Why the administration throws me out of my apartment in Zurich – even though I don’t want to

Author: Killian Martin

I really tried, but it still didn’t work. At the end of March – after a year – I have to leave my dream apartment in the 8th district of Zurich.

At the beginning of 2022 I still lived in Rapperswil-Jona, the city of roses on Lake Zurich, where I really enjoyed myself. But I changed jobs and since I hate commuting, I started looking for a new apartment in Zurich.

At first I didn’t think how incredibly difficult it would be. Countless unanswered questions and canceled apartments later, the day of departure was getting closer and closer. And I didn’t have an apartment yet.

On March 7, 2022, one of my numerous search subscriptions sounded the alarm. An apartment that met all my criteria: in Zurich a maximum of 1500 francs per month, bathroom with bathtub and shared roof terrace. I was literally over the moon about this dream apartment.

Of course I knew that CHF 1,450 per month is more than enough money for a ridiculous 28 square meters of living space and a mini kitchen. But since I’d seen countless ads for apartments that were uglier and more expensive in the three months of searching, I gave up. Zurich 1 – Kilian 0.

The 1-room apartment was advertised because the then tenant wanted to move. He had only lived there for three months and was looking for a subtenant who could take over the apartment immediately. And he found that in me.

I signed the contract, which was approved by the administration, limited to March 31, 2023. Exactly one year. Then the old contract will expire and the management will make me the main tenant again, I thought to myself. But wrong thought.

The bad news came in December: my neighbor sent me a screenshot of an apartment ad – from my apartment! Without further ado, I called the administration and asked why the apartment was advertised. After all, I am currently a subtenant and would like to become the main tenant.

The landlady informed me without justification that the owners “wanted to advertise the apartment” and that I was “not entitled” to a lease. You can only send me the registration form. She wrote me by email: “I look forward to your application.”

My head was pounding. Why don’t you just give me the apartment? Have I made too little effort to make a positive impression on the administration since I moved in? Is that even necessary? After all, I always paid the rent on time, had no debt restructuring, had a permanent job and also had a good relationship with the neighbors. What else could it be?

I looked at the ad for the apartment again and was shocked. The owners asked 1690 francs per month for the new 28 square meters. That is a rent increase of about 15 percent!

I have sought advice from the tenants’ association. There I was told bluntly: «Mr. Marti, you can forget about this apartment because the rent increase is excessive. The administration does not want to run the risk that you will dispute the rent as soon as you have signed the contract.” With a new tenant, the risk for the owner is lower.

I saw my opportunities disappear into the water. But then I decided to fight it. Firstly, I didn’t want to move again and secondly, I didn’t want to give up the roof terrace, which made me happy every day.

Since both parties wanted to keep me as a neighbor on the same floor, they wrote the administration a super nice recommendation. A third party in the house also wrote to the management that they should hire me as the official landlord. At the same time, I prepared an application file containing a letter of motivation and a curriculum vitae – that’s what I was told by various parties.

Three viewing appointments later, which I had to endure, the management wrote to me: “Unfortunately I have to say that the apartment has been offered to someone else.” Without explanation. But the position of the tenants’ association immediately came to mind: the challenge of the rent increase being too high.

All this gave me no peace. Is that the case everywhere in Zurich? Or is it just my administration, more specifically the owners, who prefer to bring in new, foreign tenants instead of giving the apartment to the paying subtenant and evicting him?

At Watson’s request, the administration declined to comment.*

*After the journalist’s email request, the administration called him to explain that they would not comment. The administration asked the journalist if he really wanted to cover the story because a good reference could be important to me in the future. And when looking for an apartment in Zurich, you always run into each other twice.