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Demand to release your rent deposit — to the landlord, or to the bank after a year (Switzerland)
Switzerland · in English · for tenants
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For tenants who have left a rented flat in Switzerland: the letter claiming back the rent deposit (Mietzinsdepot, Art. 257e of the Code of Obligations, CO). You choose who receives it: the landlord, asked to consent to the bank releasing the money, or the bank directly once a year has passed since the lease ended without the landlord pursuing a claim. It names the bank, the account, the amount, your IBAN and a reply date. Print, sign and send it registered. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.
- Made for use in Switzerland
- Last updated November 4, 2026
- Document in English
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You moved out of a flat in Switzerland months ago and the rent deposit is still blocked.
- Your landlord will not sign the release your bank needs.
- A year has passed since your Swiss lease ended and the landlord never pursued a claim.
- You want your deposit and its interest paid into your own account.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Tenant
- Tenant's address
- Recipient
- Recipient's address
- City
- Date
- Address of the property
- Date of the contract
- Date of termination
- Handover date
- Addressee and request: the landlord's consent, or the bank after one year
- Bank
- Number of the account or deposit holding the rent deposit
- Deposit amount
- IBAN
- Deadline
Common questions
- Will a Swiss landlord or bank act on a deposit release request written in English?
- Between private parties a letter in a language both understand is enough, and many Swiss banks and agencies deal with tenants in English. If yours do not, or the lease is in German, French or Italian, send the same letter in that language. Check whether the bank wants its own release form signed as well, and keep the registered-post receipt (Einschreiben). Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.
- What must happen before a Swiss bank hands back a tenant's rent deposit?
- Either both sides consent, or there is a final payment order (one not opposed, or whose opposition was lifted) or a final judgment (Art. 257e para. 3 CO). So after the handover, ask the landlord first to sign the release. If a year passes after the lease ends without the landlord pursuing a claim against you through debt enforcement or a court action — an application to the conciliation authority already counts — the bank must pay you on your request alone, which is the letter's second option.
- How much may a Swiss rent deposit be, and does its interest come back to me?
- At most three months' rent, and it must be held by a bank in a savings or deposit account, or a deposit of securities, in the tenant's name (Art. 257e paras. 1 and 2 CO). Because the account is yours, the deposit is released with the interest it has earned; the letter asks for exactly that. Some cantons add rules of their own (para. 4) — Ticino, for instance, requires a bank with its seat or a branch in the canton.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
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Related documents
- Request to release a rent deposit, from landlord or bank, in German (Switzerland)
For tenants in Switzerland who have moved out: the letter asking for the rent deposit back (Art. 257e of the Code of Obligations, OR). You choose the addressee: the landlord, who is asked to give the bank their consent to release it, or the bank itself once a year has passed since the lease ended without the landlord pursuing a claim through debt enforcement or a court action. It gives the bank, account, amount, your IBAN and a date for the reply. Print, sign and send by registered post. In German.
- Claiming back a rent deposit from landlord or bank, in French (Switzerland)
For tenants in Switzerland who have left their flat: the letter claiming back the rent deposit (Art. 257e of the Code of Obligations, CO). You pick the addressee: the landlord or the régie, asked to give the bank its consent, or the bank directly once a year has gone by since the lease ended without the landlord pursuing a claim through debt enforcement or a court action. It gives the bank, the account, the amount, your IBAN and a reply date. Print, sign and send by registered post. In French.
- Getting a rent deposit released by the landlord or the bank, in Italian (Switzerland)
For tenants who have left a rented flat in Switzerland: the letter claiming back the rent deposit (Art. 257e of the Code of Obligations, CO). You pick who receives it: the landlord, asked to consent to the bank releasing the money, or the bank directly once a year has gone by since the lease ended without the landlord pursuing a claim through debt enforcement or a court action. It names the bank, the account, the amount, your IBAN and a reply date. Print it, sign it and post it registered. In Italian.
- Tenant's notice to end a residential lease (Switzerland)
For tenants of a flat in Switzerland who deal with their landlord in English: the written notice ending the lease (Art. 266l para. 1 of the Code of Obligations, CO), with three months' notice to the lease's termination date, else to a local date (Art. 266c CO), and to the next possible date if the chosen one is missed. It has lines for every tenant and for the express consent of a spouse or registered partner where the flat is the family home (Art. 266m CO). Print, sign and send by registered post (Einschreiben). Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.
- Tenant's notice to end a rented flat, in Italian (Switzerland)
For people renting a flat in Switzerland who want to leave it: the written notice to the landlord or managing agency (Art. 266l para. 1 of the Code of Obligations, CO), giving three months' notice to the date in the lease, or else to a local termination date (Art. 266c CO), and taking effect on the following date if the chosen one is missed. Every tenant signs, and where the flat is the family home so does the spouse or registered partner (Art. 266m CO); the letter also asks for a handover date and the release of the rent deposit. Print it, sign it and post it registered. In Italian.
- Leaving a rented flat early with a replacement tenant, in French (Switzerland)
For tenants in Switzerland leaving before the termination date: the letter telling the landlord or the régie that the flat will be handed back early and putting forward a replacement who is solvent and ready to take over the lease on the same terms (Art. 264 of the Code of Obligations, CO). It states the return date and the candidates, asks for an answer by a set date and lists the application papers enclosed. Print, have every tenant sign and send by registered post. In French.