Moving home
Congratulations on your new home! You have found a new place to live and will soon be moving in. Even if you are relocating to somewhere else in Switzerland, moving requires a lot of work. By being well-prepared, you can ensure that moving out of your old home and into your new one is a stress-free experience and save yourself some unnecessary hassle.
To be on the safe side, do not terminate your old tenancy until you have received definitive written confirmation of your new accommodation. You must terminate your tenancy in writing. All you have to do is send a simple, signed letter to the management agency or landlord by external page registered mail. Make sure that you observe the notice period and termination date.
Notice period
The notice period is usually specified in the rental contract. If there is no contractually agreed notice period, a period of three months applies for flats and single-family properties.
Termination date
Possible termination dates are also specified in the rental contract. If no dates have been agreed, the standard local termination dates shall apply. In the City of Zurich, there are only two possible termination dates in the year: 31 March and 30 September. Some cantons also offer 30 June as an additional termination date, while others allow tenancies to be terminated at the end of any month except December.
Ordinary termination
Ordinary termination is when you adhere to the notice period and termination date stated in the rental contract. Please note that your notice of termination must be received by the property owner or manager before the notice period expires. Information leaflets and sample letters for ordinary termination are available from the external page Swiss Tenants’ Association (German).
Extraordinary termination
Extraordinary termination occurs when you wish to terminate your old tenancy outside the specified notice period and/or irrespective of the ordinary termination date. In this case, you must suggest a suitable replacement tenant to the landlord. This new tenant must be financially solvent and prepared to take over the rental contract under the same conditions. The landlord also needs to be given enough time to vet the suggested new tenant: one month will usually suffice. Once a new tenant has signed the new rental contract, you – as the current tenant – shall be released from your payment obligation from the date on which the new tenant starts paying rent. In this case, too, it is important to terminate your tenancy in writing. If you do not find a suitable new tenant, your tenancy shall be terminated with effect from the next termination date, which means that you will be obliged to continue paying rent until that date.
Step-by-step instructions on how to undertake an extraordinary termination are available from the external page Swiss Tenants’ Association (German).
Rented property must be handed over on the last day of your tenancy, during normal office hours. However, in many places tenants are not obliged to hand over the property until 12.00 pm on the following day. The deadline is also often specified in the rental contract. If the last day of your tenancy falls on a weekend or a public holiday, the handover date is shifted to the next working day.
If you are due to move out on the same day that the new tenant moves in, it is essential that you coordinate and make arrangements with one another. A solution can usually be found by discussing the situation. In any case, it is advisable to arrange a handover date with the landlord in good time.
Download Checklist for moving home (German).
Your belongings must be packed up in boxes, bags or crates ready for your move. Make sure you allow enough time for this and pack things in a way that ensures they are still portable. Packing books in large crates makes them very difficult to lift, so it is easier to pack them in strong paper bags. Boxes suitable for moving can be bought from large retailers such as Migros, Coop or Jumbo.
Vehicles for transporting your belongings also need to be hired in good time. These are often booked up on official moving dates.
If you do not want to pack or transport your belongings yourself, you can engage the services of a removal company. Some of them offer a combined service which includes cleaning the property you are vacating.
In Switzerland, properties must be handed over in a spotlessly clean condition. It takes a lot of time to clean a property and the time and effort required for cleaning the kitchen and bathroom in particular is often underestimated. Ovens and hobs must be thoroughly cleaned, the filter in the extraction system replaced and the kitchen and bathroom taps descaled. Windows must be cleaned on the inside and outside. Doors, door frames, floors and cupboards also need to be washed clean. Holes in the walls (e.g. from drilling) must be filled in.
You can also arrange to have the property cleaned by a professional cleaning company. Compare quotes from various cleaning service providers and make sure that the contract with your chosen cleaning company contains a handover guarantee.
external page homegate.ch offers a list of cleaning companies.
When a property is handed over, an inventory and inspection report is usually drawn up which describes the property’s condition. This contains a written record of any existing defects for which you cannot be held liable when you move out.
If you only become aware of defects after the start of your tenancy, you can also report these to the landlord in writing by registered letter. Defects found after your tenancy starts usually have to be reported within the first 10 to 30 days of the tenancy period.
As a tenant, you are usually obliged to pay a rent deposit, in an amount ranging from one month’s rent to a maximum of three months’ rent. This deposit serves as security for the landlord in the event of any claims which may arise from the rental contract. The landlord will open a blocked account in your name at a bank of his/her choice for this deposit.
Once your tenancy has expired and all rent and additional costs, as well as any damages, have been paid, the landlord must pay back your deposit (including interest).
You must report your new address to various authorities. A comprehensive checklist for this can be found at external page umzug.ch (German).
Your employer ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich also needs to be informed about your new address. Please report any change of address via protected page ETHIS in good time to ensure that your post will continue to be delivered to you promptly.
Registering with and deregistering from the municipality
You must deregister from the municipality of your old place of residence or the District Office at your place of residence in the City of Zurich and register at your new place of residence. The documents required for registration and deregistration vary depending on the municipality or city administration and canton in question. Please note that you usually have to register within 14 days of moving to a new place of residence.
Many administrative agencies provide an online service for this. More information about registering with and deregistering from particular municipalities can be found at external page ch.ch.
Moving to Switzerland
Information about the requirements and procedure for external page moving to Switzerland from abroad