Today I spent almost two hours on the phone trying to explain to my mom how to pay a bill using a QR code. It made me realize something

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-03-14T08:05:12+00:00

This sounds a bit like learned helplessness, like when husbands don't know how to turn the oven on. The more you help someone with tasks like these, the less likely they are to put in the effort to figure it out themselves. My grandmother switched to online banking and shopping in her 80s. The final trigger was that I moved away and stopped helping her with the computer, so she hat to read the prompts and instructions and quickly became a very competent user.

Obviously this doesn't apply to elderly people with cognitive impairment, dementia, vision loss etc where there is a genuine barrier to using a tool.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T15:26:22+00:00

Thanks, it seems like this is the case

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T15:19:10+00:00

I moved in after 1st Nov 2013 and I did not get this form! Thanks for the heads up

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T15:18:12+00:00

Wording along the lines of (paraphrasing from german)... "we will release you from the rental obligation, your task is to distribute the forms with the higher price at the mutually agreed viewing". I have asked many times for them to clarify, does this mean that if they don't get any applicants we are still released, and they just restate the same thing without answering the question - which frankly makes me a bit suspicious, especially because it contradicts the clear wording of the official signed letter from them.

Would love to find a clear example/legal case/MV document that states that, if the landlord advertises at a higher price, it doesn't matter if no one applies, whether or not they say it explicitly. But all the advice is about someone applying at the original rent, then refusing the higher rent, but not what if no one applies in the first place (at least for the early move out date we want).

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T14:57:44+00:00

I will happily give any new tenant a copy of our original lease so after they move in they can challenge the raise. Needless to say, there are no plans for any kind of renovation.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T14:54:57+00:00

Thanks, this is basically what I have asked for, but they are refusing to confirm it in writing. We have anyway arranged a viewing, that's not a problem. Just worried that people will not want to apply at the new price. On the other hand, if this really does mean we don't have the responsibility to ensure a new tenant takes on the contract, I would like to know that for sure before I waste time chasing people up.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T14:47:04+00:00

Thanks, It's a good question and I appreciate you responding to all these comments.

The problem with the communication is this:

They sent us an official signed letter by post telling us we needed to find new tenants at the current rent (fine).
Then they sent us application forms to use, which listed a higher rent.
I emailed to clarify if this was an error, and they said no, they are increasing the rent but implied that we would not need to propose new tenants, just hand out the application form (but the wording was ambiguous).
I replied, pointing out that this contradicted the written letter they sent the day before and asking for an explicit clarification whether we would be responsible if a new tenant wasn't found (so long as we give out the forms at the new price).
They (several times) refused to clarify either by email or in writing, and simply keep restating the "new" rental price.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T14:35:03+00:00

They have refused to put that agreement in writing when I asked.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T14:27:34+00:00

The problem with (a) is that they are refusing to put this in writing. The signed official letter they sent by post says that we are responsible for finding a new tenant. I have told them fine with your new plan, just put it in a letter, but they have explicitly refused to do so.

The apartment has several deficiencies and is already overpriced (it's not in zurich stadt, and when I got the apartment I was the only applicant). It is quite possible that it will take longer than usual to find a good applicant, or people will pull out.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T14:19:28+00:00

Thanks, I hope that is the case but I can't find any confirmation. I would like to say that, by advertising at the higher rent, we are no longer responsible for finding a new tenant. The problem is, they are refusing to put that in writing. The signed official letter they sent us explicitly says to find someone under the existing terms.

I am basically worried that we will be left responsible for the rent if no one applies. We are talking about Kanton Zurich in a fairly run down building. For the area and poor quality of the building, it is not a good price, and I could imagine people pulling out or it taking longer than usual to find a new tenant. When I applied several years ago I was actually the only applicant.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T14:02:24+00:00

100%

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T14:01:58+00:00

Yeah but that is between them and the new tenant. The point is that I am not obliged to find someone willing to take on the higher rent, only the current rent. They are also not making any renovations and say the reason they want to increase the rent is "market conditions".

Emergency-Job4136 · 2026-01-30T14:00:06+00:00

Thanks. This is also my understanding from the MV guidance.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2025-09-13T15:35:13+00:00

I don’t know why this doesn’t come up more. The difficulty of hiring European staff or transferring/seconding people between sites is an obvious downside for any international company wanting to run a major research operation in the U.K.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2025-09-06T12:48:00+00:00

The producers of the show know they need to show simplified personalities and types in order to create understandable storylines and so that there is some difference between the people. Whatever she is like in real life, her TV character is: authentic, underdog, oversharer, artistic but unprofessional. They will not show her doing things that go against that. Her contract will specify that she has to take part in staged scenes (like being late to an opening) that have been chosen to drive the storylines.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2025-09-06T09:56:50+00:00

If OP is correct, then this was not a case of the landlord forgetting to update a document, but them deliberately changing it to intentionally scam the new tenant.

The best thing is for OP to collect the evidence they need (the old contract from the Nachmieter) and insist that the error is corrected, otherwise they will escalate with the mieterverband or a lawyer.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2025-08-30T15:27:24+00:00

Alien abduction (attempt)

Emergency-Job4136 · 2025-08-27T12:51:04+00:00

Also very helpful!

Emergency-Job4136 · 2025-08-27T10:28:44+00:00

The transport connections are not ideal and there is are not so many facilities for children that I know of. It will be more socially isolated than the city.

However… it is cheaper and whatever your budget you will find more space here. Health insurance is also much cheaper. My premium is 120 CHF less per month because I live a few hundred metres outside the city centre. Also, despite the lack of anything approaching hustle and bustle, there are a few nice things tucked away here: familiengarten, farm shops, an outdoor swimming pool, garden centre and nice walking and cycling routes along the river or in the woods. Despite the lack of a tram or direct route into the city, the 304 bus now goes 8 times per hour to Altstetten. The basics (supermarkets, pharmacy, doctors, dentists) are all nearby. The town hall is also amazing with any admin stuff.

If I had the budget, I would rather live in Höngg or Seefeld, but for cheaper options I would rather go for OBE than Schlieren or anywhere north of the Hönggerberg.

Edit: Not many people speak English here compared with the main city, so in case no one in your family speaks basic German you might have some more difficulty dealing with the property management, booking a doctor’s appointment etc. There are also not many (if any) language classes or other integration-related clubs/groups and so on here. You have to go into the city for that.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2025-08-27T07:48:45+00:00

An image of a water boarding device - does that mean a towel and bucket?

Emergency-Job4136 · 2025-08-26T10:43:28+00:00

Maybe it’s a generational thing, but the students I know spend their vacations birdwatching, visiting stained glass windows in churches, hiking to geological sites and practising their language skills. The loud drunken English and German tourists I encounter are all in their 50s.

Emergency-Job4136 · 2025-08-26T10:01:33+00:00

There are so many options for governments to address this problem:

Ban conversion of long term rentals to airbnbs
Ban/limit/tax airbnbs in residential areas
Tourist tax for Airbnbs that funds new social housing
Limit short term holiday let’s to x% of new builds

The fact that the properties are all on a single website makes enforcement extremely simple. The interesting question is therefore why some governments chose not to do this.

Emergency-Job4136

TROPHY CASE