I wonder if Switzerland has a housing discrimination law which pertains to this.  After all, would your wife (if you had one) also not be permitted to move in?  I doubt it.

Hey, I bet you're right!  that does sound like something they would have here. It's a pretty "renter friendly" country. Good thinking.   it may strain my relationship with my landlord a bit if I have to kind of force his hand eventually...but at the end of the day assuming nothing bad happens, he will likely forget about it later. 

thanks again for the idea. will see what I can find out..

i suppose he has rights to be allowed to interview possible roommates and could just say he doesn't like any of them. But...he likes me because I'm quiet and if told  him I have to move out bcs I am changing jobs and will be short on cash for a few months he will probably give in....it's a pain in the ass to get a new tenant.

Hello there, this is an interesting topic. As to reply *Richardm* there is a specific clause in apartment/house rental contracts which states it is mandatory to inform when a spouse or child is joining the house, or suffering a divorce or death of family partner.

If you are now planning to sublet or having a roommate for several months the usual rules and regulations apply the moment you have a mid- to longer- term in mind. After all bear in mind the landlord/owner wants to make sure the current rent will still be paid monthly. You might also consider if your roommate is not a true friend ask him/her for pitching in for security deposit. You are almost done by covering yrself as well. When you leave you also hope to recover your 3 months guarantee. Good luck.

Another extremely important issue is to ensure that your renter has household insurance otherwise you could be liable for any damage.

You can ask the local chapter of ASLOCA, the renters' association about these issues at www.asloca.ch. You want to ensure that you do not violate the terms of your lease.

you might also want to make sure the subletter has a permit for switzerland. since the apartment is in your name, you probably don't want to run into any troubles there... plus, when someone moves here, the Amt is quite onto of things, and you have a short timeframe to register your new address (only).