I wrote in mid Jan 2012 and will get a reduced rent from Apr 2012.

A useful tool:

http://www.mietrecht.ch/51.0.html

Worth reading: http://www.referenz-zinssatz.ch/

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After reading this thread I applied for the rent reduction, and I will be getting a 10% reduction after 3 months, which is the next contract period date.

Thank you very much!

.5% reduction in Zins is leading to a 10% reduction in Rent...are you sure??

I received a 3% reduction, which I thought was the anticipated average.

Not sure about the waiting part on rates, but it's probably legal/correct that if your friend only wrote in 2012, it won't be until October that a reduction kicks into effect if one is granted. This corresponds to the two dates per year one can give notice. I made the same mistake although I received a reduction from October onwards.

Just a note of warning - this is far from as simple as it might at first look. Despite there having been 4 reductions in the reference rate since our move here, we have only received one rental reduction (2 years ago)

We requested a further reduction after the last reference rate reduction but this was declined due to a 'reserve' of 10% built into our contract. The negative response was accompanied by a breakdown from an official website where all the data was input including figures referencing all sorts of seemingly esoteric stuff which proved that whilst we were technically entitled to a reduction that the landlord was not required to pass it on as it did not amount to a difference of more than 10% of what we were paying or somesuch - and whats more words to the effect that we are lucky that the landlord doesn't increase the rent to the upper end of that 10% reserve!

I.e. this whole system is a bit of bean-counters delight and a bloody frustration for the rest of us. Its right up there with being expected to pay for a faulty kitchen installation in a rented apartment!

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Thanks guys for this post, cause I received a letter in jan 2012 from the rental agency with a reduction on my rent starting on May 2012, didn't know anything about this rates, I thought it was a prize or a discount for newcomers.....
And I also received a letter from the energy& electricity department here in Basel that I can apply for a money bonus ( in my case around some hundred chf)....I thought it was a joke at first too, but I read that you can apply for it til the deadline which I think is May the 15th here in Basel)
For further Infos here's the website for the city of Basel ( in german)
www.bonusbasel.ch

Yes I am sure, I have lived here for 3 years, and maybe benefitting from a good landlord, and several reductions (2.85 to 0.8% ??)

Rent was originally 1'720 and new rent is 1'590 and reduction is only 7.55%

About the Referenzzinssatz rate. It sank a little bit.

Source: http://www.bwo.admin.ch/themen/mietr...x.html?lang=de

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Yep, we got a reduction. Cool.

By how much ? I think the average was about 3%

As for me, whatever savings goes straight into paying for rising costs of travel, that WILL go up on 9th December by about the same rate.

It looks like 2% after they throw in some other increases. And yes, travel will increase, health insurance, yada yada yada

Here is useful article in comparis with letter for rent reduction.

http://en.comparis.ch/comparis/press...zzinssatz.aspx

When searched for referenzzinssatz, you will find many other threads with sample letters.

Info: 'Referenzzinssatz' went down -check your rental contracts

If you get the landlord to lower the rent when the interest rate is lower, will they also increase the rent when it's higher...?

More info. Some of it might be out of date.

Info: 'Referenzzinssatz' went down -check your rental contracts

They can increase the rent if the interest rates increases-and most landlords will do so whether or not you've asked for a rent reduction.

FYI: we did this and got about 10% off! For us, the reduction takes effect three months after the letter is received (which is the contract notice length, I believe).

The Comparis site states the owner can object, and if there have been building renovations during the reduction period, the reduction gained can be decreased.

We also received about 10% reduction, effective 1.9.2012.

Sbrinz - can you send me your letter which you have sent to your landlord? I don't know how to write one...

Many thanks