your hauswarten

I think the thought on this is that you chose where to live, so you essentially chose your environment and the attendant noises that come with it.

I wish I could say that I "chose" this place - actually more like it "chose" us. We looked at other flats but were rejected because of my husband's work permit &/or because we are not Swiss. We have been turned down several times, last time because we did not speak Swiss German.

I think the only way to know about the noise level of a place is to live there for a couple of weeks (which is impossible) Otherwise, "caveat emptor." I asked about the fire house and was told there have been no fires in 10-20 yrs., but was not told that the firemen get together 1-2 times a week to start up trucks and bull__t until almost 10 pm. Also did not know about elementary school playground a short distance away -- don't mind kids, just hate those that scream unabated.

Has anyone else faced discrimination in apartment hunting and how have you gone about trying to find a flat? I know about Homegate but are there any other English speaking sites?

Thank you for your help!

We had ours found for us by a relocation agent. I get the impression that she knew about ones that weren't generally known about, on the other hand, maybe she was just talking herself up

Yes, we found ours through an agent also. Just an "unlucky" draw, I guess - I had wanted to go back and see the flat again, but I had to go back to the US and my husband wanted to be out of the hotel.

At least you saw yours before you moved into it. We got our first look when we got the keys from the agent! It was all done on the internet, with references from husbands employer and photographs of the flat

Well, Zug bound, I hope that things worked out for you and your family. I am looking for another flat, just can't move until March (that crazy rule about 6 mos. notice because of holidays). Unless we can find someone to sublet.

Slightly off topic this, but my apartment block is currently having it's outer wall shell re-plastered. The work is all going very slowly and I expect it will take several months to complete. As part of the process, the workmen have stuck heavy plastic sheets on the outside of the windows and the balcony door. They have also removed the steel shutters from the windows, which means that I have no means to shut out the early morning light. I also have no access to my small balcony and cannot open the windows.

It's occurred to me that I should claim some compensation from my landlord for inconvenience and loss of facilities, but I don't want to sour the relationship. Does anyone have any experience of this sort of issue? Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks.

Renovations on the apartment block - compensation possible?

That is really useful thanks. Not sure I will persue it as I don't want to sour the relationship over a 10% reduction, but nevertheless it's a good bargaining point if the landlord decides to increase the rent, or if other issues arise.

The swiss are cowards my new neighbour got a complaint letter in her post box unsigned

I feel sorry for you can you not move

I feel sorry for the bloody cows having to where the bells i mean the best looking cow gets the biggest bell, if i die and come back as a cow please let me be ugly or an english cow

I have a question... I read about the 10pm to 7h am noise, but what is the rule about very loud music or noise during the day?

Let say the level of the music is as loud as if you live upper a bar, (but it's not a bar) and it is like that almost every afternoon, can you do something about it? Or it is something you can complain but have no power to change it since you can do what you want in your own appartment?

Thanks to answer me,

Nil

Apart from the part you mentioned it doesn't seem there is much that can be done except getting into a ****ing match.

The link below which is from the Canton of Aargua website basically says that "neighbourhood" noise is difficult to measure and that parties should seek to reach an agreement. Once the realtionship deteriorates to the extent that lawyers are involved it becomes more difficult to reach an agreement.

Who would have thought?

http://www.ag.ch/laerm/de/pub/weiter...haftslaerm.php

Other than the 22:00 to 07:00 rule, for all other times noise should be kept to a reasonable level (at least for Zurich). I would have thought that noise in the day time "every day" is not reasonable.

I did a bit more research (the Aargau approach seemed a bit lame). It obviously depends on where you live. The place where you would find the regulations would be in the Gemeinde Polizeireglement. I don't know where Nil lives in Basel exactly (Stadt, Land or...), but for example in Binningen it is stipulated that:

Thank you!

In my experience, the general rule seems to be: "After 10 pm is forbidden, as you should be asleep, the crack of dawn is just fine, as anyone who has not been awake for two hours by then, gone for a run and eaten his gipfeli is unspeakably lazy and probably a foreigner..."

I was the only one in our very Swiss Wohnhaus who complained about the idiots filling a metal skip with scrap metal at 6:00 am every Saturday throwing ironing boards and window frames in from a distance of 10 feet. The Hausabwart also has a thing about firing up his petrol mower at 6:30 ish on a Saturday morning in summer. He agreed after some negotiation that 7:00 am was also acceptable.

I am guessing this noise rule does not apply in the canton of Geneva.

I live a couple of hundred meters from a public park on the lake here. Now that the weather is getting warmer, it has become a convention center for loud drunks in the middle of the night.

Last night/ early this morning, they were blowing some kind of horns at 4 a.m.

The crazy part is that there are a lot of houses closer to this park than my own, and no one calls the police.

Where are these Swiss that just love to report people?

I would call myself, but I have yet to be connected with a policeman who speaks English. I have only been here a few months, and my French is limited to ordering food in a restaurant. 'There are drunk men blowing horns in the park' is beyond my ability at this time.

'I have captured a burglar in my house' unfortunately was also beyond my ability. I guess I need to have my language instructor go beyond the norm of his curriculum.

To the burglars credit, he did offer to speak to the police on the phone for me. I wasn't sure if I wanted his side of the story told. I imagined I'd find myself locked up while he enjoyed the evening in my house.

What happened please did you call the police?