I have sent a termination notice to my landlord stating that, as ruled by the contract, i would like to leave the apartment 3 months after the notice. My landlord wants to show the apartment to prospective tenants. Can the landlord force the apartment public viewing schedule on us?

On Sunday the landlord wrote a message that they want to show the apartment next Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, that's a 72h notice. As we are out of town we suggested they could show the apartment in the following week. Now the landlord wants to force to show this week even without our presence, claiming that potential new tenants can send their notice from their current places still within October.

What are my rights here? Can I just refuse? I don't want to create problems to a nice landlord but I don't see why I need to rush now.

Thanks

can't you leave the key with the landlord?

Only based on UK renting experience, most rental contracts require that you allow the apartment to be viewed given adequate notice, which 3 days probably is.

You might find more detailed information here

Are you a member of the Mieterverband (tenants' rights organisation)? You could ask them. I'm not sure if you can ask questions if you're not a member. Or get a friend who is to ask the question.

When we recently gave notice we had to fill in a form and tick our preferred option of showing our apartment. Options included having prospective tenants ring and we organise the viewings, or having the real estate do it themselves, or having set viewing times for multiple viewers.

Have you asked if there are alternatives?

It's probabyl written in your contract somewhere, usualy in Vaud, landlord has right to inspect the property with 48 hours notice.

Viewing needs to be by mutual consent which cannot be unduly held back.

One small thing you may like to think about is return of your rental guarantee, if you prove to be difficult now, maybe landlord will be difficult afterwards.

From a landlord's perspective,he needs to rent the property, the advantage to you will be once he has a new tennant he'll be less of a pain to deal with, you maybe able to sell certain things on to a new tennant such as curtains.

Wow, a useful, non-antagonising post! Have you completely changed or is it just today only?

I could. In fact they even have a master key. But I don't feel comfortable about it...

Can you get a friend or neighbour to be there when you can't be?

The form thing seems like the proper swiss way to do it. I wasn't given that. Mieterverband is a good idea, I thought about it. But I am not a member and EF folks are always so helpful!
Thanks a lot!

I read you.

But think about it another way. It can be quite discomforting to watch somebody sniff around your flat and make some sneering remarks about your bad (read: non Swiss) taste in curtains and sofa and then have his wife loud mouth about how she'd trash all this stuff it was her hers and buy different.

Plus of course the time you lose waiting at home for people who come late or decide not to turn up at all, or waste your time asking the blooming obvious.

If you can lock away your valuables and trust your landlord for the rest, it might actually make things easier for you.

With 48+ hours notice given, you can't refuse. Either trust your landlord with the key, or trust your neighbor with it.

If you hand your key over to your landlord, I'd make sure you get it back after the viewing, since the flat is still yours until the end of the lease, meaning that you're responsible for damages until that point and can't know who caused possible damages if you're not in possession of all keys.

I refused any viewings, as I was not often at home & I had the only key. I could never be sure when I would be there No issue at all. Refusing to speak German probably helped

Its probably written in the contract they can do whatever they like whenever they like

No, it probably isn't.

I guess you could offer to show people for 250 chf a visit.

Deal

No, you CAN refuse. As long as you have the keys, this is YOUR home. The landlord gave 48 hours notice to let the tenant know that he would like to come to do a visit. This is not an order. The tenant has the right to refuse.

amogles and glowjupiter, very good points, thanks for that.

I pictured myself walking around and receiving the looks like you described and I didn't like it! I will probably seat with my computer somewhere and let them do the tour. We settled for visits this upcoming Friday from 5 to 7pm (ouch!), which is less days than the landlord wanted but still within this week, so before October cut-off. I feel like helping the landlords who have been very nice with us during the last 5y (except for the referenzzinssatz thing, which they have not refused to reduce the rent while Comparis suggested a good 300 chf reduction per month). It's just annoying having the whole family putting up with the invasion of privacy... I guess that at the end, it is what is is, right?

Not at all. It is only when you are available. Nobody must go in whilst you are not their either. That would be illegal.

Unless you give them express permission beforehand.