I'm sure this has been covered within a thread but I couldn't find it. Do the folk at the mieterverband speak English - specifically the Zurich one in my case?
The web pages are all in german. Here is the application page:
I'd like to join, but my german is so so (but improving) and I am using LEO to translate the page. Do they mind if you dont speak german? Anyone had any direct experience with them? Was it a happy one? Can you just call to join?
Hi, I can really recommend joing the mieterverband. I'm a member and its really useful whenever you have problems with your flat. You can fill out the form online and pay with your credit card. Unfortunately I dont know if they speak English.
Don't know if you are being helpful or arsey, but that was my EXACT search criteria and as you will have seen 20 threads pop up. None of them address this point, which will be fairly useful for the larger English speaking community here.
They don't address it specifically in that thread anyway and furthermore I dont think anyone says they mostly speak English. Abfab comments, about 2/3 of the way down on this unrelated thread that some do (in 2007). Have you had any direct experience with them?
I just spoke the MV's representative and he confirms that the MV have staff who communicate well in English. Optional: when filling up your form, write down under remarks: Referred by Herr Kamil Issadeen - this will ensure your application is treated with priority.
That's what I earn for giving a newbie the benefit of the doubt with the search function. Listen, if you ask a question you "are sure have been covered" and can't be bothered to read through a few pages, maybe you should just call the Mieterverband instead of wasting our time.
Anyway here are the quotes I referred to, from the thread linked above. It's up to you if you read them.
Lol, so you weren't being helpful after all. Great set of assumptions though.
1." can't be bothered to read through a few pages." I already read through at least 10 threads with X pages each. I am at work. I have spent half an hour not getting the answer I wanted. One that other people might also found useful. I thought a separate post might be helpful to a wider audience. As I mentioned I went to the website and translated everything not understood into English using an online website. Oh so lazy.
2. "maybe you should just call the Mieterverband instead of wasting our time." I'm in the office and will be whenever the MV is open. I don't really want to have a strained conversation in german with a full audience discussing things that might be personal.
3. A newbie. I met the founder 3 years back and have been coming here since.
Check out the response by jrspet - that's the way to do it.
Indeed it does and many thanks. Out of curiosity, who is Herr Kamil Issadeen? Is he a representative there? When you say the application is treated with priority, aren't all applications for membership treated equally?
In all fairness, Nathu is very knowledgeable about these issues in CH and has greatly contributed to the forum. Most issues that newbies have, are usually already answered by him, and as such this forum retains a valuable knowledgebase which sets it apart from other forums. Searching using keywords and with tags will help in most instances.
My German is almost non-existent, but Hr. Kamil Issadeen is I suppose an adjudicator ( schlichster ?? ) sent by the MV to the Rent Tribunal panel. According to him, some applications to the MV get "lost" or are unattended to, and he has found that putting something in the remarks section ( such as referred by him ) succeeds in getting attention especially if there is possibility of a dispute very soon. This is entirely optional .
Has anyone used the Renters association in Lugano /Massagno ( http://www.asi-infoalloggio.ch/ )? I'm in Lugano and due to renew lease and am having persistent problems with hot water and heating so wanted to see about compensation/rent reduction etc and just wanted to see what folks experiences were with this group.
MV use the "standard" Swiss model for contract terminations btw... three months notice per end of calendar year. I thought I could simply let my subscription lapse at the end of the year and they'd stop sending me magazines etc, but no - a couple of months later they sent me a letter and giro slip saying that my account for the new year was overdue...
I emailed only a few days ago to inquire if they speak English. Yes, they most certainly do. They have various professionals and lawyers who speak English.