Good morning.
TL-DR: My apt has the same rent price as the other one in the same building which is bigger. Is this legal? They are both new apartments with no one living there before. My heating charges are suspiciously low. There are water leakage issues that were not communicated and I feel it's a hidden defect.
What to do?
Long Version:
I just moved into my new apartment.
The apartment is part of a new construction of several units. They are all the same except for the size which varies.
The apartments HAVE NOT been made available for rent at the same time but one at a time.
To my surprise, the lot on the side of mine has been put for rent for the same exact price as mine, despite being 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom bigger.
Picture to clarify.
Moreover, there is another weird inconsistency.
My charges are MUCH lower than the other apartments' charges, and I have the gut feeling it has been made on purpose to artificially lower the price for the first year until the calculation of the actual expenses is made and the price will be equally divided on the base of the square meters of each apartment.
I am also facing water leakage issues that the agency "swore they didn't know about" but the other people already living there told me it was a well-known problem.
I just got the key and I know I have 30 days to challenge the price, but is there anything else I should do?
I contacted Asolca, which is willing to do some documents for me, but they want to treat each issue separately. I would like to know if all those things could also add together in a single claim to get a significant price reduction and/or money back (they offered me a mere 300 CHF one-time compensation which I am not accepting)
Thank you!
Asloca know what they are doing. I’d listen to their advice.
AFAIK landlords are free to charge whatever price they want for an initial rental.
Won't quote EPMike because huge pic, but what does the contract say about the garden? Exclusive use for you or shared with neighbors?
That could well be if there is no prior history. But the money in your pocket is better than in the landlord's. If you think that they will be coming back and asking you for more money, put it aside so it can earn some (very little) interest, but you are not feeling under pressure when the final bill comes.
Isn't there some law enforcement to bind the price of the rent to the price of the apartment? I found out the other apartment purchase price was +20%.
Either my landlord is overcharging me, or the other one is a benefactor.
Yes, 6 square meters difference. Worth 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom?
Yes it's exclusive.
Could you elaborate, I don't understand what you mean to do.
Thank you all for the answers!
You think the final bill for utilities will be higher than what they are charging you now, and that could indeed be the case. But they are not charging you now, which means that the money they will charge you is in your pocket and not the landlord's.
If you want to make sure that you are not surprised by a massive bill when the utility calculation has been done, put some money aside each month in a savings account. It won't earn tons of interest, but it will mean that when you get the final bill, you will have the money available and will not be under pressure. Is that clearer?
Or the your landlord is a better negotiator than the other, or you are a worse negotiator than the other tennant.
Surely that was part of your decision making when you chose the apartment?
I assume you did see the apartment, read the contract, think the price was OK and then sign?
It's not like buying a TV where you can maybe get some sort of price match, more like your salary where chances are all your colleagues get slightly different rates and overall it isn't particularly consistent or fair but that's life.
Save / invest the money that you think may end up on nebenkosten at the end of the year, then you get the benefit not the landlord.
Are there other 2 bedrooms + 2 bathrooms apartments in the neighborhood offered at the price of the 82 m2 apartment?
If not, it looks like the owner of the 82 m2 apartment is in a hurry. Someone faces liquidity problems.
Do you know who owns the property(ies)? In may not be the same owner but managed by the same regie. In such a case the regie will ask for what the owner wants.
Hello,
Thanks for all the replies.
The two houses have been made available for rent at different times (a few weeks of distance), and this is why I was surprised to see the same price for such different apartments in the same exact building. Different owners and different agencies.
Both the units are new with no one living there before.
I don't get why this post is getting groaned. I don't think my question is stupid or irrelevant.
If you think it is much better then give notice on your current place and apply for it.
Prices can be very different due to supply and demand at different times, as well as situation of the landlord (could be that he is willing to discount at some point in time).
I know people who managed to lock in great bargains at early point in covid when things looked dire, only for others to pay through the nose just weeks later.
Because in no way is it a scam.
They are free to charge whatever they want.
Tom
There you have it! Different owners, different agencies. They obviously value the places differently and that’s their prerogative
Maybe yours is a bit high and theirs is a bit low compared to market rates but it’s hard to know without comparing them to similar properties in the area.
Ok, I understand now.
I thought the rent price was regulated by the apartment value, but it's actually not.
I my origin country it works like this, and something like that would have most likely been illegal.
Thank you for all the clarifications.
Do you know about the water leakage how will the process work? I sent a registered mail to "officially" inform of the problem.
Rent increases are controlled, but not initial rents.
Tom
I agree. This is why the forum was created. It would be helpful if some posters could resist groaning in cases like yours.
Adk Asloca, they know all the rules.
Very sad, however explains everything.