Terminate your flat lease in Switzerland
As a tenant, you terminate a flat lease in writing with three months’ notice to a contractual or customary local termination date (Art. 266c CO). What counts is when the landlord receives the notice. All tenants named on the lease must sign; for the family home, both spouses (Art. 266m CO).
Create the letter – from CHF 11.50We print, envelope and hand your letter to the post. No account needed.
Key facts
| Notice | 3 months (or longer if the lease says so) |
|---|---|
| Date | Contractual or customary local termination date |
| Form | In writing with a handwritten signature (Art. 266l, 13, 14 CO) |
| Signature | All tenants; both spouses or registered partners |
| Early termination | Possible with an acceptable replacement tenant (Art. 264 CO) |
Frequently asked questions
Terminating the lease after the tenant’s death?
If the tenant dies, the heirs can terminate with the statutory three months’ notice to the next statutory termination date, even if the lease would otherwise run longer (Art. 266i CO).
When must the notice arrive?
By the day before the three-month notice period starts. To move out on 30 April, it must arrive by 31 January.
We are married – who has to sign?
For the family home, both of you – even if only one of you is named on the lease. In our form you can both sign in the same field.
Can I leave earlier?
Yes, if you propose a solvent, acceptable replacement tenant who takes over the lease on the same terms.
Is a printed signature enough?
Not with legal certainty: the law requires a handwritten signature, and the landlord can challenge a printed one. The safest way is to print the template, sign it by hand and send it yourself by registered mail.
Free template
Copy the text and replace the details in [brackets]. Or fill in our form – we send the letter by registered mail for you.
The template is in German, which Swiss companies and authorities expect. You can fill in our form in English.
Kündigung des Mietvertrags – [Mietobjekt]
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren Hiermit kündige ich den Mietvertrag für das Mietobjekt [Mietobjekt] unter Einhaltung der gesetzlichen bzw. vertraglichen Kündigungsfrist auf den nächstmöglichen Kündigungstermin. Bitte bestätigen Sie mir den Eingang dieser Kündigung sowie den Termin der Vertragsbeendigung schriftlich. Für die Vereinbarung eines Termins für die Wohnungsübergabe stehe ich gerne zur Verfügung. Freundliche Grüsse