Law & inheritance
Notice Period (Kündigungsfrist)
Also known as: Kündigungsfrist · Kündigungstermin · terminating a Swiss tenancy · moving-out dates Zurich
The notice period (Kündigungsfrist) is the time between giving notice and the end of the tenancy. For residential property in Switzerland the statutory minimum is three months, and notice can only take effect on the locally customary moving dates; tenancy agreements may set longer periods but never shorter ones.
Periods and permitted dates
For residential property the statutory minimum is three months' notice, effective on a locally customary date (ortsüblicher Termin) — in many Zurich municipalities the end of March, the end of June and the end of September. For commercial premises the minimum is six months. The tenancy agreement may stipulate longer periods and different dates, but never shorter ones than the law provides.
The notice must arrive in time, not merely be sent in time. A registered letter collected only after the deadline is generally deemed to have been received on the seventh day after the failed delivery attempt — so build in a safety margin.
Leaving early by proposing a replacement tenant
If you want out sooner, you can propose a reasonable replacement tenant (Nachmieter). If that person is solvent, willing to take over the contract on the existing terms, and there is nothing to hold against them, you are released from the tenancy from the date they take over.
«Reasonable» is the decisive word here. The landlord may not refuse a replacement tenant without an objective reason, but may check creditworthiness and references. Propose the replacement tenant in writing and keep a record of having done so.
Why this matters for a clearance
The handover date determines the clearance date — and the clearance date determines whether you plan calmly or end up under pressure. Schedule the clearance with at least two weeks of buffer before the handover, so that there is time for the final cleaning, for any remedial work, and for the handover inspection (Wohnungsabnahme).
A case from our work
A tenant in Adliswil gives notice at the end of February, effective at the end of June. He schedules the clearance for mid-June, the final cleaning for 20 June and the handover for 27 June. At the inspection, two minor cleaning defects are noted — and thanks to the buffer they are fixed the same day. Without that buffer the handover would have had to be postponed, costing another month's rent.
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Frequently asked questions about Notice Period (Kündigungsfrist)
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