Firstcaution is no longer a niche provider in Switzerland. The company, acquired in 2015 by a family-owned group, today serves around 120,000 customers and employs 65 people across three locations – including Zurich, Nyon, and Bellinzona. Since the acquisition, the former small firm has increased its portfolio more than tenfold.

Its success is built on a product that gives tenants greater financial flexibility: Instead of locking several months’ rent into a bank account, they can take out a rental guarantee insurance policy with Firstcaution. «Our model is a hybrid between insurance and a financial product – a guarantee system tailored to the needs of the Swiss rental market,» says CEO Céline Frey.

Flexibility as a USP

Particularly popular is the flexible rental guarantee model launched by Firstcaution two years ago. It allows tenants to switch between insurance and deposit at any time during the contract term – with no additional effort for property managers. «This way, we combine the advantages of both worlds,» Frey notes. «Tenants can decide whether they want to preserve liquidity or reduce their premium. For property managers, everything remains standardised.»

Word is spreading: Today, 60 percent of new contracts already come from German-speaking Switzerland. However, Western Switzerland still remains the largest market in terms of total customers. «Perceptions are changing. Rental guarantee insurance is no longer seen as a sign of poor creditworthiness, but as a smart financial optimisation – similar to car leasing,» Frey explains.

Digital – but with Empathy

The company is investing heavily in digitalisation and interfaces to proptech systems to simplify processes. Rental guarantees can be completed online within three minutes, and claims are usually paid out within 24 hours. At the same time, Frey remains uncompromising on one point: «We believe in technology, but not in service without people. Empathy cannot be replaced by AI – at least not yet.»

For this reason, Firstcaution maintains a physical service team in Zurich to support customers and partners. The company uses artificial intelligence to automate routine tasks but wants to reinvest the time gained into personal customer service.

Growth with Discipline

Firstcaution does not plan to open additional locations but instead focuses on partnerships with property managers, software providers, and banks. «We want to be where our customers are – not an additional detour,» says Frey. Her goal: to surpass the milestone of 200'000 customers in the near future.

Frey sees the greatest opportunities clearly in German-speaking Switzerland: «We can absolutely grow much stronger here. Zurich plays a central role.»