Rent house or flat

You must sign a contract. The price of the rent is written kalt, i.e. without charges, or warm, i.e. with charges.

The deposit

The tenant must pay the deposit if this is specifically written in the contract. This deposit is withheld by the landlord if the tenant damages the flat. According to the law, the deposit cannnot exceed 3 months of the rent without charges. You've got several kinds of deposit, according to the preference of the landlord:

Deposit in cash : Most of the time, the landlord must put the deposit on a specific account. The amount of the deposit can be paid by the tenant in 3 instalments. The first payment must happen at the beginning of the contract. The deposit (or only a part if damages have occurred) and the interests will be paid back to the tenant when he leaves.

Other kind of contracts : You can also, either open a saving account on you behalf, or ask for a bank guarantee. According to you choice, you will ask the form at your bank to complete

Deposit interest: the deposit with interest stays in the bank during the 3 month notice period. The tenant can know what is the amount of the interest.

Before to move in a new flat

You should sign an inventory (meters reading, problems with the flat) in your new flat.

The notice period
The notice period depends on the duration of the contract and can be from 3 months to 12 months. The notice period orally given doesn't have any value. For contracts with a limited duration, you can only leave early if the contract specifies that you can find another tenant. In exceptional situations, you can agree with your landlord to find another tenant that the landlord will accept.

Refurbishing
When you leave the flat you must refurbish it. Refurbishing must be defined with the landlord. You shouldn't have to repaint, for example, if it's not mentioned in the contract. When you move into a new flat you should check that refurbishing has been made. Write problems and damages on the inventory.

Inventory
You must do the inventory with the owner when you leave your flat, but also when you begin renting new accommodation. The state of the flat must be agreed in writing and the meter readings taken.

Insurances

Refuse

The refuse are separated according to paper, glass, etc prior to collection. The refuse service (at the town hall) will provide information for dates if you want them to collect big items (furniture, washing machine, fridge…).