Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone familiar with Swiss/Geneva tenancy law can help me understand what I can do here. I am renting an apartment in Geneva and needed to give notice by 31 July. I went to the post office on 28 July to send my cancellation to the Régie. I specifically asked for registered/tracked mail, but the person at the post office gave me standard A-Post instead. I have the receipt showing that it was sent on 28 July. The Régie is now saying that my cancellation was received in August, and therefore they are treating the termination as later than I intended. They have told me that I can only hand over the apartment at the end of September, and that they will come to take photographs/inspect the apartment at the end of September. The situation is particularly frustrating because I have already tried to minimise any potential double rent. I have provided the Régie with three complete application files from prospective tenants who are willing to take over the apartment from 1 September. However, they have told me they will not process anything until the end of September because of the date they consider my cancellation to have been received. So I’m potentially facing multiple months of paying rent on my current apartment and my new apartment, despite having sent my cancellation on 28 July and having already found several prospective tenants willing to take over. I understand that the date the cancellation is received may be what matters rather than the date it was posted. But I’m trying to understand what my options are now. Questions: Does the fact that I sent the cancellation on 28 July, before the 31 July deadline, have any relevance given that I used A-Post rather than registered mail? Is there any way to establish when the letter was delivered? Can the Régie simply refuse to process complete applications from replacement tenants until the end of September? If I have provided solvent candidates who are willing to take over the lease from 1 September on the same terms, can the Régie delay considering them? Does anyone have experience with this in Geneva? Should I contact ASLOCA Genève immediately? Is there anything specific I should put in writing to the Régie now? I’m quite stressed about this because I genuinely feel that I did what I was supposed to do before the deadline, and I’m now potentially facing a significant period of double rent because of the postal service issue. Any advice from people familiar with Geneva tenancy law would be hugely appreciated. submitted by /u/etching-and-film
Originally posted by u/etching-and-film on r/Switzerland