Termination of rental agreement: Tenant’s rights in Switzerland

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    Termination of rental agreement by the landlord

    Termination of rental agreement by the landlord

    A tenancy agreement may be terminated by the tenant or the landlord, as long as they comply with the legal or contractual periods of notice. The law protects tenants against wrongful termination. In addition, landlords must comply with specific requirements when notifying tenants of termination and must justify the notice of termination at the tenants’ request.

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    Landlords must notify tenants of termination using a form authorised by the canton. The legally or contractually agreed notice periods and termination dates must be observed. The notice period for termination for apartments is at least three months.

    Tenants have the right to know the grounds for termination. Notices of termination not made in good faith (such as notice of termination because the landlord is exercising his landlord's right, or on account of the tenants' changed family circumstances) may be contested before the conciliation authority. The official notice form explains how tenants should proceed when disputing a termination.

    If the termination is likely to cause undue hardship for the tenants (financial or family difficulties, housing shortage), an extension of the term of the tenancy may be applied for at the conciliation authority.

    In principle, subtenants benefit from the same protection against termination as all other tenants.
    However, if the owner gives notice of termination to the principal tenant, only he or she has the right to contest it.

    Cantonal conciliation authority (information, advice, standard formats)

    The conciliation authority provides information and advice to both landlords and tenants and also supplies the necessary forms.

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    Landlords’ and tenants’ associations

    Landlords’ and tenants’ associations also support landlords and tenants in their specific concerns and interests regarding termination.

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