Damnit all to hell. OP if you're willing to buy an apartment in Winti I'll pay 6 months deposit and will surrender my passport to you. From what my Arab mates from Dubai tell me, it's the best way to deal with foreign workers.

And here's me, paying my rent like a sucker. (to mis-quote Homer Simpson.)

Given the amount of "Auslandschweizer", I do not see why you cannot imagine a Swiss making a runner abroad either. I met one on a plane from Southa America once who did that and was even proud of it...

My parents had plenty of issues with tennants before and all I can say is that the locals who really want to screw you are usually more successful as they know the legal system and pull all the right tricks to prevent you from getting your property back/them out.

It's just (obviously) less likely that a Swiss would emigrate than an immigrant would return home to his family.

Well, you don't need to put the top back on the Vaseline jar as it never came off

I don't mean to be rude, I've done quite a bit of it myself today, but this is devolving into debate which in no way helps the OP.

Can somebody answer his question please?

When that's done we can go back to

Putting your property in the hands of someone else is always very risky. In the Uk I had mostly good tennants, and only one nightmare which was resloved just fine with a few letters, and me and 3 friends finding out where they had gone and standing outside there new place talking about football for an hour. If these boys have slipped back into Italy, I don't see any recourse. Taking legal action unless you know where they are, will cost you further angst and money.

Mr T's point about locals knowing the system and shafting you with it is sadly very true, and very distressing.

I would talk to the local gemeinde and contact a lawyer.
You have to weigh out if it's worth your time and money.

well done!

:****:
Edit: why my p1ssing monkey not appearing???

I'm affraid this is simply dumb, though. Because landlords don't want to rent to foreigners because they are smelly, have long nails, and greasy hairs.


PS: You ever heard of "Deposit"?
Here it was surprinsingly 1 month rent. In Lausanne area it was standard 2-3 months rents. Which gives you the time to know much in advance and adapt.

What if tenants do damages? well, same, deposit, or insurances.

Of course if you are vaguely informed of the situation, then it can be annoying, but that can happens with any tenants, Swiss or "foreigner", like Swiss like to call anyone else.

Let me give you abit of history of this apartment block (4 x 4.5 apartments) so you get the picture of how frustrated I am.

In 2005, I had a telephone call from my mother who was living in Ticino.
She informed me that she was a tenant in an apartment block and the landlord was selling the building and she had been given a notice that she may have to vacate the building when the building was sold.

She told me that this was the place she wanted to live for the rest of her life with her husband but does not have the money to buy the building.
To cut a long story short; I purchased the building with her (actually the shares of a Swiss Company (SA) that the building was the only asset of) putting 50% the required capital to achieve this.
I did this; not because I believed this to be a great investment; but as pay back for her giving me a private education.....bla....bla.....bla.

I was advised that I should be resident in Switzerland ("on paper") which I did.

Then my mother decided that she did not want one of the tenants in the building (I actually agree on that one as reading the correspondence for 30 years he was a nightmare). I did this through the courts and this cost me in excess of CHF 10,000 plus and took 2 years to physically get him out and he left with arrears of rent and expenses of CHF 9,000.

When I went to collect the keys from this tenant on the request of my mother; I was later accused of Hostage Taking; Threat to Kill; Forced Entry; Abusive Language; Grevious Bodily Harm. I then had to employ a lawyer to defend these claims and have won the appeal for all and am now defending laserations to face at appeal court which I believe I shall win. This has cost me another CHF 5,000.

The really disappointing thing is that 6 months later I was going to Switzerland and called my mother to tell her I was on my way.
She informed me that she had moved out of the building to the next town as she had now taken a lease for 5 years on an apartment. Reason given is that there was a Migros supermarket that is just below her apartment and it is cheaper than the shop in the village and if she goes down at 16:00 they often reduce items.

So when you have read some of my ridiculous posts on this forum about wishing I was an orphan; old parents become like spoilt children; you might now understand the reason.

Now, I have discoverd that the tenants (husband and wife) were dentist and anaesthetises for impalnts and working in Como as well as Rome.
I would think it would not be difficult to trace these people down if in fact they have left.

Luckily I did organise spare sets of keys for each apartment so should be able to enter the apartment if I so wish to, though I want to know the legalities before so doing.

By the way, it is quite normal to have 5 year tenancy agreements on property in Switzerland. This is better in that people respect the property I would think.

Thank you for your imput so far.

Wow.

---------

but this gets all us "foreigner" tarred with the same brush. Are non-swiss more likely to do a runner than swiss?

Cashboy, you have to laugh at older people. My grandmother is very similar to this. She declines my offers to take her out to dinner, the cinema etc in favour of watching a show like mastermind which she could easily tape with Sky+ which I got her. They have their own logic at that age.

I couldn't help but laugh, why do we set ourselves up for things like this. We bought a massive reno' project on the Black Isle in the Scottish highlands, we were to live in the main house, and convert the stone cattle byre into a house for the MIL. After we'd completed the deal, got the plans approved the whole 9 yards, she changed her mind and wanted to stay in town.... don't ya just love the old dears.

Good luck with finding a resolution to this.

sorry, that is no charge against you (your story...wow!), but... i know that whenever i am buying a flat or house...it is ME who will live there! so much hassle i have read, know from mates such major c.ock-ups...i am cured even before it has started... and it is always the landlord that pays again to get his propperty back! the law is too much pro-tennant! and this sux! my future heritage will be a flat. and i know that i will sell it or will maintain it in case i will move in when im older...no way i rent it out.

do like BHT said and get the lawyer in in case you have the address etc. i know your concerns: invested so much, stress with no end...always "paid the bill" and now that again? is my investment higher than the outcome?
somehow i feel you must follow this up legaly as they cant, shouldnt get away with it that easy.

Yep; you can only laugh at them.
My problem is that she has always been like that.
My mother always boasts about her 22 letters of qualifications after her name and I am considered a failure because I only have one degree and a qualified as a chartered accountant.
Yet if her car didn't start; she would check the tyres.

My advise to all you property speculators and potential landlords......FORGET IT!

I suppose I had better go work out how to post pictures and post a 4.5 appartment up for rent on this forum

also, you're only 2 months down on rent so in the scheme of things, maybe not worth pursuing.

man! glad you still have bit of humor left....

PRECISELY!!!

I am so sorry. I cannot believe the unappreciated time, trouble and expense you have gone to.

I am also very sorry to admit I am still smiling (having been sitting here laughing to myself). It's the way you write it! Laughing again and feeling guilty (sorry)!

Would it be better to pass it all to an agent to handle the building and problems to come. With the carrot of getting the business, you can put the questions you need the answers for, regarding your current problem, to the agent who should have the experience and should know the ropes. I know it will cost money to use an agent in future but your time has value too and you seem to have already given a lot of it. (There is also the aggravation and stress, you could be rid of that too.)

You are correct there!

I gather it is not that simple to get the deposit from the Tenant Rent Deposit Account and may well need court intervention.

There are also principles. If the tenents had come to me and said......."this is the situation.......bla....bla...bla"
Then I would have said lets put the property up for rent and if someone comes I am happy for you to pass on the tenancy as we all have isues and changes in life.

What these tenants have done is totally unprofessional.