In Switzerland, in order to re-let your lease, you need to find a replacement tenant who is committed to taking over the lease. In other words, the outgoing tenant has to act as an estate agent if he wants to re-let his flat quickly. And this starts with a good introduction to the flat before any potential viewings.
To properly prepare your flat for re-letting, you need to carry out an inventory of the property in order to fix anything that needs fixing. This may involve filling in holes in a wall, a door that doesn't close properly, yellowed or dissolved seals, a cracked tile, etc. We're talking here about work that is the responsibility of the tenant. For example, it is not your responsibility to replace a faulty water heater. All you have to do is carry out any minor repairs that are your responsibility. It's obvious that broken items would be an obstacle to re-letting your flat. And if you've painted certain walls in colour, it may be a good idea to repaint everything white so that visitors can more easily project themselves into the property.
To find a replacement tenant in the hope of re-letting early, it is also advisable to first carry out a major de-cluttering. It's important to personalise your home so that it's more attractive to prospective tenants. Put away photos, travel souvenirs and other intrusive collections. Once the flat has been tidied up and emptied of all its superfluous items, it's time for the big clean. Thoroughly cleaning the property makes it easier to re-let your flat, as a perfectly clean home sends a very positive signal to visitors.
Every property has negative and positive points. Whatever your property's assets, you should try to make the most of them. Let's take an example. You are lucky enough to have a magnificent view of Lake Léman from your home. In this case, you should choose fairly neutral curtains or net curtains and keep the windows spotless to increase the chances of getting your heart racing. As for the negative points, it is not advisable to conceal them completely so as not to deceive the future tenant.
Finally, re-letting your flat systematically involves placing an ad. On SherlockHomes, you can place an ad and distribute it free of charge on a number of specialist platforms. And to stand out from the many other properties for rent, you'll need to put a lot of effort into your photos. Once you've tidied up, de-cluttered, cleaned and enhanced the property, it's the ideal time to take a series of photos. Take lots of photos, if possible with a wide-angle lens to accentuate the impression of space, and shoot at times when the light is most favourable. Light yes, but not against the light.
This article is by no means exhaustive and does not incur the liability of its author.
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