Category Archives: Real estate asset management

Self-managing the rental of your apartment, commercial unit or rental building

Real estate asset management, Swiss rental law

🏠 Good to know: 10 tips for renting out your property

You’re moving in with your partner and wondering what to do with your apartment? You’ve inherited a property? Or you’ve had the opportunity to invest in real estate?

Renting your property is a great way to preserve, maintain and increase the value of your real estate assets, while also generating regular income.

But can you really manage everything yourself? What rules must you follow? What are the potential pitfalls?

Here are 10 essential points to know before renting out your property.

1. 📚 Legal foundations

Credit: vectorjuice / Freepik

Just because you own the property doesn’t mean you can make up your own rules.

In Switzerland, rental law is governed by:

  • Articles 253 to 273 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO)
  • The Ordinance on the Lease and Farm Lease of Residential and Commercial Premises (OBLF)
  • Other federal provisions
  • Cantonal rules (e.g., rental practices and usage in the canton of Vaud)

Before offering a property for rent, it’s essential to understand these legal provisions and to know your rights and obligations, including:

  • delivering the property in good condition (Art. 256 CO)
  • guaranteeing peaceful enjoyment of the property (Art. 256a CO)
  • maintaining the property (Art. 256 CO)
  • respecting the legal notice periods and termination procedures (Art. 266 CO)

You can also include general terms and conditions or a house rule in your lease agreements.

It’s equally important to be aware of the rights and obligations of your tenants.

⚠️ Not knowing rental law can lead to serious errors — and potentially costly consequences. Start with a solid legal foundation.

2. 📈 Listing your property

Before anything else, assess the local market and determine the appropriate rent, based on:

  • the location and condition of the property
  • the services and facilities included
  • the potential return (rent calculated based on gross yield, net yield or comparable rents)
  • the type of rental: furnished or unfurnished, standard or vacation property

💡 Several factors can influence the rent: vacancy rate, proximity to shops, schools, public transport, etc.

⚠️ An abusive rent may be challenged—or even judicially reduced—sometimes significantly below the amount you intended to charge. Caution is essential.

3. 📝 Type of lease

  • Open-ended (indefinite) lease: the most common, with termination subject to legal notice periods
  • Fixed-term lease: used for temporary rentals or in specific circumstances

You may also choose between different rent structures:

  • Fixed rent
  • Stepped rent (planned increases at fixed intervals)
  • Indexed rent (linked to the consumer price index – ISPC)

4. 👤 Finding the right tenants

Credit: vectorjuice / Freepik

An ideal tenant is someone who appreciates the property for what it is, takes care of it, pays rent on time, respects the lease conditions, and promptly notifies you of any problems affecting the property.

Of course, no candidate checks every box—but you can stack the odds in your favour by paying close attention to:

  • their financial solvency (debt registry statement, salary certificate)
  • their personal and professional situation
  • their behaviour during the viewing
  • your instinct and general impression

🔍 LPD (Swiss Data Protection Act): This law now strictly limits the information you are allowed to request from applicants.

5. ✍️ Drafting the lease agreement

The lease agreement is the legal bond between you and your tenant throughout the rental period. It must be clear, complete, and fully compliant with Swiss law.

It should contain at least the following key elements:

  • the assignment of usage
  • the property being rented
  • the amount of rent and charges (as a flat rate or as advances)
  • the lease duration, termination and renewal terms
  • the type of rent structure (stepped, indexed, furnished, vacation rental, etc.)
  • the rent deposit (maximum three months’ rent – Art. 257e CO)

⚠️ A poorly drafted or vague lease may lead to disputes—especially if its unclear terms disadvantage the tenant.

6. 📄 Using official forms

Image of official formulas for notification of the initial rent at the conclusion of a new lease

In some cantons (like Vaud, Geneva or Neuchâtel), landlords must use a mandatory official form to notify the initial rent when a new lease is signed.

This form must be given to the tenant no later than 30 days after handover of the keys—otherwise, the rent could be considered null and void.

And be careful: errors or omissions in the form can also render it invalid.

👉 Read our dedicated article on this topic

7. 🧾 Property inspections (check-in & check-out)

A detailed, dated, and signed inspection report, ideally with photos, is essential to:

  • document any existing marks or damages at check-in
  • avoid disputes during check-out
  • determine what counts as normal wear vs actual damage

⚠️ Without a proper inspection, the cost of repairs may fall to you, the landlord—even if they were caused by the tenant.

8. 🔧 Maintenance and repairs

Credit: vectorjuice / Freepik

Both the landlord and tenant must maintain the property—but who pays for what?

Generally speaking:

  • the tenant covers minor maintenance (light bulbs, shower hoses, range hood filters…)
  • the landlord covers major repairs and structural maintenance

🔍 The landlord must act quickly in case of breakdowns or damage. If you delay, the tenant could claim a “defect of the leased object” and request compensation.

9. 📤 Lease termination

Terminations must be formal and legally compliant, for example:

  • minimum 3 months’ notice for residential leases (or more if specified in the lease)
  • at the contractual term or, failing that, according to local practice
  • sent by registered mail using the official cantonal form

You don’t always need to justify termination—but if the tenant contests, you’ll have to provide a valid reason.

The Swiss Code of Obligations provides an exhaustive list of legal grounds, including:

  • genuine personal need for the property
  • serious breach of tenant obligations (e.g., unpaid rent, neglect, misconduct)

⚠️ Tenants can contest any termination of an open-ended lease. If they do, you must justify it with one of the legally allowed reasons. “I don’t like the tenant” is not a valid one.

10. 📊 Administrative and accounting follow-up

Credit: vectorjuice / Freepik

This is one of the most important and time-consuming aspects of rental management—it continues throughout the life of the lease:

  • issuing rent and service charge statements
  • handling indexations and regularisations
  • sending reminders, formal notices, following up on unpaid rents
  • preparing annual service charge breakdowns (if charges are paid as advances)

🧾 Solid accounting is vital to ensure financial control and to facilitate your tax reporting.

⚖️ Managing it yourself? Yes—but not at any cost.

Self-managing can save money—but only if you’re well organised, available, and fully up to date on your legal responsibilities.

A rent dispute, unpaid rent, poorly handled termination or invalid lease clause… All of these can cost far more than a property manager’s fee.

That’s why at MGM Fiduciaire SA, we offer property owners personalised support in every aspect of rental management—administrative, financial and technical.

💬 Questions? Doubts? We’re here to help.

📧 Contact us

🎓 Why work with a professional?

Credit: Freepik

Given the legal complexity, accounting rigour and administrative burden involved in rental management, many private landlords prefer to work with professionals.

Hiring a fiduciary or property manager means:

  • benefiting from legal and technical expertise
  • relying on experience with complex cases
  • having a single, competent point of contact
  • making strategic decisions to enhance the value of your property

At MGM Fiduciaire SA, we’re a local, human-sized agency founded in 1989, led by a federally certified property manager and accountant—both with many years of experience.

💡 We regularly see owners use templates or contracts with major legal flaws that can’t always be corrected after the fact—and that may have significant financial consequences.

Having a neutral, professional intermediary also helps maintain emotional distance from tenant relationships—and make clearer, more objective decisions.

You own one or more rental properties? Let’s talk. We’ll give you a clear, no-obligation quote.

📧 Contact us

🖇️ Useful links

Gérance à taille humaine : le choix d’une relation privilégiée pour confier la gestion de son patrimoine

Real estate asset management, Interview

À l’occasion de la sortie du média Focus «Finance» de septembre 2025, notre directeur Sébastien Angot a défendu notre approche de la gérance immobilière fondée sur la proximité et l’écoute.

Sébastien Angot, comment définissez-vous aujourd’hui la notion de « gestion de patrimoine immobilier » et en quoi se distingue-t-elle de la simple gérance immobilière ?

La gérance immobilière, c’est la gestion courante d’un immeuble, d’un appartement ou d’une PPE : entretien, relations avec les locataires, suivi des loyers, charges… C’est un travail essentiel au quotidien.

La gestion de patrimoine immobilier va plus loin. Elle place le propriétaire et ses objectifs au centre, en construisant une vision à court, moyen et long terme.

Chaque situation est différente : un propriétaire d’un seul bien encore actif visera plutôt un rendement à la retraite, tandis qu’un investisseur avec plusieurs biens privilégiera une optimisation régulière du rendement, soutenue par des travaux planifiés.

Quels sont les principaux défis auxquels les propriétaires immobiliers sont confrontés lorsqu’il s’agit de valoriser leur patrimoine ?

Le premier défi est de maintenir la valeur du patrimoine avec de l’entretien courant et des travaux de rénovation réguliers.

Le second est d’accroître sa valeur : identifier le potentiel inexploité, anticiper les évolutions du marché et engager les bons travaux pour adapter le bien aux besoins de demain.

Quelles erreurs observez-vous principalement chez les propriétaires lorsqu’il s’agit d’assurer la pérennité de leur patrimoine immobilier ?

Le manque d’anticipation. Beaucoup de propriétaires gèrent leur bien au jour le jour, sans forcément prendre en compte leurs besoins futurs ou leur capacité d’investissement à long terme.

Par exemple, repousser des rénovations énergétiques peut coûter bien plus cher lorsqu’une nouvelle réglementation les rend soudain obligatoires.

Quel est selon vous l’avantage compétitif d’une structure à taille humaine comme MGM Fiduciaire SA ?

Notre petite taille est une grande force. Elle nous permet d’offrir aux propriétaires des interlocuteurs stables et dotés d’une vision globale du patrimoine.

Ainsi, le gérant technique connaît aussi les locataires et peut anticiper des besoins ou repérer des détails qu’une approche uniquement technique pourrait manquer. De même, notre comptable peut repérer plus facilement une incohérence dans une facture qu’un service séparé de la gérance.

En réunissant toutes nos compétences sous un même toit, nous favorisons une circulation fluide de l’information et une réactivité difficile à égaler. Cela nous permet de proposer des solutions adaptées à chaque propriétaire.

Quels processus mettez-vous en place pour adapter votre stratégie à chaque propriétaire ?

Chaque nouvelle collaboration commence par une phase d’écoute et d’analyse : connaissance du client, de son patrimoine et de ses attentes.

Ensuite, nous définissons ensemble une stratégie de valorisation, que nous réévaluons régulièrement en fonction de l’évolution du marché, de la législation et de la situation personnelle du propriétaire.

Pourquoi réévaluer une stratégie qui fonctionne ?

Parce que les modes de vie changent : la cuisine fermée a laissé place aux espaces ouverts, les grandes familles sont moins nombreuses, les énergies fossiles cèdent le pas au renouvelable.

Ces évolutions influencent le marché locatif et les projets de rénovation. Notre rôle est d’anticiper ces transformations grâce à une analyse fine de chaque bâtiment et des outils tels que le CECB+, qui identifie les priorités de rénovation. Cela permet d’accompagner nos clients dans leurs décisions et de sécuriser durablement leur patrimoine.

Vous vous posez des questions sur la gestion de votre patrimoine immobilier?

Contactez-nous