Net rent, service charges, gross rent: reading the price of a rental in Switzerland

Three amounts for a single rent

• The net rent: the price of using the home, without service charges.
• Service charges (in the law, accessory charges): the landlord’s actual expenses linked to the use (heating, hot water and other running costs), as well as the public charges arising from it.
• The gross rent: the net rent plus service charges. It is the amount to compare from one listing to another.

Service charges are added to the rent only if the lease expressly provides for it. Otherwise, the landlord cannot bill them to you on top.

Instalments or flat rate?

In instalments: you pay a provisional amount each month. The landlord draws up a statement at least once a year and presents it to you. You receive the difference or you pay it. You can ask to see the supporting documents.

Flat rate: the amount is fixed and there is no statement. The landlord must calculate it on the average of three years.

Comparing two listings

• Compare gross rents: a low net rent can hide high service charges.
• A listing that only shows an amount “including charges” gives the gross rent.
• For commercial premises, the rent is often given per square metre and per year: multiply by the area, then divide by twelve to get a monthly amount.

The rent deposit

For a home, the landlord cannot demand a deposit of more than three months’ rent. Paid in cash or securities, it must be placed in a bank, in a savings or deposit account in the tenant’s name. Never in the account of the landlord or an intermediary.

The bank returns it only with the agreement of both parties, or on the basis of debt enforcement proceedings or a court judgment. If the landlord has not made a claim in court or through debt enforcement within a year of the end of the lease, you can ask the bank to return it. If the landlord agrees, rent deposit insurance can replace the deposit: you then pay a yearly premium, which is not refunded to you.

A deposit to pay before the viewing? The signs of a fake listing →

On ImmGate

Each listing details the net rent, service charges, gross rent and deposit, as the agency publishes them. When the agency only gives the rent including charges, the listing shows it that way, without inventing a split. A yearly rent is converted to a monthly one for sorting and searching by budget, as is a rent per square metre when the area is known.