I'm living in a students' residence running by Foncia near laussane. I've been staying since March and this morning I suddenly got an email asking me to give them all the receipts of my past rent payments. The truth is I've paid all of them but have never kept any of those receipts... and I remembered clearly that I've just thrown away the latest last week. Now the problem is sometimes I pay directly at the post with cash, so even bank statements wouldn't be able to provide me a complete record. There's literally nothing I could think of to get me such a proof.

So, although I'm still exchanging emails with the agency and am still hoping for the better, but just in case if they just keep insisting that I haven't paid, is there anything I could do? Any legal services that could be possibly useful...?(lol)

Join Asloca, the renters' association. It's only 55 chf. Then they can give you legal advice.

And check when you pay your rent... when I first came here, I thought I had 30 days to pay my rent, like any other bill. So I paid my rent at the end of the month (I'd been given 6 months' worth of bills in advance). After about 6 months, I got a letter asking me to pay my rent on time... turns out rent (at least with my agency) has to be paid by the 5th of the month for which the rent is due). So I'd in effect been 25 days late with my rent each month... I apologised profusely and changed my ways, they accepted I hadn't realised, no harm done.

I guess you know that you really need to keep these receipts. Lesson learned.

Anyway, go back to the post office where you paid and tell them you can't find your receipt and see what they can do. Don't tell them you threw it away. Sometimes with the account info about who you paid to & the date they can track back the payment.

Caprica, I hope you will get this sorted out. Golden rule applicable universally and especially in Switzerland, preserve every scrap of paper (receipts, letters, written instructions etc.) for as long as you can. You never know when you would need it. If you speak to someone on phone for sorting out an issue or give instructions etc. make a note of that person's name, date and time of call etc. My neck has been saved numerous times here in CH because of this.

I think the rule of thumb is that you keep receipts for rent, medical bills, insurances for at least five years, things relating to taxes (so salary slips, bank statements,etc.) for at least ten and any other important papers (birth certificate, marriage licence and so on) FOR EVER.
For safety reasons hubby has insisted on keeping every single scrap of paper we've ever been issued.... thirty + years worth!

You hubby is wise...

For heavens sakes don't tell him that.... he's won't throw anything away ever again! He's still got bank statements from his student days, nearly 40 years ago.