Guide
Reference rate.
When your rent may go down.
Many rents are tied to the mortgage reference interest rate. If it falls, you may ask for a reduction – it does not happen by itself.
As of 20 October 20264 sections · approx. 1 min
What you can do now
In short
The essentials in three sentences
- What counts is the reference rate your current rent is based on – it is in the contract or the last adjustment.
- If the rate has fallen since then, you can ask for a reduction as of the next termination date.
- If the landlord does not reply or refuses, the conciliation authority helps free of charge.
How it is calculated
If the reference rate is below 5 %, each change of 0.25 percentage points corresponds to 3 % of the rent. A reduction exactly reverses earlier increases. The landlord may offset higher costs and inflation – which is why the reduction is sometimes smaller.
How to proceed
- Use the tool to check whether and how much you can ask for.
- Send the request in writing by registered mail, signed by everyone who signed the contract.
- It must arrive before the notice period begins.
- The landlord has 30 days to reply; after that you can turn to the conciliation authority within 30 days.
Frequently asked questions
- And if the reference rate rises?
- Then the landlord may raise the rent, but only with the official form and as of a termination date. You can challenge an increase at the conciliation authority within 30 days.
- Does this also apply to graduated or indexed rent?
- No. There the rent follows the agreed steps or the national consumer price index.
Legal basis
Art. 269a and 270a CO, Art. 12a and 13 VMWG; increases: Art. 269d and 270b CO.
Guidance, not legal advice. In a dispute, the tenants' association or your canton's conciliation authority can help.