Switzerland: renting property
The full process in 6 steps: the taxes you pay, what each stage costs and how long it takes (~20 days on average). Free guide, no account needed.
🔑 Owner
1
Sign the rental contract
⏱ 1 day · 💰 free
2
Place the deposit in a blocked account for the tenant
⏱ 1-2 weeks · 💰 free
👤 Tenant
1
Check the contract and the inventory
⏱ 1-2 days · 💰 free
2
Pay the deposit
⏱ 1 day · 💰 max 3 months gross rent
3
Check the initial rent within 30 days
⏱ 30 days · 💰 free
4
Put the utilities in your name
⏱ 1-2 weeks · 💰 varies
Taxes & fees
kaution
max 3 months gross rent, in a blocked account
kaution freigabe
only with both signatures or a ruling
anfangsmietzins
challengeable within 30 days
⚠️ What costs you money if you miss it
Three months, and the account is in the tenant’s name. The landlord may ask for at most three months of gross rent — including the monthly service-charge instalment — and it must sit in a blocked bank account opened in the tenant’s own name, never in the landlord’s.
Neither side can take the money alone. The bank releases the deposit only with both signatures, or on a binding decision of the conciliation authority or a court. That cuts both ways: the landlord cannot help themselves, and the tenant cannot empty it before leaving.
You have thirty days to challenge the rent you just agreed to. Within 30 days of moving in, a tenant can take the initial rent to the conciliation authority as abusive — typically when the previous tenant paid noticeably less. Miss the window and the rent stands.
⚠️ Informational purposes only. Always consult a licensed local lawyer.
Check what a property here is actually worthOpen the free valuation