My daughter is visiting an apartment with "Bail de 5 ans terme fixe.

Can someone explain what it actually means - have checked and have answers that vary differently. They haven't been here that long and have had real problems finding a flat but obviously they don't want to tie themselves down to having to be liable for renting for a 5 year period, especially if the job doesn't work out..

Many thanks

Maybe this helps?

Lease 5 year, fixed term.

What is not to understand about that?

It is more about the implications if they wanted to leave the apt. if for example my son in law lost his job and couldn't find another one so had to leave the country. They have been told different answers so wanted to clarify.

Thank you Curley for the link - I shall run it through translate

well, they can leave the country, but still pay for the remaining portion of the 5 years....


...or find someone to take their place.

Yes, but is it something that a new tenant would avoid doing, if for instance there was say 3 years left ? Do people tend to just want 1 year tenancies and avoid longer ones?

Ooops, sorry, I thought you speak the language but didn't understand the theory.

Well, that is a bit like asking would someone like strawberries ....
Someone worried to lose his home easily would like it, young people often don't like this kind of commitment, when we look at the thread the other person posted today about having to leave before his 4-month contract ended we could say foreigners who like changing carreer wouldn't like it either.

And while I usually move into flats planning it to be an interim solution and then stay 10 years and longer ... I wouldn't like it either (but I just don't like ties )

You say your daughter's husband had to leave the country? I take it she's not Swiss either then? She might want to follow him somewhere, should he find a groovy job abroad?

It will depend whom you ask. I just realized: You get a clear no from me.

Oh and you know normally you don't get one-year-tenancy. Normal here is simply open ended with the possibility of quitting 3 times a year at least.

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Some do.

And if they can find somebody for 5 yrs, it should be even easier to find somebody for 3 yrs.

And else you can sublet it.

How proper those options are all depends on object, price and location.

I'd say once or twice a year is more normal.

The rental market in the La Côté area is softening. There are so many brand new flats coming on the market that landlords of older apartments are having to compromise on some of their principles.

Send them off to have a look. If they don’t like it, there is no issue. If they do like it they should ask that the fixed term provisions not apply. All they can say is no.

Thanks for all your answers.

They are actually in Geneva so maybe subletting would not be an issue so much if things went pear shaped.

When I lived in Geneva we had a Company apartment so did not have to go through the process of looking and sorting this out - oh and to make this harder they have a dog too!!!!!

Why would anyone bind themselves for such a long time? I wouldn't accept that unless there was a clear advantage. Like, low rent.

check all the conditions in the contract. I had a 5 year rental stated on the front page, with an additional clause hidden away on page 2 that said after the first 2 years i could cancel with 3 months notice. I think the 5 years referred to the period where the rental amount was fixed, after which they could adjust it to an index. may not apply in your contract, but I have successfully given 3 months notice after only 3 years.