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Request for the landlord's consent to sublet (Switzerland)
Switzerland · in English · for tenants
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For tenants in Switzerland who want to sublet a room or the whole flat: the registered request for consent to the landlord or agency (Art. 262 of the Code of Obligations, CO). It discloses the terms — the part let, the person, the term, the sub-rent and service charges, furnished or not, and for the whole flat the reason and the return — names the three grounds that alone allow a refusal and sets a reply date. Every tenant signs. 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 are going abroad for a year and want to sublet your flat in Switzerland meanwhile.
- You want to let a spare room in your Basel flat and need the landlord's agreement first.
- Your lease forbids subletting but you still want to ask the landlord properly.
- Your landlord deals with you in English and you want the request in writing.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Tenant
- Tenant's address
- Landlord
- Landlord's address
- City
- Date
- Address of the property
- Date of the contract
- Part of the flat to be sublet (e.g. one room of 14 m² with shared kitchen and bathroom, or the whole flat)
- Subtenant
- Subtenant's current address
- Start date
- Open-ended or fixed term
- End date (fixed term only)
- Amount of rent
- Service charges, each listed (amount, advance or flat rate, what it covers)
- Furnished or unfurnished (sets the notice period)
- Reason for subletting and, for the whole flat, when you will return
- Deadline for a response
- Contact phone
Common questions
- On which grounds alone may a Swiss landlord say no to a sublet?
- Three: the terms of the sublease are not disclosed; they are abusive compared with the main lease, for instance because the tenant profits from it; or the sublease causes the landlord major disadvantages, such as a different use of the flat (Art. 262 para. 2 CO). A lease clause forbidding all subletting does not change this, and the stricter 2024 reform was rejected by referendum, so the existing law applies. After you have given notice, the landlord may not refuse merely because you will not move back; the three grounds still apply.
- What do I risk by subletting my Swiss flat without asking first?
- Notice. Where the landlord could have refused under Art. 262 para. 2 CO, subletting without consent can, after a written warning, lead to notice ending your lease (Art. 257f para. 3 CO). So ask beforehand: the law requires no form, but a registered request is your proof. In the canton of Vaud, written consent is asked for in advance with the terms, and the landlord answers within thirty days of receipt (art. 21 RULV); set the reply date accordingly. Notice given for a sublease the landlord could not refuse can be challenged as abusive at the conciliation authority within 30 days (Art. 271, 273 CO).
- Can I let my entire Swiss flat to someone else while I spend a year abroad?
- Yes, provided you show credibly that you mean to move back in the foreseeable future; otherwise the landlord may refuse (in the canton of Vaud, art. 21 para. 3 RULV). If you have already given notice and sublet only until the termination date, the landlord cannot refuse because you will not return, though the three statutory grounds still apply. Give the reason and your return date in the request, and give someone a power of attorney to receive the landlord's post and keep deadlines while you are away.
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 for the landlord's consent to sublet, in German (Switzerland)
For tenants in Switzerland who want to sublet a room or the whole flat: the registered request to the landlord or managing agency for consent (Art. 262 of the Code of Obligations, OR). It discloses the terms — the part of the flat, the person, the duration, the sub-rent and service charges, furnished or not, and for the whole flat the reason and the return — names the three statutory grounds on which alone consent may be refused, and sets a date for the answer. Print, have every tenant sign, and send by registered post. In German.
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