I know it's tradition to provide 3 recent payslips in your rent file, but there's so much private information on my payslips that I have to blackout alot of information. I asked my colleagues, and they say it's okay.

I also know that landlords would normally choose the candidate with the highest net salary.

But my question is, how do the landlord actually going to verify said information on the payslip? What's stopping anyone to just edit a slightly higher number on the "net salary" to "increase their chances of getting accepted", given that there are so much document editor software available?

Also, is your payslip really private at all?

This is not correct. As long as your rent/salary ratio is maximum 1/3, they tick off that checkbox. Other parameters then come to play such as nationality, pets, children etc

A higher salary won't necessarily increase your chances of being selected.

yes, but thats not my question

I don't think they check this. Also don't think employer would offer this info. What I have done is to ask employer to write some kind of recommendation letter that also said "salary is above x000" instead of providing an actual payslip.

None of companies are entitled to speak with anyone (including tax authorities etc) about your salary - so I guess that is your answer right there.


That's about it.

And do no produce please any false documents as that may be used against you as it is a fraud.

I know. I just tried to save you from a potential forgery accusation as you thought that a higher salary would mean more chances to get selected

No i mean there are so much blackouts on the document, it seems suspicious... even to myself

lol what? Most I've ever provided was a letter from HR with my start date, lower bound on salary and HR's phone number if they wanted to verify the letter's authenticity.


The criminal code - https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/5...799/en#art_251 - if discovered you're looking at spending up to five years behind bars. Well on the plus side your housing will be taken care during those years and no proof of income needed.

Not in my canton. lol

I've described my experience, letter from HR was always sufficient for me. If your experience is different, well, I don't care, I'm not the one asking for advice here

Look buddy. I'm asking because I value my privacy, and I don't feel comfortable sharing the information on my payslip. So I have to make some blackout edits on it.

Like others said, why can't a letter from HR stating the salary range be sufficient? Why does the agent/landlord want to see my payslip? Are they using it to verify the authenticity of my salary?

I had to blackout many parts of my payslip to the point that seems... fabricated (if thats the right word).

I'm asking why exactly are the landlords going to do with my payslip? call my employer to verify the missing information that I have removed?

If the answer to why 3 payslips are needed, is just... it is what it is... then it is just terrible. Won't a letter with employer contact details be sufficient to verify my salary? I tried just giving a letter from my employer, and the agent told me, oh no this is not enough. What?!

Why are there any?

Tom

And I'm telling you buddy, it *IS* sufficient in my experience. There's no legal requirement for them whatsoever to demand payslips (banks have AML requirements to demand documentation of source of money, but your landlord is not a bank right?). Your landlord/agency are just being difficult, that's all. Why? Who the hell knows what's on their mind. Tell them to take the letter, call your HR to confirm it or else walk away from the contract.

And what do you expect from us now exactly?

My question in the first post.

They can call/email your company to confirm it.

Actually I've heard some landlords do not prefer a too high salary in fear the person may move out soon. For that reason we write just our base salary.

On the other hand, having applied to tens of places, it was very rare somebody asked for actual pay slip. Furthermore, most places simply had an option to choose in which income band you are without providing the exact figure.

You feel that people are not answering your actual question, so I'll have a crack at it...

Apparently, based on everyone's feedback, this is not tradition

Again, based on people's feedback, this is also not the case

I doubt they will

The risk of going to jail

If you don't distribute it, yes

Obviously your payslip is inherently private and is considered personal and confidential information, so that is a silly question. However, people can ask you to volunteer that information for applications for things that then depend on the applicants financial solvency. Obviously they can't just call your company to check those details because that breaks numerous data protection rules, both within companies and the law.

As for editing a salary figure to make it bigger... yes you could do that and the landlord would have to trust you, but it is obviously at your own risk and could subject you to legal action later if you are not able to pay rent and the landlord finds out you have been lying. If you are asking this and thus seem to be on some level considering it, then I advise against it. It's not worth the hassle.

Nonsense. If you think for even a second that a company's HR would confirm personal information such as the salary of an employee to a 3rd party "calling or emailing them to check" then you have no clue what you are talking about. They would be breaking the law.

Also bear in mind your company may have something to say about you editing one of their official documents.

Particularly if you work in a bank or anything related to finance, fraudulently changing a financial document could easily be grounds for dismissal, so you'd be homeless and out of work.

As to the question about what's stopping you doing this - I would like to think common decency and not wishing to mess up the generally trust-based Swiss society for the rest of us also play a part.