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Tenant's notice to end a residential lease (Switzerland)

Switzerland · in English · for tenants

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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.

  • Last updated November 4, 2026
  • Document in English
Switzerland
Notice & Demand
English
Real Estate
Print & sign
1 page

Published byDocMuse

When to use this document

  • You rent a flat in Switzerland and want to give your landlord notice in English.
  • Your lease with a Swiss landlord was written in English and you are moving out.
  • You and your spouse are leaving your family home in Switzerland and both of you need to sign.
  • You want a written notice that ends your Swiss tenancy on the next possible date.

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
  • Who gives notice: the only tenant, or all tenants together (all of them sign)
  • Date of termination
  • Canton of the flat: local termination dates (other cantons: the neutral line)
  • Family home (married or in a registered partnership): yes or no
  • Contact phone
  • Correspondence address

Common questions

Can I give notice on a Swiss flat in English?
Between you and your landlord, a notice is valid in any language you both understand, and English suits a lease written in English or a landlord you already deal with in English. If your lease is in German, French or Italian, agree the language first or send the version of this letter in the lease's language. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.
When must my notice arrive, and how is it best sent in Switzerland?
It must reach the landlord on the last day before the three-month notice period begins at the latest — for the end of March, by the end of December — or before the longer period in your lease. Send it by registered post (Einschreiben): it counts as received on the first day it can be collected at the post office, usually the day after the collection slip, even if collected later. Post it a few days early. A late notice holds for the next possible date (Art. 266a para. 2 CO).
Does my spouse have to sign the notice on our flat in Switzerland?
If the flat is the family home, yes: a married tenant or one in a registered partnership can give notice only with the other's express consent (Art. 266m CO), and a notice without it is void (Art. 266o CO). The letter has a line for that signature. Every tenant named in the lease signs too. No official form is needed: only the landlord must use the canton-approved one (Art. 266l para. 2 CO). An e-mail is not enough; only a qualified electronic signature with a qualified time stamp equals a handwritten one (Art. 14 para. 2bis CO).
Which date do I give notice for if my Swiss lease names none?
Local custom decides, and it differs between cantons and sometimes municipalities: in the canton of Aargau the dates are 31 March, 30 June and 30 September, in Vaud 1 April, 1 July and 1 October, at noon (Art. 35 RULV). Elsewhere, choose the neutral line and check with the tenancy conciliation authority for your municipality or the canton's website. Where there is no local custom, notice runs to the end of a three-month rental period (Art. 266c CO). A furnished room has two weeks' notice to the end of a one-month period (Art. 266e 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

  • Tenant's notice ending a residential lease, in German (Switzerland)

    For tenants of a flat in Switzerland: the written notice to the landlord or the managing agency (Art. 266l para. 1 of the Code of Obligations, OR), with three months' notice to the lease's termination date, else to a local termination date (Art. 266c OR), and to the next possible date if the chosen one is missed. It has signature lines for every tenant and for the express consent of a spouse or registered partner where the flat is the family home (Art. 266m OR), and asks for a handover date and the release of the rent deposit. Print, sign and send by registered post. In German.

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