Hi folks,

I will change flat next year so I already need to think of. Which one do you recommend me and when should I register? I am sure there will be problems with the landlord.

Thanks

Mietverband is chf 90. Legal insurance is under chf 200, I think. Definitely do it before you move out, maybe when you give notice, or even now for mietverband. I think mietverband is a bit more useful as they help you navigate landlord issues. But I think both are a good idea.

I have neither. Live happily.

One landlord/estate management wouldn't listen, he took us to court (there were 4 of us by then saying the same thing, rofl). We didn't bother with a lawyer. He lost. Court told him the same thing we had over and over again.
Bit of a nuisance but hey, maybe he learnt something about his job.

The info is all out there. You just gotta go get it when you need it (no longer in libraries etc but by googling from your sofa).

Can't agree with this. If you can manage without, fine, but I am using both at the moment. There is a lot of conflicting info out there and both have been very useful in terms of finding out how the rules are interpreted and when and when not to pursue one's rights.

How long after the registration can they help you? 6 months? Bei Mieterverband and insurance?

Thanks.

The Mieterverband helped me immediately after joining.
I have legal through cornercard - would have to look at their conditions but I imagine it is immediate. Their legal is a little complicated -you phone up the insurance company CAP, who get a lawyer to ring you back if they are not able to deal with it themselves. However the advice has been excellent and included in the yearly fee. Getting your head around local council rules, cantonal rules and federal rules can be headache material.

Why do you think there will be a problem when you move out that you now need legal help??

It's called insurance.

When I rented, my landlord was helpful and reasonable. Until it came to handing the house back. Then he tried to gouge an extra 1000 francs over and above the deposit. And he whined about things like an oven tray that wasn't as good as new sparkly clean (it has been... what's the word... used... for five years).

Ours is 400.

Tom

Probably depends on your situation.

The Mieterverband ist not to be confused with the much more recently started competitor (imitation?) organisation, Mieterschutzverband, also sometimes known as Mieterberatung (EDIT: see the warning in Mica's post immediately following this one... in that TV report it says that the Mieterschutz helpline is an expensive minute-cost call, and that anyway in many cases no-one answers, and that the mail responses do not seem professional), of which latter I have never yet heard any good report, although I'm open to hearing otherwise.

To join the Mieterverband:
https://www.mieterverband.ch/mv/mitg...iedschaft.html
With membership, you have free access to legal advice, i.e. you can go to their open legal clinic, wait your turn, have someone look over your papers, and then they tell you how you can go ahead and solve the problem. I think this begins immediately upon joining.

For a small extra fee of about Fr. 15 p.a., you can add on legal insurance that is restricted specifically to issues with regard to rental. With this, a lawyer will act on your behalf, if need be. As far as I can recall, for this there is a 60-day waiting period, and the event must have occurred after that period.

Similarly, some medical insurances offer a top-up module for legal insurance related specifically to issued to do with medical matters, service providers and insurances.

Those are two relatively inexpensive ways to cover the two areas of life in Switzerland which are said to cause the most disputes, for an ordinary individual or family.

Separate from those, personal liability insurance costs more, but is well worth having, for your peace of mind. Some rental agencies even require it of their tenants. And legal insurance for advice and disputes in any area of life, can sometimes be tacked onto the liability insurance.

Mieterschutzverband is not serious according to this report of SRF (https://www.srf.ch/sendungen/kassens...oeser-beratung)

The advantage of having legal insurance is that it will also cover court costs, costs of experts, etc. which can often be substantial (this being Switzerland after all).

That's because you're a litigious fellow.

Hey! I can't find this. I know they have liability insurance, but not legal. Where is this info?

Thanks!

Hi, I saw this thread through a search, so most here recommend having a legal insurance as well as joining the mieterverband?
I already have a legal insurance and thought its sufficient, I consulted them through phone emails and it works fine. But not sure if there is extra advantage to joining mieterverband? Can one deal with them via email/phone as well? A previous poster said one has to go there....
Is it something like we have in the UK called Citizin Advice bureau ?
Only in the UK this is free.

Yes, the Mietverband can easly be consulted by phone/email but also in person. They can even send and expert when you are giving/receiving and old/new flat.

But the Mietverband is not only legal advice. You get a magazine and most importantly they represent the tenants on the political level which is quite important as the landlord lobby is quite strong in Switzerland.