Best to go ask at ASLOCA, would recommend them strongly.



ASLOCA-GENEVE

Rue du Lac 12

(Eaux-Vives)

1211 Genève 6



Téléphone: 022 716 18 00

Fax: 022 71618 05





Permanence without rendez-vous:

Lundi à jeudi: 17h00 - 18h00

Vendredi: 12h30 - 13h30





Lawyers specialized in renting property



Will cost you 65F if renting residential property - which is valid during the whole of the year 2009 - (130 CHF commercial property)



plus a onetime inscription payment of 20F, first visit.)







TogJay, Jan 16, 2009 @ 11:59

Yes it is legal, as far as I know. It has been for years and it's just considered as an administrative fee that regies have to cover their risk . (if you change your mind last minute and they have to start looking for other people to rent the place). Thou I know it's unfair I asked to my relocation service when I came here 5 years ago and they confirmed is not only common practice but it's 100% legal. I'd save your Asloca money for another occasion (there will be plenty for sure) if I were you.

 

Hope it helps,

Vale
Hoiling, Jan 16, 2009 @ 14:03

Thanks - I am starting to feel sorry for these poor regies - they are not all bad honestly some of them ........ 
squash, Jan 16, 2009 @ 14:26

[quote]Hi,



I have applied for an appartement with a Regie - on the form they have written that if they then offer me the apprtment but I turn it down I have to pay them a sum of 250chf. Whilst I understand why they do this I do not see it as being fair trade - can anyone tell me if thi spractic eis legal (in Switzerland)



Txs[/quote]



Well, I just checked on the pages of the "Mieterverband Zürich" (http://www.mieterverband.ch/smv_fragen_antworten.0.html) and they say this fee is illegal.

This is IMHO only logical, because, if you think about it, such a fee would also apply to most other offers you may or may not be soliciting in the business-world (buying a car, furniture).

OTOH, if you go down this route, use their service but don't pay their fee, you will most likely end-up on some sort of "blacklist" where they and other similar businesses will simply refuse to do business with you (which is legal).



You could, of course, try to negotiate a smaller fee (100 CHF is still more than enough IMO) up-front by pointing out that the fee is illegal anyway, but you acknowledge that they do want compensation for their efforts.

Swiss people *love* compromises ;-)

I think they cannot charge *you* for their brokerage-services but instead have to charge the landlord (at least, this is TTBOMK the situation in Germany, where it just leads to large amounts of money changing owners under the table....).

Thus, it might be difficult to talk them into you offering them a larger fee for a successful offer (because they are legally not allowed to charge such a fee)....





Rainer
rainer_d, Jan 18, 2009 @ 18:50

The fee is illegal. There is no law on which they would be allowed to ask for it.
Carol A, Jan 18, 2009 @ 19:00