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Sublease agreement for a room in a shared flat (Switzerland)
Switzerland · in English
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For main tenants in Switzerland who sublet a room in their shared flat (WG, colocation): the agreement with the room and shared areas, the rent and the service charges listed one by one (Art. 257a of the Code of Obligations, CO), the deposit in the subtenant's name (Art. 257e CO), the landlord's consent (Art. 262 CO) and notice of two weeks for a furnished room or three months otherwise. It states that the sublease depends on the main lease (Art. 273b CO). Both sides sign. 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 rent a flat in Switzerland and want to let one room to a flatmate on paper.
- A new flatmate is moving into your Zurich flatshare and you want clear rules on rent and deposit.
- You are sharing your flat with an international student who prefers an English agreement.
- You want the sublet to be fair to the landlord and safe for the main lease.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Main tenant (sublandlord)
- Address of the property
- Subtenant
- Subtenant's current address
- Date of the contract
- Head landlord (landlord of the whole flat)
- Date of the landlord's permission to sublet
- Description of the room
- Shared areas the tenant may use
- Keys
- Furnished or unfurnished (sets the notice period)
- Inventory of furnishings
- 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)
- Monthly rent of the whole flat under the main lease (CHF)
- IBAN
- Rent deposit: yes or no
- Deposit amount
- House rules of the shared flat (cleaning rota, guests, pets, quiet hours)
- Additional terms
- City
- Date
Common questions
- Do I need my landlord's permission before I let a room in my Swiss flatshare?
- Yes, the landlord's consent (Art. 262 para. 1 CO). It may be refused only if the terms of the sublease are not disclosed, if they are abusive compared with the main lease, or if the sublease causes major disadvantages (para. 2); a lease clause banning all subletting does not change that. The 2024 reform that would have tightened these rules was rejected by referendum. In the canton of Vaud written consent is asked for beforehand and the landlord answers within thirty days (art. 21 RULV). A separate letter asks for consent.
- How is notice given on a sublet room in a Swiss shared flat?
- In writing. For a furnished room, two weeks to the end of a one-month rental period (Art. 266e CO); for an unfurnished one, three months to a local termination date or, without one, to the end of a three-month period (Art. 266c CO). The main tenant, as the subtenant's landlord, must use the canton-approved form (Art. 266l para. 2 CO), or the notice is void (Art. 266o CO). The subtenant can challenge it within 30 days, but no extension outlasts the main lease (Art. 273, 273b CO); once the main lease ends, the room is returned on request.
- What rent and deposit can a main tenant ask of a subtenant in Switzerland?
- A sub-rent in fair proportion to the rent of the whole flat, for example by floor space: abusive terms let the landlord refuse consent (Art. 262 para. 2 CO), and subletting on such terms without consent risks, after a written warning, notice ending the main lease (Art. 257f para. 3 CO; BGE 134 III 300). Service charges are owed only if each is listed (Art. 257a para. 2 CO). A cash deposit is at most three months' rent and goes to a bank in the subtenant's name, never into the main tenant's pocket (Art. 257e CO).
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
- Sublease of a room in a shared flat (WG), in German (Switzerland)
For main tenants in Switzerland who sublet a room in their shared flat (WG): the agreement with the room and shared areas, the rent and each service charge listed (Art. 257a of the Code of Obligations, OR), the deposit in the subtenant's name (Art. 257e OR), the landlord's consent (Art. 262 OR) and notice of two weeks for a furnished room or three months otherwise. It says that the sublease depends on the main lease (Art. 273b OR) and that the main tenant gives notice on the canton's official form. Print and have both sides sign. In German.
- Sublease of a room in a colocation (shared flat), in French (Switzerland)
For main tenants in Switzerland who sublet a room in their shared flat (colocation): the agreement with the room and shared areas, the rent and the service charges listed one by one (Art. 257a of the Code of Obligations, CO), the rent deposit in the subtenant's name (Art. 257e CO), the landlord's consent (Art. 262 CO) and notice of two weeks for a furnished room or three months otherwise. It states that the sublease depends on the main lease (Art. 273b CO) and that the main tenant gives notice on the official form. Print and have both sides sign. In French.
- Demand to release your rent deposit — to the landlord, or to the bank after a year (Switzerland)
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.
- Request for the landlord's consent to sublet (Switzerland)
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.
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- Reply disputing a landlord's damage claims after moving out, in German (Switzerland)
For tenants in Switzerland whose landlord or managing agency charges for repairs or replacements after the move-out: the registered reply that disputes the claim in full or point by point. It states that normal wear and tear is not owed (Art. 267 of the Code of Obligations, OR), at most the remaining value of a fitting, that defects not reported at once can no longer be claimed (Art. 267a OR) and that the rent deposit may not be used without consent, and it asks for evidence. Print, have every tenant sign, and send by registered post. In German.