Create a tenancy agreement: free template (PDF) – and the generator that builds you a Swiss CO-compliant lease in 2 minutes
In Switzerland a tenancy agreement is valid even verbally – and that is exactly what gets expensive when nothing is in writing and it becomes one person's word against the other's. People drafting a lease usually make three mistakes: a deposit that's too high, utility costs without a basis and clauses that don't hold up in court. Here is the free template that prevents that – plus three tools no one else has: a tenancy-agreement generator, a deposit calculator and the official-form radar for your canton.
🏛️ What makes a tenancy agreement valid in Switzerland
The most surprising fact first: a tenancy agreement is valid in Switzerland even without a signature. Art. 253 CO requires just two things – the landlord hands over a thing for use, the tenant pays a rent. A handshake or a WhatsApp confirmation is legally enough. Even so, never move in without a written lease: not because the law demands it, but because in any later dispute – deposit, utility costs, damage – the evidence decides. For an overview of all tenancy-law templates, see the tenant & landlord hub.
Tenancy law is largely mandatory law: much of it cannot be changed to your disadvantage, no matter what was signed. A deposit above three months' rent, utility costs without an agreement, or a clause releasing the landlord from the handover duty – all of that is void (Art. 256 para. 2 CO), even if it's in the lease. That's where the generator below comes in: it only phrases what holds, and warns where an entry breaks the law.
Even if they're in the lease and you signed – these three are void:
📝 The ConvivaPlus tenancy-agreement generator
Fill in the fields and the generator builds you a complete residential lease, structured under the CO – with parties, object, rent, utility costs, deposit, handover and termination. You can download it as a PDF or copy the text. The built-in checker raises the alarm if the deposit exceeds three months' rent.
Tenancy-agreement generator (residential)
Fill in the fields → ready CO lease as PDF. Nothing is stored, everything runs in your browser.
🧩 The mandatory building blocks of a clean lease
For the lease to hold in a dispute, these building blocks belong in it. The first two are the essentialia (without them, no contract), the rest protect you from the most expensive gaps:
🔐 Deposit calculator: what's allowed – and where the money belongs
The deposit is the most frequent point of dispute, already at signing. Two rules are mandatory: for residential property, at most three months' rent is allowed (Art. 257e CO), and the money must go into a blocked account in your name. Work out what is allowed at most in your case:
Deposit calculator
Enter your gross monthly rent (net + utility-cost advance) – we show the permitted ceiling.
Guide value under Art. 257e CO. The agreed rent is decisive; when in doubt, ask the Tenants' Association.
Method: the ceiling is 3 × the gross monthly rent (net rent including the agreed utility-cost advance). For commercial premises there is no statutory ceiling. Source: Art. 257e para. 2 CO.
🚦 The ConvivaPlus official-form radar (initial rent)
At signing lurks the biggest wasted advantage: in nine cantons the landlord must disclose the initial rent to you on an official form and justify it (Art. 270 para. 2 CO). Where that applies, you can challenge the rent within 30 days of taking over – especially after a tenant change, when the previous tenant paid less. Choose your canton:
Official-form radar 2026
Which canton is the apartment in? The radar shows whether the initial rent can be challenged.
| Canton | Scope | Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich (ZH) | canton-wide | 30 days |
| Bern (BE) | canton-wide | 30 days |
| Lucerne (LU) | canton-wide | 30 days |
| Zug (ZG) | canton-wide | 30 days |
| Fribourg (FR) | canton-wide | 30 days |
| Basel-Stadt (BS) | canton-wide | 30 days |
| Vaud (VD) | certain municipalities | 30 days |
| Neuchâtel (NE) | certain municipalities | 30 days |
| Geneva (GE) | canton-wide | 30 days |
Data basis: the ConvivaPlus-Index for the form requirement, as of 2026. Other templates assume a lease is the same everywhere; we research the form requirement canton by canton. According to ConvivaPlus (analysis of the cantonal FHO data 2026, official register 'Form requirement for notifying the initial rent'), it exists in the cantons ZH, BE, LU, FR, BS, ZG, GE plus, by municipality, VD and NE. The requirement only applies in a housing shortage (vacancy rate below the cantonal threshold, often 1.5%). Since 1 Oct 2025 the form must also show the previous reference interest rate and inflation.
💡 Utility costs in the lease: advance, flat rate or included?
The sentence that decides hundreds of francs a year is often in the fine print. Utility costs are only owed if expressly agreed and itemised (Art. 257a para. 2 CO). How they are charged makes the difference:
⚠️ Lease traps & clauses that are worthless
These clauses keep cropping up in leases – and don't hold up before the conciliation authority. If you see them, you don't have to accept them:
'Deposit of 4 or 6 months' rent': unlawful for residential property above 3 months' rent (Art. 257e CO). The excess part is invalid.
'Advance in cash to the landlord' instead of into the blocked account: contrary to Art. 257e CO. Insist on the account in your name.
'Final cleaning by a specialist firm at the tenant's expense' imposed across the board: you only owe a normal cleaning; 'professional' can't be forced, normal wear is at the landlord's expense.
'Tenant bears all repairs': no – only minor maintenance (small defects up to ~150 CHF) is at your expense (Art. 259 CO), major repairs are paid by the landlord.
'Contractual penalty for early move-out': unlawful if you provide an acceptable replacement tenant (Art. 264 CO) – you then get out without penalty.
'Waiver of termination for 5 years' at the tenant's expense: a unilateral waiver by the tenant is only valid to a very limited extent; when in doubt, challengeable.
A lease doesn't protect you by its length, but by its cleanliness. What isn't in it, the law settles – and the law is usually on your side.
On a tenant change, an often-overlooked trick applies: in cantons with a form requirement, the landlord must disclose the previous tenant's rent to you on the form. If you suddenly pay CHF 300 more than they did without a comprehensible reason, that's a classic challenge case – and you have 30 days from taking over for it. Those who check the form right at move-in secure on average a noticeable reduction.
How did you conclude your last tenancy agreement?
One click – anonymous, no sign-up required.
Frequently asked questions about the tenancy agreement
The key questions on signing, deposit, utility costs and initial rent – with CO references.
People also ask
Related questions from our magazine
All information without guarantee. Found an error? → support@conviva-plus.ch
A verbal tenancy agreement is fully valid in Switzerland (Art. 253 CO) – but in a dispute over the deposit, utility costs or rent, it's almost always whoever can't produce anything in writing who loses.
What completes your tenancy agreement
From signing to handover – the templates for every step.
Discussion
8 voices from the community
Der Formularpflicht-Radar hat mir die Augen geöffnet, wir sind in Zürich eingezogen und haben das Anfangsmietzins-Formular nie bekommen. Jetzt weiss ich, dass ich noch anfechten kann.
Genau dafür ist der Radar da. Wichtig: Die 30-Tage-Frist läuft ab Übernahme, aber wenn das Formular ganz fehlt, bist du nicht daran gebunden. Beim Mieterverband melden lohnt sich.
Endlich ein Generator, der die Kaution gleich prüft. Unser alter Vermieter wollte 4 Monatsmieten, jetzt weiss ich schwarz auf weiss, dass das nicht zulässig ist.
Richtig, bei Wohnungen sind drei das Maximum (Art. 257e OR). Den überschiessenden Teil musst du nicht leisten.
Hätte nicht gedacht, dass Nebenkosten ohne Vereinbarung gar nicht geschuldet sind. Unser Vertrag listet sie pauschal ohne Aufschlüsselung, das prüfe ich jetzt.
Wir haben jahrelang nur mündlich gemietet, bis es Streit um die Endreinigung gab. Seither: immer schriftlich. Der Artikel bringts auf den Punkt.
Ein Klassiker. Mündlich ist gültig, aber im Streit zählt der Beweis. Ein Übergabeprotokoll beim Einzug hätte euch viel erspart.
Praktisch, dass der Vertrag als PDF rauskommt. Habe ihn für die Untermiete angepasst und dem Vermieter zur Zustimmung geschickt.
ConvivaPlus Editorial
TemplatesResearched and verified. Facts, not opinions.
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