Caretaker CV: Example and Template
How to structure your CV as a caretaker so that property management companies can immediately see your technical skills, property sizes and cost savings.
Currently 8 open Caretaker positions in Switzerland, across 1 cantons, 3 of them from the last 7 days. ISS Schweiz AG advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
What qualification do I need to work as a caretaker in Switzerland?
For most permanent caretaker positions, a basic trade qualification or the EFZ as a Facility Maintenance Specialist is the standard requirement, while leadership roles call for the Federal Professional Certificate as Caretaker.
If you hold the three-year EFZ as a Facility Maintenance Specialist (Building Services or Grounds/Works specialisation) or the two-year EBA as a Maintenance Assistant, state this directly in the headline of your CV. If you come from a different trade background - such as sanitary installer, electrician, joiner or gardener - this is an advantage rather than a drawback: state explicitly which systems you can maintain yourself as a result, for example blind motors, fittings, heating pumps or irrigation controls.
The Federal Professional Certificate as Caretaker (professional examination) is the key to positions with budget and leadership responsibility. List it with the year of completion and mention the modules you completed, such as Building and Technology, Grounds, Cleaning, Administration and Management. If you are still training, write "Caretaker professional examination, completion planned 2026" - property management companies see this as a sign of willingness to develop.
Equally decisive are the certificates that relate to day-to-day liability: certificate of competence in Legionella prevention under SVGW W3/E3, training in emergency lift release, a Suva-recognised chainsaw course, a forklift licence under EKAS guideline 6518, knowledge of VKF fire protection regulations, and handling of cleaning chemicals in accordance with ChemRRV. List these with the year obtained, as many require periodic renewal and a recent date is a genuine selling point.
How do I describe my work experience as a caretaker convincingly?
For each position, describe the size of the property, the building technology involved, and at least one figure relating to cost, energy or response time.
Start each position with a context sentence that makes your responsibility measurable: number of rental units, usable floor area in m², number of properties, size of grounds, maintenance budget in CHF, and team size. "Management of 9 properties with 340 rental units and a maintenance budget of CHF 168'000" says far more than "Responsible for the maintenance of residential properties".
Then specify exactly which systems you operate: heat pump, gas boiler, district heating substation, controlled residential ventilation, building management system, lift, sprinkler system, underground containers or underground car park doors. Property management companies are looking for someone who can diagnose faults themselves rather than calling out a service technician for every report. Frame this as a result, for example "Resolved 92% of 180 fault reports per year without an external service call-out".
Also cover the less visible tasks: apartment handovers and defect reports, locking system and key management, inspection rounds, winter services with on-call arrangements, waste disposal logistics, event support and instruction of apprentices. If you have experience with refurbishments or construction site coordination, quantify this too, for example "Supported a façade and window refurbishment of 48 apartments during ongoing operation, with no rent reductions due to construction noise".
How long should the CV be, and is a photo required?
Two pages are the standard, and a friendly portrait photo remains customary in Switzerland for caretaker positions involving tenant contact.
Keep to a maximum of two pages, even with 15 years of experience: give detailed bullet points for your three most recent positions and summarise older positions in a single line each. Place a brief profile at the top with your qualification, years of experience and property size. Since as a caretaker you are often the public face of the property, a businesslike portrait photo is an advantage - workwear or a shirt, a neutral background, no holiday snapshots.
Be sure to mention the points that appear in almost every Swiss job advertisement for caretakers: place of residence or willingness to move into an on-site caretaker's flat, driving licence category B (and BE or C1 if you hold them), willingness for on-call and winter service duties, no-smoking requirements for indoor areas, and a current criminal record extract if you work in schools or retirement complexes. If you do not hold Swiss citizenship, your permit status (C, B, G) belongs in the header.
Complete your CV with a full application dossier: copies of employment references, diplomas, current course certificates and two references from property management contacts. A salary expectation does not belong in the CV, but at most in the cover letter if requested - when preparing for the interview, use the typical market range of around CHF 68'000 to CHF 92'000 as a guide, depending on region, property size and qualifications.
Where Caretaker are hired in Switzerland
How the 8 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Aargau | 2 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 6 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| German | 6 (6) |
| English | 1 (0) |
Who hires Caretaker in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| ISS Schweiz AG | 4 |
| Coop City | 2 |
| EQUANS | 1 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 7 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 1 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Reto Brunner
Caretaker with Federal Professional Certificate, Facility Maintenance Specialist EFZ (Building Services specialisation)
Caretaker with Federal Professional Certificate and 11 years of experience in the technical and general maintenance of residential and commercial properties comprising a total of 340 rental units. Responsible for heating and sanitary systems (heat pumps, district heating substations), Legionella prevention in accordance with SVGW W3/E3, and fire safety inspections under VKF fire protection regulations. Reduced external tradesman costs by CHF 46'000 per year through structured maintenance planning and in-house repairs.
What sets me apart
Building technology, not just cleaning: Independent operation and fault rectification of heat pumps, gas boilers and district heating substations; fine-tuning heating curves in the building management system (Siemens Desigo CC) reduced heat consumption in two properties by 9%.
Water safety and hygiene with verifiable documentation: Set up a flushing and temperature log for 210 apartments in accordance with SVGW guideline W3/E3; all Legionella sampling over the past 4 years passed without objection from the cantonal laboratory.
Fire safety and emergency organisation: Responsible for escape route inspections, fire compartmentalisation and the biannual inspection of 96 hand-held fire extinguishers under VKF requirements; trained in emergency lift release procedures for 6 installations.
Tenant contact that reduces the administration's workload: Handles 85% of tenant reports directly on site and documents them in Rimo R5; as a result, the management office receives around 70 fewer phone calls per month and response time has fallen to under 24 hours.
Key achievements
Reduced external tradesman costs by CHF 46'000 per year. Through in-house repairs of sanitary fixtures, blind systems and fittings, and by renegotiating 5 service contracts, maintenance costs fell from CHF 214'000 to CHF 168'000 per year.
Reduced heating energy consumption by 11% across 6 properties. Hydraulic balancing, optimisation of night-time setback, and converting half of the stairwell lighting to LED with motion sensors; savings of around 74'000 kWh and CHF 9'800 per year.
Zero accidents and zero fall-related damage over 5 winters. Binding winter service plan with clearing priorities for 14 properties; switching to moist salt/brine reduced road salt consumption by 35% (from 4.2 t to 2.7 t) with no liability claims.
Experience
Senior Caretaker — Aareblick Immobilien AG, Uster, 03/2019 - present
Operational maintenance of 9 residential properties and 2 commercial properties comprising 340 rental units, 62'000 m² of usable floor area, maintenance budget of CHF 168'000; management of 3 employees and 1 apprentice.
- Reduced maintenance costs over 3 years from CHF 214'000 to CHF 168'000 (-21%) while maintaining the same condition rating under SIA 469.
- Introduced Legionella prevention in accordance with SVGW W3/E3 for 210 apartments: 4 years without objection, 100% documented flushing records.
- Organised apartment handovers and inspections for around 55 tenant changes per year, reducing average vacancy from 21 to 12 days.
- Coordinated conversion of stairwell lighting to LED across 6 properties: savings of 74'000 kWh and CHF 9'800 per year.
Caretaker - Facility Maintenance — Seematt Wohnbau Genossenschaft, Wädenswil, 08/2015 - 02/2019
Technical and general maintenance of 5 residential estate buildings with 148 apartments, an underground car park with 92 spaces, 11'000 m² of grounds and communal rooms.
- Fault response service for 4 heat pumps and 3 ventilation systems: resolved 92% of 180 reports per year without an external service technician.
- Reorganised landscaping maintenance of 11'000 m² including tree inspections, reducing outsourced work from CHF 28'000 to CHF 12'000 per year.
- Supported the conversion of waste disposal to underground containers, reducing collection point cleaning effort by 6 hours per week.
- Set up a winter service rota with on-call duty for 5 properties, ensuring main access ways were always cleared before 7:00 am.
Facility Maintenance / Building Services Employee — Campus Fürstenweg Facility GmbH, Zürich, 08/2012 - 07/2015
Maintenance team for a school and office campus with 18'500 m² of usable floor area, a sports hall and outdoor facilities; worked in a two-shift system.
- Routine cleaning and inspection rounds for 42 rooms and 3 gymnasiums according to the cleaning schedule (98% target achievement in internal quality checks).
- Provided technical support for around 250 events per year: seating arrangements, staging, ventilation and building closure, always on schedule.
- Recorded and digitised a locking system comprising 640 keys; reduced the loss rate from 3.1% to 0.8%.
- Prepared for the professional examination alongside work and completed it with a Federal Professional Certificate in 2019.
Education
Federal Professional Certificate, Caretaker (professional examination, modules: Building/Technology, Grounds, Cleaning, Management, Administration) — Bildungszentrum Betriebsunterhalt, Zürich · 2019
Federal VET Diploma EFZ, Facility Maintenance Specialist, Building Services specialisation — Berufsfachschule Winterthur · 2012
Certificate of competence in Legionella prevention / drinking water hygiene (SVGW W3/E3), 2021 · Emergency lift release training per manufacturer instructions, refresher 2023 · Suva-recognised chainsaw course (Module A/B) and working with aerial work platforms, 2020 · Forklift licence category R1 under EKAS guideline 6518, 2018
Common questions
- Are Caretaker roles offered full or part time?
- 88% full time, only 13% part time. If you need part time, say so early rather than leaving it open.
- Who hires Caretaker in Switzerland?
- Currently ISS Schweiz AG, Coop City, EQUANS, among others. Their adverts are the best word list for your own CV.