Tenants should be respectful of the other people in the building and in the neighbourhood. This is enshrined in tenancy law. Most apartment buildings also have house rules that regulate when and how long you are allowed to play music, for example.
In many places, there is a designated quiet time between 10pm and 6am. Noisy activities, such as playing drums or drilling, are also prohibited in most places during midday (12 noon to 1pm) and on Sundays and public holidays.
There are no regulations that determine when noise is considered a nuisance and how much noise you have to put up with from your neighbours.
If you feel annoyed by noise in the neighbourhood, start by talking to your neighbours. If that does not help, you can inform the landlord in writing. If people are regularly partying and being loud all night in your neighbourhood, you can contact the police or the emergency number 117.
Noise reaching a certain level, such as long-lasting construction noise, can legally constitute a defect in the rented property. In such cases, you can request the landlord to remedy the problem within a reasonable period of time and demand a rent reduction. If the landlord does not remedy the problem after this period, you can contact the conciliation board (link in german).
When the reference interest rate (web page available in German, French and Italian) is lowered. It is currently at 1.75%;
If your rent is based on a higher interest rate than the current reference rate;
Under certain circumstances, you can request a review within 30 days of moving into your flat, for example, if you find out that you are paying at least 10% more than the previous tenant;
If the use of your apartment is impaired due to a defect, including, for example, a malfunctioning oven, room temperature that is too low, construction work in the building and noise issues.
The landlord may increase the rent if:
prices are generally rising (inflation) (web page available in German);
the reference interest rate (web page available in German) is raised;
maintenance and operating costs have increased (for example, administrative costs or property taxes);
major conversions or renovations (web page available in German) with improvements have been made.
The landlord must inform you of the increase using an official form and state the reason for the increase.
The landlord cannot increase the rent until after the next termination date (web page available in German).
You must be informed about the rent increase at least 10 days before the start of the notice period.
When you move into an apartment, it is important to be as accurate as possible in drawing up a list of defects. Defects that you only find after you have moved in can be reported between 10 and 30 days later, depending on the rental agreement. If you do not report the defects within this period, the landlord assumes that they occurred during the tenancy.
If defects occur during the rental period, report them immediately to the landlord.
Minor damage:
Defects such as scratches or stains on the wall, are generally not the landlord's responsibility, provided these defects do not compromise the use of the rental object.
Small repairs, on the other hand, such as tightening loose screws or cleaning the drain in the bathroom, must be dealt with by the tenant. The tenant is only responsible for repairs that do not require special expertise.
Normal wear and tear: As a rule, damage caused by wear and tear must be repaired and paid for by the landlord. As a tenant, you only have to pay to repair damage that you have caused, for example when you accidentally break something belonging to the apartment. Send your bill for this type of damage to your personal liability insurance. The lifespan (web page available in German) of the damaged object is a determining factor in the calculation of who will pay for the damage. If damage was done to an old stove, its lifespan was likely to expire soon, and it would have been the landlord's responsibility to replace it. The landlord would, in this case, bear a large part of cost to repair the damage. If, on the other hand, the cooker you damaged is still almost new, you or your insurance company will pay the bulk of the repairs.
Defects:
If you notice defects that you as the tenant did not cause, you can demand that the landlord solve the problem and reduce the rent proportionately. You have an entitlement to a reduction in rent from the moment the landlord is made aware of the defect until it is remedied.
If, for example, the heating fails or there is a mould outbreak in the bathroom, the landlord must have the damage repaired by a professional and foot the bill.
Generally, all you need to do is inform the landlord about the defect by phone or email. If the landlord does nothing, send them a registered letter with a deadline by which they should contact you or remedy the defect. You must provide a reasonable deadline, for example 14 days. Describe as precisely as possible what is not working. If you have photos, send them as proof.
If the landlord does not repair the reported defects within the set period, you can deposit the rent (pdf document in German) at the relevant office of your canton and apply for a rent reduction. You need to observe some conditions and all formalities. The conciliation authority can assist you. Once you deposit your rent with the cantonal office, it is deemed paid.