Frequently asked questions

    We recommend that you read the “To start” section which addresses this issue as well as your sign-up required to create a user account..
    The current “Web App” (Internet application) was developed with the help of a software framework that will allow us to offer you downloadable mobile applications for Google Android and Apple iOS with identical functionality in the near future. For the time being, please use the “Web App” accessible by clicking on the button at the top right of this page or on the cell phone image at the top of our homepage.
    It is the only automated, easy-to-use and accurate way to stay informed about construction projects that could threaten the value of your home or your business.
    NeatAlerts is also a modern marketing tool for construction companies who wish to offer their services to the architect responsible for each project.
    Moreover, this solution is cheaper than a subscription to the Official Gazette!
    A watch is the combination of several search criteria: perimeter around a location, type of file and/or keywords for construction projects, as well as the name and type of debtor, canton of residence, type of announcement and/or keywords for lawsuits, settlements & bankruptcies.
    The construction projects and tenders published in the Official Gazette:
    • building applications (B) and project publications (PA) (Baugesuche, und Projektauflagen);
    • building applications (B) (Bauanzeigen, Baugesuche, und Planauflagen);
    • publications on building (B) and water protection (G) (Baupublikationen, und Gewässerschutzpublikationen);
    • building applications (B) (Baugesuche und Vorentscheide);
    • building publications (B), and building publications on communal land (N) (Baupublikationen, Bau- und Nutzungsgesuche auf Allmend);
    • building applications (P), and utilisation plans (PA) (permis de construire et de démolir, plans d'aménagement);
    • accelerated authorisation procedures (APA), building permits by announcement (APAT), definitive requests (DD), preliminary requests (DP), requests for information (DR), demolitions (M), zone changes (MZ), Localised neighbourhood and agricultural plans (PLQ), and reserved zones (ZR);
    • building applications (P) (avis de construction);
    • building applications (B) (öffentliche Planauflagen);
    • preliminary decisions (SP), definitive decisions (SD), and decisions of minor importance (SMI);
    • building applications (B), and cantonal utilisation plans (PA) (Baugesuche, und kantonale Planauflagen);
    • building applications (B) (Baugesuche);
    • building applications (B) (Baugesuche, Baupublikationen, und Bauausschreibungen);
    • building applications (B), and cantonal authorisations outside the building zone (K);
    • building applications (E) (applicazioni edilizie);
    • building applications (P), supplementary requests (C), requests for prior authorisation of implantation (A), and correction notices (R);
    • building applications (P), and project publications of the Cantonal Building Commission (C);
    • building applications (B) (Bauprojekte);
    • invitations to tender for construction services (SB) in the aforementioned States (provided that their location could be established).

    The changes of ownership and operating permits published in the Official Gazette:
    • changes of ownership (IV) (Grundbucheintragungen);
    • changes of ownership (IV) (Handänderungen);
    • changes of ownership (TI) (acquisitions de propriété immobilière);
    • changes of ownership (TI), and flat sales (VA) (transactions immobilières, et ventes d'appartements);
    • changes of ownership (TI) (transferts immobiliers);
    • changes of ownership (IV) from cities of Saint-Gall, Berg, Buchs, Flums, Gossau and St. Margrethen (Handänderungen);
    • changes of ownership (IV) (Eigentumserwerbe an Grundstücken);
    • changes of ownership (IV) (Handänderungen);
    • changes of ownership (IV) (Eigentumsübertragungen);
    • changes of ownership (IV) (Handänderungen von Grundstücken);
    • operating permits (E), e.g. new sign or change of opening hours;
    • objects on sale of the platforms Homegate (HG) and ImmoScout24 (IS)

    The felling of trees published in the Official Gazette:
    • tree felling (AA), et forest clearing (DF);

    The company publications published in the SOGC:
    • Commercial Registry entries (HR)
    • corporate notifications (UP)
    • summons (BH)
    • calls to creditors in case of liquidation (LS)
    • calls to creditors in case of LFus/CO (SR)

    The debt enforcements and bankruptcies published in the SOGC:
    • debt enforcements (SB)
    • composition agreements (NA)
    • bankruptcies (KK)

    The sublets for tourist purposes:
    • sublets of the platforms Airbnb (AB), Booking.com (BG), and Abritel/HomeAway (HA)

    * Note: The code of each publication (p. ex. AA) is shown on the interactive map, and removing the corresponding check mark from the filter by file type allows you to better target your alerts.
    As many as you like!
    You just have to buy the corresponding quantity of subscriptions (1 watch per “Private” subscription, 2 watches per “Marketing” subscription).
    You can find explanations in the “Help” on this website and in the application, as well as in the video guides available on our YouTube channel .
    If you set up the same watch with several search criteria (e.g. for building permits & public procurements, a perimeter around a location and keywords), we will send you an alert only for official notices meeting all these criteria.
    The alerts of the day are grouped in a single message, without repetition even if a building permit meets the criteria of several watches.
    A “regular expression” is a pattern that describes what you are looking for according to a precise syntax. You will find more explanations in the “Help” on this website and in the application.
    The surface area of a construction project or a real estate sale is the sum of the surfaces of all the corresponding parcels.
    The area remains undetermined if no specific parcel or address (including street number) has been recognized.
    It follows from the case law that the Tribunal will most likely reject your appeal filed against a project located more than 150m from your home. However, the criterion of distance is not the only one relevant in determining your “standing to appeal”.
    NeatAlerts sends you e-mail alerts, as you will see in this example.
    The information obtained from the appropriate departments of the Administration is then processed automatically with the objective of completeness and relative harmonization between cantons.
    For example, addresses are reordered to show the street name first and then the number (e.g. “Rue de Lausanne 154, 1202 Genève”). This allows for an identical keyword search regardless of the canton.
    The geolocation of a project uses several databases that do not all give exactly the same position (e.g. the entrance of a building or the center of the parcel on which this building is located).
    In addition, we automatically correct the often erroneous geolocation data provided by the State — with a difference of more than 1km in 0.2% (Geneva) to 0.7% (Vaud) of cases, and even more than 100km in 0.1% of cases (i.e. 4½ times per year) for the canton of Vaud!
    NeatAlerts evaluates the area affected by a project and, if at least part of it falls within your watch area, we send you an alert. Please note that some projects include sections of road that can significantly increase the alert area.
    In the rare event of a project with missing or incorrect geolocation, the alert zone is extended to the entire municipality concerned.
    In 0.08% (Geneva) to 0.3% (Vaud) of the cases, the address and the parcel number are omitted (ex: “Various”, “According to plans”), unknown or obviously erroneous. It is therefore impossible to locate the construction project precisely.
    In the very rare case where no geolocation can be validated, NeatAlerts makes the choice of safety and sends an alert for the whole municipality concerned.
    Please check if our emails are redirected to your “Spam” folder. To solve this problem, please add us to your email whitelist .
    We send you alerts only on business days (Monday to Friday), all grouped in one email per day at most. In addition, each canton observes a different publication schedule:
    • Friday morning;
    • Friday morning;
    • Wednesday morning;
    • Thursday morning;
    • Wednesday and Saturday morning;
    • Friday morning;
    • continuously all day, every business day (Monday to Friday);
    • Friday early afternoon (digital version), depending on the availability of the Chancellery;
    • Saturday morning;
    • Friday morning;
    • every business day (Monday to Friday);
    • Friday morning;
    • Friday morning;
    • Friday morning;
    • Friday morning;
    • every business day (Monday to Friday);
    • Tuesday and Friday morning;
    • Friday morning;
    • Friday morning;
    • every business day (Monday to Saturday).
    A cantonal database may be updated after our daily dispatch of alerts, or may exceptionally require manual intervention, which is why you may notice a slight delay.
    It is also possible that no new official notices meet your search criteria, that your watches are all deactivated or that you have not saved any watches.
    When you modify your watches, we also send you the next day (and only once) a summary of past official notices that meet your new search criteria. This message (which is not considered an "alert") can therefore occur even on weekends.
    So feel free to save your changes as often as you like, without fear of receiving unwanted emails!
    Yes, you can choose to receive a confirmation email every business day (Monday to Friday), after one week, two weeks or one month (by default) without any other alert from us... so you know we haven't forgotten you.
    To receive a confirmation email (as per your User profile options), also ensure that at least one watch is enabled and registered.
    You must send your observations or your opposition by registered mail to the DALE (Geneva), respectively to the municipality (Vaud), within 30 days from the date of publication.
    You can use our system to print an opposition letter (Private + Info subscription). And of course we are here to help you! Please if you have any questions.
    Security is very important to us, which is why all communications with our website are encrypted. We also have other security measures in place, such as password requirements and resetting a session when you change devices.
    Help us keep your data safe by choosing a different password for each service you use.
    To use NeatAlerts, you only need to provide us with your email address, your first name and a password that meets our security requirements.
    We do not store your password (only the “signature” of your password is stored in our system).
    Please send us with your current identifier a message indicating the new email address that you would like to use as identifier for your user account.
    We will inform you as soon as your request has been processed.
    In the application's User Profile, please check the “Change password” box (below), then click on the  Save  button.
    If you had saved the old password in your browser, please update it when prompted.
    From the sign-in window in the application, please check the “Trouble signing in?” box, then enter the email address of your user account and click on the “Reset password” button.
    A message will be sent to this address, with a temporary link allowing you to start the application already signed in and choose a new password.
    If you had saved the old password in your browser, please update it when prompted.
    For more information, please see our video guide on how to reset the password .
    The NeatAlerts application is multilingual! You can change the language (English, German, French or Italian) in the User profile. Please if you want another language.
    If you live in one of the municipalities eligible for a free subscription, please fill in your User profile with your full name, address and phone number.
    To add your municipality to the list, please and specify how it meets the conditions of our citizen subscription.
    Thank you for of this problem or any other suggestion to improve our service.
    You will find a button labeled “Delete account” at the bottom right of your User profile in the application.
    For security reasons, we do not offer a delete link in an email. So you have to sign in to the application first.
    You can and we will respond as soon as possible.

Pending fixes

There are no more outstanding patches.

Sometimes a fix can be postponed because the corresponding problem turns out to be of limited scope and an alternative solution already exists for the user. This was the case, for example, for the closing of a tooltip on mobile phones.

You will find here the necessary information to solve such a problem.