Hi everyone,

We are looking to take over the contract on an apartment in Lausanne. The apartment has been renovated except for the kitchen. The appliances are functional but quite old. The other apartments in the building (same size) have the same rent but renovated kitchens. We would like to ask the landlord to renovate and provide new appliances. We are willing to push back the move in date by a few weeks, but would rather not pay more rent.

What is the best way to ask for the renovations to be done? Should we wait until after signing the contract? Will we inevitably have a higher rent, of can we argue that it should not change, since the other apartments have the same rent but new kitchens?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Try asking him to renovate before you move in, and make it part of the contract that you sign perhaps. If it's not done by such and such a date, then the contract is null and void for instance, although I would advise checking with a lawyer to make sure you could have something like that in the contract.

Otherwise, you could try and negotiate a reduced rent, pointing out that the other properties are completely renovated while the one you want isn't.

Talking to him is the best way forward. He's going to have to put in new appliances if the old ones give out anyway as they're his responsibility, not yours, so he may well be willing to have the renovation done for a firm commitment from you.

It may well depend on how many others are chasing the same property, if you're the only prospect he has he might be more willing than if there are a dozen others also hoping to sign his contract.

Once you sign the contract you are at his mercy. Negotiate before you sign up. An old kitchen will probably fail often, and you have to pay for small repairs, up to about Fr 150,-- above that level he will be paying for repairs.

Maybe you can convince him, good luck.

Once you have signed the contract you have accepted that the condition of the apartment is equitable to the rent. As a landlord he would be quite within his rights to refuse to do anything other than what is entirely necessary by law once the contract is signed.

You could try negotiating with him or her but there must be a reason for the higher rent given the condition, even if this is only greed on the landlords behalf. Given you have asked the question, you must in some way prefer this apartment whether it be for location etc.

All housing purchases or rentals are about compromise. You cant always have the property you like where you want it. I would ask the question but expect him to say no to renovating the kitchen. The choice is then yours.

Not unless he insists on repairing them - like my landlord does: he keeps on repairing the 25 year old appliances, and refuses to replace them

And I cannot do anything about it :-(

You can put anything you want into the contract. They can always choose not to accept it.

But once you sign the contract, you are theirs.

Same here. Kitchen is around 20-25 years old with original appliances. 3 months ago the dishwasher door failed to close but the machine is in working order. Landlord called repair company, they say it's fixable, ordered a new hinge or whatever. Still waiting for the repair company...

My contract is signed every year, so if get to be picky and demand new kitchen, new floor, new bathroom...I will be searching new apartment.