Frequently asked questions

Yes, for the outgoing tenant.

There is no sign-up fee, no commission on the rent and no invoice for the listing or the viewings. The whole arrangement is set out on is the service really free.

They are the condition of the thank-you bonus, not of the free service. The work happens at the start: the listing is written and published, applications are read and checked, and viewings are arranged and led. Two weeks lets us run that properly without another intermediary completing the takeover on the back of it. It is deliberately short.

A CHF 300 thank-you bonus if your lease takeover goes through, when you give us exclusivity on your file for two weeks. It is paid by bank transfer after the new tenant has moved in and we have received the supporting documents. The eligibility conditions and the exclusion cases are on the thank-you bonus page.

No. The free arrangement applies to outgoing tenants handing over a lease: it costs them nothing. A tenant search carried out for a private landlord is a mandate in its own right, described on find a tenant for your property, and its terms depend on the property and the scope of the work. We agree them with you through the contact page.

Yes, under conditions. Article 264 of the Swiss Code of Obligations allows a tenant to return the property before the end of the term if they present a solvent successor who is willing to take over the lease on the same terms and whom the landlord cannot reasonably refuse. All three conditions matter, and the last one is why the quality of the file decides the outcome. Our guide Article 264 explained goes through it clause by clause.

A refusal must be reasoned and given without delay. Recognised grounds include over-occupation of the flat, or an activity that would disturb the neighbours or the standing of the building. If a candidate who meets the conditions is refused, you are released from your lease. This is why we present files that are complete rather than files that are merely enthusiastic.

Yes. A takeover does not replace the written step: you inform the landlord or the managing agent in writing of the date on which you intend to return the flat, and you present your successor. We draft that request with you and, if you wish, send it in the form the managing agent expects. Our guide on notice periods explains the dates that apply to a Swiss lease.

If you are coming back, yes. Gone for good means a takeover. Coming back means a sublet. In a sublet you keep the lease and the responsibility that goes with it: you remain liable for the rent and for the condition of the flat. The landlord must be informed and must consent, and the conditions of the sublet must be communicated to them. See sublet your flat in Geneva and subletting rules in Switzerland.

Agencies in Geneva generally ask a candidate for identity documents and residence permit, proof of income, a recent extract from the debt-collection register, and a fully completed application form. We collect all of it before a name is put in front of your landlord. The full list, with what each document is read for, is in what goes in a tenant file.

Agencies in Geneva generally look for rent and running costs of around a third of gross monthly income, and no uncontested debts. That is market practice rather than a figure written into the law, and it is applied with judgement: the stability of the income and of the household is read alongside the ratio.

More than one wherever the file allows it. In Geneva practice, agencies are generally expected to be presented with more than one candidate, so we build a shortlist rather than banking on a single name. What we do not do is send through everyone who came to a viewing, because volume is not what gets a file accepted.

No. We arrange the slots, group them so that your flat is not open all week, and lead every viewing ourselves. You are never the one showing the kitchen to a stranger. All we need is access on the agreed day. The whole sequence is set out in how it works.

We do not put a date on a search, and you should be wary of anyone who does: it depends on the flat, the rent, the floor, the period of the year and the state of demand. What we do commit to is that your file is handled within 24 hours of reaching us. Once a candidate is presented, the examination of the file is generally counted in about a month, which is why the first candidate needs to be the right one.

Everything starts again: a new candidate, a new complete file, and a fresh examination period counted in roughly a month. That month is not abstract lost time, it is rent you keep paying on a flat you have already left. It is the single strongest reason to have the file checked before it is presented, as explained in leaving your lease early in Geneva.

The flat is inspected, its condition recorded, meters read and keys handed over, and your lease is then released. We prepare you for that appointment so that what is genuinely your responsibility is dealt with beforehand and the rest is not put on your account. See the final walk-through and getting your deposit back.