Hi there,

We've just moved to Gross (near Einsiedeln, in canton Schwyz) and have rented a house without toilet paper holders or towel holders in the bathrooms.

It seems very strange to us...

Just want to make sure that rental houses "should" come with these things. What is usual/standard in Switzerland?

The house is very new and there are many things still be added to it (carpets, window covering holders, etc) so perhaps the bathroom holders were just left out accidentally...

thanks,
mikej

There isn't really a standard - what you see is what you get.

If you feel that something is missing, you should negotiate that before signing the lease / handover documents.

If you have already signed the lease - that is, accepted the house 'as is', you can ask the landlord to provide these but he isn't under any obligation as you have already signed that you accept the condition of the house. But ask nicely and you will probably find that the landlord will have it put in for you.

In the area, you can buy a stand alone holder inexpensively at the Coop B/H in Einsiedeln, at Hornbach in Galgenen - or buy one for silly money from any plumber in the region. If you want it mounted to the tile wall, however, you will need the landlord's input - so see the above point.

You are very lucky to have found a place in Gross - it's one of the nicest places to live in central Switzerland. So don't sweat the small stuff... just take in those lovely views of the Sihlsee, and enjoy.

Whatever you do, don't start drilling holes in tiles without the go-ahead from the landlord and the agreement that the fittings can remain when you leave. Replacing the tiles could work out to be expensive.

Thank you both.

I have an email out to the property manager. We'll see what he and the owner say.

Until then, we'll just mediate on the view of the Sihlsee.

No toilet paper holder is not unusual...but no towel rack is rather unusual. It sounds like an oversight from the one of hundreds of contractors used to build the home. Should be remedied easily.if not...there is always ikea!

Actually, in my experience there ia almost always a toilet paper holder. But towel holders, well often there is a hook or two but not much more.

If the bathroom is big, you can buy freestanding towel racks. Some hold several towels and might be better than towel bars on the walls because they give you more flexibility.

For hand towels, you can manage quite well with Tesa hooks. Look for the waterproof version. No drilling. Many of the Ikea accessories need drilling or affix with suction.

In terms of fixing items to tiled walls, I found that drilling the holes through the grout, and not the tile itself, allows you to fill in the holes easily when you leave. Obviously the hole you drill must not have a diameter larger than the width of the grout!

That's my top tip for the day!

If you don't want to drill, I think a brand called everloc (seen in manor) does a bunch of bathroom items which can be fixed to the walls without drilling.

Yup, Migros has a huge sale on them in their do-it shop at the moment (you can order online if you want).
Also sold in Coop Bau und Hobby.