Rental repairs in Switzerland: who pays for what?

The mixer tap is dripping, the dishwasher has died, the paintwork is tired, a pane is cracked: who pays? In Switzerland the answer does not depend on who “owns” the item, but on specific rules of tenancy law. This guide sets out the split between tenant and landlord, the much-discussed ceiling for “minor repairs”, the role of the joint depreciation schedule (tableau paritaire des amortissements) at the move-out inspection, and the habits that keep you out of a dispute — useful to tenants, private landlords and managing agents alike.

The principle: maintenance to the landlord, minor repairs to the tenant

The Swiss Code of Obligations (Code des obligations, CO) sets a simple rule. The landlord must hand over and then maintain the property in a condition fit for the agreed use (CO art. 256): they bear the cost of repairs, of replacing installations that have reached the end of their life, and of any major defect. The tenant pays for the minor cleaning and repair work needed for normal upkeep (CO art. 259) — menus travaux in French, and worth learning, because it is the term your lease and your managing agent will use.

The whole difficulty lies in the boundary between “minor repairs” (tenant) and “maintenance” (landlord).

Minor repairs the tenant pays for

These are the small repairs a reasonably handy tenant can carry out themselves, without a professional and at low cost. A widely used rule of thumb puts the threshold at around CHF 150 per repair — but note carefully: that figure is not written into the law. It varies between cantons and according to local tenancy practice, and it cannot be used to charge a tenant for costs that fall outside the statutory framework. Items commonly accepted as the tenant’s responsibility:

• Replacing a light bulb, a tap washer, a shower hose or a shower head
• Changing a fuse, the toothbrush glass, a broken soap dish
• Descaling taps, unblocking a trap
• Clearing snow from a balcony or terrace for private use
• Small ironmongery repairs (handle, hinge)

Beyond that — as soon as technical work or a tradesperson is required — the cost shifts to the landlord.

What remains the landlord’s responsibility

• Household appliances supplied with the property (dishwasher, cooker, fridge) when they fail through wear
• The water heater / boiler, the central heating unit, and major sanitary installations
• Faulty windows, blinds and shutters
• Paintwork and flooring worn by the passage of time (as opposed to damage caused by the tenant)
• Any repair beyond the cost and simplicity of a minor repair

Important: the tenant has a duty to notify the landlord of a defect without delay (CO art. 257g). A tenant who lets the problem run, allowing the damage to worsen, can be held liable for that worsening. Conversely, a tenant must not have a major defect repaired on their own initiative without the landlord’s agreement (except in an emergency) — keep the evidence (photographs, emails) and let the landlord instruct the tradesperson.

The move-out inspection and fair wear and tear

This is the most contested moment of a Swiss tenancy. The key principle: the tenant does not pay for fair wear and tear — that is precisely what the rent covers. They are liable only for excessive damage or damage they caused — and even then, never at as-new value.

The inspection itself is the état des lieux de sortie. There is no clean English equivalent and the French term is what appears on the form you will be asked to sign, so it is worth knowing on sight. Our detailed guide to preparing for it, and to what can legitimately be charged to you on departure, is available in French.

The joint depreciation schedule

To put figures on “never at as-new value”, the landlords’ association (Fédération romande immobilière) and the tenants’ association (ASLOCA) jointly publish a tableau paritaire des amortissements — a joint depreciation schedule. It gives the average service life of each installation. What the tenant owes is calculated from the residual value:

Tenant’s share = (remaining service life ÷ total service life) × replacement cost.

Example: a fitted carpet has a service life of roughly 10 years. If the tenant damages it after 7 years, 3 years remain, so they pay around 3/10 = 30 % of the replacement cost, not 100 %. And once the service life has fully elapsed, they owe nothing at all, even where wear is pronounced.

Service lives commonly applied, as a guide:

• Emulsion paint / rendering: ~8 years
• Wallpaper: ~10 years; fitted carpet: ~8–10 years
• Parquet re-sealing: ~10 years; solid parquet: up to ~40 years
• Cooker, oven, dishwasher: ~15 years; refrigerator: ~10 years
• Taps and fittings: ~20 years; washbasin: ~35 years; bath / shower: ~20–35 years
• Internal blinds: ~15 years; external blinds: ~25 years

These values are indicative and do not have force of law: in a dispute it is the joint schedule recognised in your canton — and ultimately the judge — that decides. In Vaud, the Règles et usages locatifs (RULV, the cantonal tenancy rules and customary practice) and the Romandie-wide joint provisions supplement the CO.

Water damage: who is liable?

The answer depends on where the leak originates, not on which floor the water appears. A concealed pipe that fails is the landlord’s responsibility; an overflow caused by a tenant’s negligence engages that tenant, or their personal liability insurance (responsabilité civile, RC — a policy most Swiss households carry and which many leases expect you to hold). First steps: shut off the water, and the electricity if needed; document everything with photographs; notify the managing agent and your insurer immediately. Several policies may come into play (personal liability, household contents, and the building or cantonal insurance such as ECA in Vaud).

When the managing agent does not respond: from notifying the defect to depositing the rent

You have reported a defect in writing that falls to the landlord (CO art. 257g), and nothing is happening. CO art. 259a then opens several rights to you, depending on severity: you can demand that the defect be remedied, obtain a rent reduction proportionate to the inconvenience suffered (CO art. 259d) for as long as the defect lasts, claim damages, or deposit the rent.

Depositing the rent — consignation (CO art. 259g) — is the most effective lever against a passive landlord. Note that this is not the same as withholding rent, which would put you in breach. The procedure: set a reasonable deadline in writing for the repair, stating that failing this you will deposit the rent; once that deadline passes, pay future rent to the designated cantonal office (often the cantonal bank) instead of to the managing agent; then bring the matter before the conciliation authority within 30 days of the first deposited rent falling due — failing which the deposited sums pass to the landlord (CO art. 259h). The crucial point: deposited rent is deemed to have been paid, so you face no risk of termination for non-payment as long as the procedure is followed. Because the deadlines and the competent office vary from canton to canton, have ASLOCA review your letter before you deposit anything.

What to do when in doubt

• Report every defect in writing to the managing agent (a dated email is enough)
• Do not repair a significant defect yourself without written agreement
• Keep the evidence: dated photographs, correspondence, written quotes (devis)
• If you reach deadlock, ASLOCA (for tenants) or your cantonal chambre immobilière (for landlords) advise their members

This article gives general orientation and does not constitute legal advice. Swiss tenancy law is federal (CO), but the customary practice applied to it varies from canton to canton — in a dispute, have your situation checked by a specialist body.