Guide

Heating cold.
What applies when it is too cold inside.

A flat must be heatable. If the heating fails or does not get warm enough, that is a defect.

As of 20 October 20264 sections · approx. 1 min

What you can do now

You record defects in the defect editor of your review – that is also where you create the letter to the management.

Record a defect

In short

The essentials in three sentences

Report the failure immediately; in an emergency also by phone to the management's on-call service.
Record temperatures with date and time – in several rooms.
For the time of the defect, you can ask for a rent reduction from the report on.

How warm it must be

The law sets no fixed figure. In practice, about 20 °C during the day is the guideline for living rooms, a little more for the bathroom and shower. What matters is whether you can use the flat normally.

How to proceed

First check the thermostatic valves and bleed the radiators – sometimes that is the cause.
Report the defect in writing; if it is cold in winter, also by phone right away.
Measure the temperature several times a day and write it down.
Set a short deadline for the repair; in cold winter weather a few days are often enough.
Electric heaters as a stopgap: agree beforehand who pays for the electricity.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays for the electricity for emergency heaters?: Agree on it with the management beforehand and keep the reply. Whether you can claim the costs back depends on the case; keep the receipts.
Is it a defect if the heating season has not started yet?: If it gets unreasonably cold in the flat, it can be – even outside the usual heating season. Report it with measured temperatures.

Legal basis

Art. 256 CO (flat in a condition fit for use), Art. 257g CO (duty to report), Art. 259a, 259b and 259d CO (remedy, deadline, reduction), Art. 259e CO (damages).

Guidance, not legal advice. In a dispute, the tenants' association or your canton's conciliation authority can help.