Three names, one organisation
- Mieterinnen- und Mieterverband (MV) · German-speaking Switzerland
- ASLOCA · French-speaking Switzerland
- ASI (Associazione Svizzera Inquilini) · Italian-speaking Switzerland
All three are part of the same Swiss Tenant Federation but operate locally.
What membership gets you
Free legal advice
- Phone consultation with rental lawyers
- In-person consultations at cantonal offices
- Email Q&A for simple questions
Letter templates
- Rent challenge (Mietzinsanfechtung)
- Termination notice
- Defect notice (Mängelrüge)
- Deposit return demand
Schlichtungsbehörde representation
- They represent you at the conciliation hearing
- Free for members
- Many disputes are settled here without going to court
Specialised lawyers
- When conciliation fails, member rate at partner law firms
- Often cheaper than going alone
Further services and websites
- Review of a lease before you sign
- Legal protection insurance for disputes with the landlord, depending on the section
- Political representation of tenants
- Websites: mieterverband.ch (German), asloca.ch (French), asi-infoalloggio.ch (Italian)
Cost-benefit
The yearly fee is small compared with:
- Paying a lawyer yourself for a case at the conciliation authority (Schlichtungsbehörde)
- A successful rent reduction, which lowers your rent every month for as long as you stay
- Avoiding a termination you could have challenged
Most Swiss tenants don't join until they have a problem. Joining BEFORE you have a dispute is recommended.
And before any of that: finding the flat
The Mieterverband protects you inside a tenancy. aptari helps you get into one: one open feed of listings from Homegate, ImmoScout24, Flatfox and cooperative websites and a Tenant Passport you fill once, so on listings from aptari partner agencies you apply with one click instead of re-sending the same dossier. One-click apply starts as soon as partner agencies list on aptari; none have yet.