Frequently asked questions

In general, there are no restrictions on accommodation that an owner can provide in their residential property. Furnished rooms and apartments are particularly good as a temporary solution. For unfurnished properties, you should contact your local migration authority beforehand. They will also be able to help you with placing people seeking shelter.

The intake of refugees is being coordinated by the Swiss federal government in conjunction with the cantons. This will ensure that Switzerland can provide sufficient emergency and asylum accommodation for refugees.

However, private individuals can also register entire homes or spare rooms with the authorities as private accommodation for refugees. If you ask to be reimbursed for such accommodation (by the person seeking protection themselves or by an official body or aid organisation), an informal rental agreement must be drawn up in accordance with Art. 262 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR) (subletting). In this specific case, a written subletting agreement specifying the duration and any reimbursement made must be drawn up between the parties involved – the main tenant, guest and landlord.

Once the key points have been set out, the Swiss Real Estate Association (Schweizerische Verband der Immobilienwirtschaft, SVIT) will issue interested parties with the relevant form via its website, so that a subletting agreement can be drawn up. You can download this form, fill it in and return it to us. We’ll do the rest for you.

The intake of refugees is being coordinated by the Swiss federal government in conjunction with the cantons.

However, private individuals can also register entire homes or spare rooms with the authorities as private accommodation for refugees. Guests may be accommodated in a rented apartment free of charge for a limited period of time in accordance with Art. 305 ff. of the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR). Please contact us if you are interested in providing accommodation for refugees.

Once the key points have been set out, the Swiss Real Estate Association (Schweizerische Verband der Immobilienwirtschaft, SVIT) will issue interested parties with the relevant form via its website. This must be signed by the landlord and tenant. You can download this form, fill it in and return it to us.

Please note that we, as a property management company, cannot dispose of rental income as we choose, and that this is a decision that is made by the property owners.

Private accommodation is essentially provided on a voluntary basis, so remuneration is not granted. Please contact your cantonal authorities to discuss specific cases or for any queries.

The property/key has to be handed back by 12:00 on the day following the date on which the rental agreement ended. The date and time will be agreed with the current and new tenant.

When handing back the property, it should be in the same condition as it was when initially handed over and should have been cleaned throughout. Any items or objects in the rented property that have been changed (e.g. painted walls) have to be returned to their original condition.

Our checklist contains all of the most important information about cleaning your property before handing it back.

Not every property has its own shelters. The construction and allocation of shelters are regulated by the respective canton. If necessary, the regional civil defence authority for your municipality will allocate residents to shelters and notify them of this. In Switzerland, shelters and bunker facilities are allocated by the applicable regional civil defence authority. If the specific need arises, the locations of these facilities will be announced by your municipality or civil defence authority.

The contractually agreed rent includes ancillary payments paid on account. Our property managers strive to calculate this amount as accurately as possible based on previous ancillary cost statements and experience. However, your actual consumption and actual cost will only become apparent once the annual ancillary cost statement is drawn up. If your consumption is higher than that covered by the payments on account that you have already made, you will be billed for the difference. If, on the other hand, it is lower, you will be given a credit note. 

The prorated service charges are the general costs for services such as maintaining the property, seasonal expenses such as snow removal, garden maintenance, fees for rubbish, water and waste water, as well as shared electricity costs for the lighting in the stairwell and laundry room. These costs are distributed proportionally among all tenants according to a key. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. For more information, please refer to your tenancy agreement. 

They include heating and hot water as well as other service charges. For more information, please refer to your tenancy agreement. The ancillary costs do not include extra costs such as privately used electricity, Internet, SERAFE etc. These have to be paid directly to the relevant provider.