflict-of-interest and loyalty duties of a fiduciario immobiliare (LFid art. 14).

Possible future feature — priority access. We may in future offer an optional paid feature that gives subscribers earlier access to selected listings (for example, release of a lister's contact details a set number of days before they are released to other users). If introduced, the total price (incl. VAT), what the feature includes, and any renewal and cancellation terms will be shown clearly before purchase; the feature will never restrict a consumer's ability to view standard listings or to contact a lister free of charge; and any earlier release of an advertiser's contact details will only occur where that advertiser has agreed to it.

No lock-in. Listing fees are use-based (per active object per month); there is no fixed-term commitment, no auto-renewing subscription, and no forfeiture of pre-paid amounts (consistent with UWG Art. 8 and OR Art. 160–163).

9. IBEX as broker; commission and conflicts

Where IBEX acts as broker (objects marked as IBEX mandates), commission is governed by the brokerage contract with the principal (OR Art. 412 ff). We disclose any double-brokerage or material conflict of interest and act with the diligence and loyalty required of a fiduciario immobiliare under LFid (RL 953.100, art. 13–14), including keeping any client funds in segregated accounts.

10. Mortgage and valuation services

The valuation report is provided by an accredited third-party partner, not by IBEX, as described in §8. The mortgage pre-check / financing-enquiry feature is free to you; we do not currently work with a financing partner, so where the feature is offered it is informational only and your data is not passed to any third party until and unless we engage a partner and tell you so. None of these services is independent financial, investment, tax or legal advice, a credit promise, or a binding valuation. If we later engage a partner, that partner's own terms and privacy notice will apply, you will be informed before any data is transmitted, and we will disclose any referral fee.

11. Intellectual property

The Platform, its software, design, database, trademarks and editorial content are protected and remain IBEX's (or its licensors') property. Personal, non-commercial browsing is permitted; any other use needs our prior written consent. Advertisers grant IBEX a licence to display and promote their listing content on and in connection with the Platform.

12. Availability and changes

We aim for high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free operation. We may modify or discontinue features and may amend these Terms; the version in force is the one published here, and material changes will be signalled appropriately.

13. Liability

To the extent permitted by law, IBEX is not liable for: the accuracy, legality or availability of third-party listings; decisions taken on the basis of Platform content; third-party services and external links; or indirect/consequential loss. Mandatory liability (including for unlawful intent or gross negligence, and any non-excludable consumer protections) is unaffected.

14. Data protection

Processing of personal data is described in the Privacy Notice, which forms part of these Terms.

15. Applicable law and forum

Swiss law applies. Place of jurisdiction is the competent court at the seat of IBEX PROPERTIES SA (Pretura del Distretto di Mendrisio), subject to any mandatory forum a consumer is entitled to (e.g. domicile) under the Swiss Civil Procedure Code and the Lugano Convention. Tenancy disputes fall to the competent cantonal conciliation authority (autorità di conciliazione / Schlichtungsbehörde).