First, the good: This is an unusually large one-bedroom apartment with modest furnishings and basic kitchen equipment (including a capsule-type coffeemaker) well located south of the Opera House, very close to the lake, and within generally easy walking distance of many Zurich attractions, restaurants, and food markets. For us it was a perfect location. The online photos accurately reflect the interior, which is more functional than charming. There is no sharing of closet space with an absent owner, and there is an available washing machine in the basement of the building. Check-in and check-out were prompt and efficient, and we found the apartment generally clean. Tania, who works for a Zurich corporate relocation company that owns or manages the apartment, was prompt in returning our emails and a pleasure to work with.

Now, the not so good: This is ordinarily long-term corporate temporary housing, listed from time to time on AirBnb. It is not an owner-occupied property. We were unable to settle in the apartment on a weekend, as requested (and when the apartment was supposedly available), because the relocation company was not open to give us a key, so we spent a pleasant day in a nearby hotel. After we moved in, the relocation company failed to reply to our single email. Like many Zurich apartments, this one lacks air conditioning. With the windows closed, we found the mid-September indoor temperature to be sweltering. With the windows open, security was a concern, and the street noise was loud, amplified by the cutting, pounding, drilling, clanging, shouting sounds of full construction of a multi-story building directly across the narrow street. Construction went on Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and it was difficult to live with. Sleeping in in the morning was impossible. Had the owner provided full information about the construction, we would not have rented. Because this is ordinarily a long-term corporate rental, the kitchen pantry was stocked with a salt shaker, a pepper mill, dishwasher detergent, paper towels, and nothing else. You will have to buy most of the basics. All in all, this was a business transaction, not a traditional AirBnb hosting event.