Report Apartment Defects
Create your professional defect complaint letter
Defect Complaint — Reporting Apartment Defects in Writing to Your Landlord
As a tenant in Switzerland, you have the right to report defects in your apartment to the landlord in writing and set a deadline for repair. Whether a defective heating, mould, leaky windows or noise — Swiss tenancy law (CO Art. 258/259) obliges the landlord to remedy all defects that impair the contractual use. A written defect complaint is legally important: it documents the defect, sets a binding deadline and is a prerequisite for later rent reduction. Our form creates the complaint in 2 minutes — legally correct, for all cantons, as PDF & Word.
When should I send a defect complaint?
As soon as a defect impairs normal use of the apartment. The sooner you respond in writing, the better your legal position.
How long does the landlord have to fix the defects?
You set the deadline yourself. Typical is 10–30 days depending on severity. For urgent defects (e.g. heating failure in winter) shorter.
What happens if the landlord does not respond?
After the deadline you can demand rent reduction, have the defects fixed at the landlord's expense, or terminate the tenancy extraordinarily.