The building administrator managed the rental process in the presence of the owner/landlord, who doesn't speak English. This language barrier might have prevented the owner/landlord from addressing any potential false claims during the viewing.
To be honest, I've moved on from the issue with the hob, and even the problem with the blinds can be overlooked. However, what I truly sought when leasing an apartment was a private laundry area. It seems like I'm left with no choice but to accept my current situation. I had believed that the Swiss were straightforward individuals who wouldn't take advantage of me, but it appears I've been deceived.
Ideally, I would have my rental period shortened. As I mentioned earlier, the hob situation and the issue with the shutters aren't bothering me too much, and I'm willing to overlook them. However, having a private laundry area was my main desire.
Given that this is my first time renting, I wasn't aware that such amenities needed to be explicitly outlined in the contract. Generally, I'm quite cautious and attentive when it comes to signing documents. The absence of these features didn't raise any red flags because I assumed that if they were advertised, they would naturally be included.
I'm not venting; I'm simply looking for advice as I didn't anticipate receiving this kind of treatment.
At this point, I'd prefer to have my rental period reduced.
Thank you
It appears that the dossier was put together by the building administrators.
Given that it is a large building (or at least there are several other units apart from yours) to me the idea of there being a laundry facility built in a communal area that would be exclusively for the use of one unit seems a bit strange.
You mention that all the other units have their own laundry facilities, so I wonder if there was something lost in translation. Perhaps the message was not that the laundry facility would be exclusively for your use and no one else would have access to it, but rather you would likely be the only ones using it.
To me it seems premature to want to leave without trying to resolve the laundry issue. If all your other neighbours indeed have their own laundry facilities and don't ever use the machines in the basement then perhaps you can come to an agreement with them.
The laundry schedule is not the problem of the concierge or the rental agency, this issue is strictly between neighbours. So it's up to you to be pro-active and reach out to the other tenants. A polite and carefully worded letter in the mailbox of each person introducing yourself and touching on the subject of the laundry might bring about results. If several of them respond with the answer "Actually, we never use the facilities so you could freely use the machines during our time slot" this could greatly improve your situation. Of course, if people move out and new tenants move in you might have to re-negotiate.
If you have an absolute need to have your own laundry facilities you could be looking around for a long time. At least on this side of the röstigraben, even new apartments with their own private washing facilities are incredible rare. People who want their own machines inevitably pay out-of-pocket to have one installed. Second-hand machines are very cheap, so why not consider having a machine installed in your aparment?
You could also reolace the schedule with a note that says something like.Tenants wishing to use these facilities are requested to contact you in advance.
Rental contracts are not typically that complex - it's not like one of these online click-through things which are a hundred pages and incomprehensible, even an online translation would have been fairly reliable.
Saying you were deceived is naive IMO.
The simple solution to this would be to get your own washer/dryer - a few hundred francs is nothing compared to the cost of long-term rental, and if the other properties have them you can easily see where they are fitted.
First thing to remember is that you signed a contract for (I guess) 1 year. Be very careful in the communication with the the building administrator and owner because you'll probably have to deal with them until contract period expires. The failure to meet the offered equipment already happened. What is under your control is how peaceful or stressed you want to live the next year. I'm not telling that you accept anything from building admin and shut up, but to defend your interests in a smart way.
A summary of the events is that the building administrator offered something that was not delivered. Issue here is that you cannot simply write a letter to landlord explaining this because it's basically accusing the building admin of lying and this person may turn on you and make your life hell the next year. Once again, not trying to scare you into doing nothing, but to carefully choose your words. As bowlie mentioned, you should have a clear objective before starting anything. It seems you want to end the contract sooner. As others advised, contact the mieterverband, because it's not easy to accuse someone of lying unless they left a trail of written evidence (printed info, emails, etc).
I don't have laundry room in my apartment, but the washing machine and tumble drier are on the 2nd bathroom. This is very common in modern apartment buildings (year 2010+). Not so much in renovated ones, unless the price is as high as the sky.
I wonder whether part of this was, as Bossa Nova suggested above, lost in translation.
We have several friends who live in large buildings in which the downstairs laundry room has a whole bank of washing-machines. In those cases, they do not have exclusive use of the laundry because there's always someone else using another machine at the same time. In one case they also have a roster, but even then, others have been allocated time on other machines parallel to them, so they never have exclusive access.
In many other cases of a shared laundry (with or without a roster) only one party uses the [single?] washing machine at a time. In this sense, for the allotted time , that party is using the machine exclusive of access by all other tenants.
I haven't read through this whole thread, so apologies if I'm repeating anything.
The house rules will have been set by the owners, along with the administration. In the case of multi owner ship it will have been put to a vote and passed. This is nothing new and standard through most of Switzerland.
As others have said, try and talk to your neighbours and see if you can swap days / time with them.
We are fortunate, in our building there is no schedule and we can even do the laundry at 1am if we want. the only unwritten rule is that you remove your washing promptly when the cycle has finished.