You want to terminate your tenancy early - here's how...
When it comes to terminating a rental agreement, tenants are often faced with long termination periods or notice dates that are far in the future. In practice, it is also very common that you have to strike fast to get the great new apartment, but without having first clarified exactly what the termination formalities are in the old apartment. In such situations, to free yourself early from the obligation to pay rent, the law in Switzerland allows the option of providing potential new tenants.
To do so, you as the tenant must find at least one appropriate person, who is willing to take on your rental agreement exactly as it currently applies to you. This person should also be solvent, which can be proven by submitting an extract from the debt collection register. A subsequent tenant is deemed appropriate if there are no objective reasons for the landlord to reject the proposed person.
For example, it is not allowed to reject a person based on their religion, nationality, or gender. If your landlord rejects a proposed new tenant based on such prohibited criteria, then your are exempted from your obligation to pay rent if you can prove that you have provided an appropriate potential tenant. Our recommendation: Provide several potential new tenants.
We have drawn up a sample letter that will help you as tenant to ask your landlord for early termination of your rental agreement if you provide a new tenant.
And we've also provided a sample letter to the debt collection office that will allow you as tenant to request the delivery of debt collection register statements pertaining to potential new tenants.