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03.11.2020, 12:45
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Zürich
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| | Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment?
Hey!
I'm not looking for an apartment right now, but I'm just curious… should one ask for how much has been the rent increase from the previous tenant? and I think on two scenarios here:
- If you are visiting the apartment and it's the current tenant the one showing it.
- If it's a the real state agent the one showing the property.
I don't know if this question will signal you as an unsuitable future tenant since it could mean that you know what is going on with the unlawful rent increases.
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03.11.2020, 12:56
| Junior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Belmont
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment?
You will not be seen as an unsuitable tenant if you ask about the previous tenant's rent. In fact this is a normal request and is sometimes provided as routine information.
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03.11.2020, 13:32
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Zurich area
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment?
In fact in canton of ZH, and given the current housing situation, this information must actually given to the new tenant on a government prescribed form. You have 30 days after taking over the apartment (getting the keys) to challenge the rent.
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03.11.2020, 13:41
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment?
In addition to the above, you can usually check the rent history of a place via this link on Comparis - https://en.comparis.ch/immobilien/ma...adId=19638903t | The following 3 users would like to thank Blueangel for this useful post: | | 
03.11.2020, 22:39
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Zürich
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment?
Yes, I know this info is provided when you are about to sign the contract and I know that you have 30 days to challenge the rent if you believe that it's unsuitable.
However, there is two things that make this funny:
- Most real state companies tell you that if you are sent the contract and you don't sign it, you have to pay CHF 300. I asked the tenant association about this in particular and they told me that is just bullshit and I don't have to pay anything since you haven't sign anything.
- If you ask your real state company about this, their answer usually is that you knew the rent price before you signed and that signing the contract you agreed to it. This just happened to us.
What I see is that the real state market as a tenant here in Zürich is quite complicated and full of sharks, to say the least.
It's a pity that government here is not more proactive and provide more tools to keep rents down.
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03.11.2020, 22:53
|  | Moderately Dutch | | Join Date: May 2011 Location: Zurich
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment? | Quote: | |  | | | Yes, I know this info is provided when you are about to sign the contract and I know that you have 30 days to challenge the rent if you believe that it's unsuitable.
However, there is two things that make this funny:
- Most real state companies tell you that if you are sent the contract and you don't sign it, you have to pay CHF 300. I asked the tenant association about this in particular and they told me that is just bullshit and I don't have to pay anything since you haven't sign anything.
- If you ask your real state company about this, their answer usually is that you knew the rent price before you signed and that signing the contract you agreed to it. This just happened to us.
What I see is that the real state market as a tenant here in Zürich is quite complicated and full of sharks, to say the least.
It's a pity that government here is not more proactive and provide more tools to keep rents down. | | | | | What has the government to do with private property? It is a simple market of demand and offer, unfortunately. Capping rents as they do in Berlin for example has not helped at all.
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03.11.2020, 23:47
| Senior Member | | Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Luzern
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment? "It's a pity that government here is not more proactive and provide more tools to keep rents down."
As did aSwissInTheUS explained to you above, you can challenged the increased rent AFTER signing the contract, which is, to my limited knowledge, huge exception in legal concept of contract. Done exclusively to protect the tenant.
So, the rent changes are not controlled (by administration), but the tenant can challenge them. Only 0.5% contracts are challenged).
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04.11.2020, 00:31
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: Suhr, Aargau
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment?
No one is hiding prices, I have never seen an ad without a price, ie homegate.ch or immoscout.ch
Don't like the price, don't even call them. It's them who lose a nice tenant.
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04.11.2020, 02:27
| Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Zurich
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment? | Quote: | |  | | | No one is hiding prices, I have never seen an ad without a price, ie homegate.ch or immoscout.ch
Don't like the price, don't even call them. It's them who lose a nice tenant. | | | | | Actually I have seen rental properties "on request". They usually tend to be more expensive properties though... Just search comparis with 5+ rooms
It is rarer with rentals as compared to for sale but definitely existent...
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04.11.2020, 02:29
| Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Zurich
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment? | Quote: | |  | | |
- Most real state companies tell you that if you are sent the contract and you don't sign it, you have to pay CHF 300. I asked the tenant association about this in particular and they told me that is just bullshit and I don't have to pay anything since you haven't sign anything.
| | | | | It used to be around 100 when I was last searching for a flat. Has it increased?
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04.11.2020, 03:37
| Forum Legend | | Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Ostschweiz
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment? | Quote: | |  | | | It used to be around 100 when I was last searching for a flat. Has it increased? | | | | | Doesn't matter, the demand is void in all cases.
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04.11.2020, 05:21
| Junior Member | | Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Zürich area
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment? | This user would like to thank JSOU for this useful post: | | 
04.11.2020, 22:51
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Zürich
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment? | Quote: | |  | | | What has the government to do with private property? It is a simple market of demand and offer, unfortunately. Capping rents as they do in Berlin for example has not helped at all. | | | | | The government has a lot to do with private properties when they are a natural monopoly and you are the part with less bargain power.
If you think that there are such thing as free market I'm sorry to disappoint you, there isn't. There is just a economic liberal illusion. Markets has to be all the time rebalanced to be really functional. Thats the function of the government, oversee the market, so it's fair. | Quote: | |  | | | "It's a pity that government here is not more proactive and provide more tools to keep rents down."
As did aSwissInTheUS explained to you above, you can challenged the increased rent AFTER signing the contract, which is, to my limited knowledge, huge exception in legal concept of contract. Done exclusively to protect the tenant.
So, the rent changes are not controlled (by administration), but the tenant can challenge them. Only 0.5% contracts are challenged). | | | | | A contract is void if you're doing something ilegal on it… As far as I know, in Switzerland —and in general elsewhere— you can't do usury, and your earnings from a property have to be reasonable. Specially if the property is on a location where there are scarcity of places to live. | Quote: | |  | | | No one is hiding prices, I have never seen an ad without a price, ie homegate.ch or immoscout.ch
Don't like the price, don't even call them. It's them who lose a nice tenant. | | | | | They are hiding the increase… and the reasons for such increase. Adjust the rent to the uses and customs of the area where the apartment is, is not enough reason in general. In other words, if others are asking X for their properties, you shouldn't ask X+1 just because if you don't you're leaving money on the table. That's how you create a bubble or inequality.
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05.11.2020, 11:49
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment?
Wait a min, let's recapitulate: - You moved in
- Found out that the previous tenant payed significantly less
- You already know you have 30 days to contest the rent increase after signing the contract and moving in
- You ask the real estate company about the rent increase and they told you since you signed the contract, piss off. Do you have this answer in a written form?
Maybe some details are missing but how you communicate with the real estate company has an effect on their answer. Did you asked about the rent reduction via registered letter? It may be that the real estate company is betting on let the 30 days pass if you only use phone or email to communicate with them. Discuss with them the rent increase.
Again, what aSwissInTheUs said a few replies above about the 30 day period and how to contest rent increase: https://www.ch.ch/en/rent-tenant-rights-obligations/ Local regulation protect tenants, but you have to do your part. In the link you can search the contact info of local conciliation boards.
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05.11.2020, 11:59
|  | A modal singularity | | Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Morgins, VS (and Alsace)
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment? | Quote: | |  | | |
A contract is void if you're doing something ilegal on it… As far as I know, in Switzerland —and in general elsewhere— you can't do usury,
| | | | | Err, I don't think that means what you think it means
[QUOTE]usury
noun, plural u·su·ries.
the lending or practice of lending money at an exorbitant interest.
an exorbitant amount or rate of interest, especially in excess of the legal rate. | Quote: | |  | | | and your earnings from a property have to be reasonable. | | | | | Says who?
No, you can charge whatever the market will bear. And who would define '"reasonable" anyway?
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06.11.2020, 11:10
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Zürich
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| | Re: Asking for the rent increase from the previous tenant when visiting an apartment? | Quote: | |  | | | Wait a min, let's recapitulate: - You moved in
- Found out that the previous tenant payed significantly less
- You already know you have 30 days to contest the rent increase after signing the contract and moving in
- You ask the real estate company about the rent increase and they told you since you signed the contract, piss off. Do you have this answer in a written form?
Maybe some details are missing but how you communicate with the real estate company has an effect on their answer. Did you asked about the rent reduction via registered letter? It may be that the real estate company is betting on let the 30 days pass if you only use phone or email to communicate with them. Discuss with them the rent increase.
Again, what aSwissInTheUs said a few replies above about the 30 day period and how to contest rent increase: https://www.ch.ch/en/rent-tenant-rights-obligations/ Local regulation protect tenants, but you have to do your part. In the link you can search the contact info of local conciliation boards. | | | | | Yes… I know now what is the process. However, you have to think that if you just arrived to the country and don't speak german the process could be really daunting since you don't really know what is going on. We finally decided not go for it because the unknowns for us where bigger than the knowns. I hope that will change overtime.
[QUOTE=Ace1;3235798]Err, I don't think that means what you think it means | Quote: |  | | | usury
noun, plural u·su·ries.
the lending or practice of lending money at an exorbitant interest.
an exorbitant amount or rate of interest, especially in excess of the legal rate.
Says who?
No, you can charge whatever the market will bear. And who would define '"reasonable" anyway? | | | | | The law and the judges | Quote: |  | | | Apart from challenging the initial rent the tenant has the possibility to challenge the rent as unfair during the lease. Rents are considered unfair if they permit the landlord to derive excessive income from the leased property or if they yield a clearly excessive income. Swiss courts consider an income excessive once the net return exceeds half a percent of the interest rate for the first mortgage. In this context it is quite common to request a rent reduction as soon as the reference interest rate falls. An income is considered clearly excessive if it substantially exceeds the benchmark of an earning rate calculated on the basis of standard rents for similar property in the locality or district. | | | | | Source: https://www.globalpropertyguide.com/...ord-and-Tenant
By the way, I perfectly know what usury means… and that the source of the word is lending money. However, language allows you sometimes to use words on other contexts that are similar. I come right now with the exact word on English to define this behavior… but I can come with some other similar ones like: pirating, robbery, thieving, bootlegging…
I don't know. How would you define the act to have a first necessity good and try to extract as money as possible just because it's on scarcity and people needs it.
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