Wintertime - How warm must be in the apartment?

Wintertime - How warm must be in the apartment? How can we defend ourselves when the heating goes out again at short notice?

The landlord (management company) has to guarantee in the apartment so called  “working-day” condition. This includes the fact that the apartment is "adequately warm".

Temperature of around 20 to 21 degrees Celsius between 7.00 and 23.00 is considered appropriate. If the landlord does not immediately ensure adequate temperatures, the tenants are entitled to a reduction of the rent during the period in which the apartment is insufficiently heated. If the room temperature during the day is between 16 and 18 degrees, "the tenant can count on a net rent reduction of around 20 percent of the net rent according to experience from the previous law cases".

What can I do if the heating goes out again at short notice?

Tenant should first inform the landlord or management company before calling a plumber´s service desk. Only when the landlord is not reachable within a reasonable period of time, the tenants themselves may contact the plumber service at the expense of the landlord (at the weekends, for example).

Attention! If the tenant orders plumber service without the consent of the landlord, here the rental association points out, that the tenant is considered to be the client and direct contact. It means, should the landlord refuse to pay the bill in time, the tenant must pay the outstanding sum for the plumber and then claims this amount back from the landlord. In case of dispute with landlord, tenant shall contact a communal arbitration office for tenancy questions. Mediation process there focuses on solving the dispute between the parties and this process is free of charge.

If you have any questions on how to contact the arbitration office, how to communicate your issue etc., please don’t hesitate to contact us: info@easy-relocation.ch