Vacuuming, moving, playing music: What you can and can’t do during the holidays

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Night rest in Switzerland is regulated by the canton. But there are not many big differences. In general: Holidays are considered Sunday. On Sundays, rest periods are valid all day. In the meantime, it is important to avoid noise.

So when will the limit of disturbing the peace be crossed? According to the Swiss Civil Code, everyone is obliged to “refrain from undue interference with the property of their neighbours”. The Code of Obligations also states that the tenant must respect residents and neighbors during rest periods. But what this “consideration” entails is often a matter of interpretation.

In many house regulations, other restrictions apply in addition to the legal framework. “Room volume” is often recorded. It is measured at the receiver, for example the neighbor, and is usually 30 decibels at rest. It’s almost as loud as a whisper.

However, many Swiss people only have time for household chores on Sundays and public holidays. Fortunately, the noise level of new vacuum cleaner models is around 60 decibels. Unless the walls are too noisy, there should be no obstacles to cleaning.

Things get more difficult with musical instruments or manual labor. First, they are guaranteed to exceed the room noise level, and second, they are often included in house rules as well.

But “consideration” applies here too: As long as there is dialogue with the neighborhood and, in some cases, common sense prevails, maintenance work – or drum solo if you have a lot of persuasion – is usually possible. Celebration.

Even noisy Christmas parties are only possible with the consent of the neighbors. If you want it to be a little bigger and sometimes even open to the public, then another factor comes into play: the ban on dancing.

Many cantons have not yet eliminated the influence of the Catholic regional church on “morality”. In the cantons of Glarus, Uri, Obwalden, Solothurn and Appenzell Innerrhoden, plastering is still not allowed on high holidays.

There are also cantons where celebrations are allowed only by reservation: St. In the canton of St. Gallen, parties are only permitted in closed halls and with fewer than 500 people. In Aargau, restaurants and bars must close at midnight on Good Friday, Easter, Whitsun and Christmas, instead of two o’clock as usual.

In other cantons this ban either does not exist or no longer exists. For example, the Catholic canton of Lucerne lifted the ban in 2009. And twelve years ago, Baselland was the last canton to give the green light to the celebration of Christmas.

Yes, you can move in on Christmas and any public holiday unless stated otherwise in the tenancy agreement. Because there is no law prohibiting moving in Switzerland. But the same thing applies here: in the best case scenario, quietly and always with advance notice to the neighbors.

If the neighbors are too noisy, the first thing to do is to have a clarifying conversation. If they seem unreasonable, you as the tenant should ideally notify management in writing. If there is noise regularly, this indicates a fault; depending on the situation, even a rent reduction may be required.

As an emergency measure, the police can also be called anonymously if necessary. Warns neighbors who are making noise. They may also impose fines if you file a complaint.

Source :Blick