Instalment or flat rate
The two ways of charging ancillary costs. The instalment is an advance, settled each year against actual costs; the flat rate is a fixed amount, never settled. The lease must say which applies and list the costs concerned.
With instalments, the landlord draws up a statement each year: the difference is owed or refunded. With a flat rate, the amount must match the average cost of recent years; no statement is possible. A cost not named in the lease is deemed included in the net rent.
- Legal basis
- art. 257a and 257b CO · art. 4 OBLF
These explanations give an order of magnitude and are not legal advice. Swiss tenancy law has cantonal particularities; check your situation with a qualified source before acting.
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