The most important information about rental legal protection in Switzerland
Mold in the apartment or high utility bills? With rental legal protection, you can count on the support of lawyers who are experienced in these types of disputes. Find out here what you need to know before taking out rental legal protection insurance.
Table of contents
What is covered?
Costs
Services
Waiting period
What you should consider
What does “legal protection for tenants” mean?
Tenant legal protection is insurance coverage under private legal protection insurance for disputes relating to rental or lease agreements. It generally covers apartments, real estate, garages, parking spaces, or land that you use as a tenant or lessee.
Tenant legal protection is also known as “tenant legal protection insurance” or “legal protection for apartments.”
What does tenant legal protection cover?
Tenant legal protection is part of private legal protection insurance and generally covers all legal disputes related to rental and lease agreements. Common points of dispute are damage and defects in the rented property, responsibility for maintenance work, rent adjustments, utility bills, pets, neighborhood disputes, or the return of the security deposit.
Protekta is our partner in the field of legal protection, a Mobiliar company. In addition to “Housing & Construction,” Protekta's private legal protection insurance also covers “Daily Life & Family,” “Work,” “Health & Insurance,” and disputes with authorities.
How much does rental legal protection insurance cost?
Protekta's private legal protection insurance costs between CHF 160 and CHF 400 per year. The costs vary depending on the scope of the insurance coverage. It is better to spend a few hundred francs a year on legal protection insurance than to have to pay several thousand francs in the event of a dispute.
What services are covered by rental legal protection insurance?
Protekta's rental legal protection provides free legal information by phone, regardless of whether the case is covered or not. For covered cases, Protekta also covers legal advice and the costs of mediation, lawyers, courts, expert opinions, proceedings and, if necessary, compensation to the other party.
When is rental legal protection insurance useful?
Rental legal protection insurance is useful for all tenants and lessees. In the event of a legal dispute with the landlord, you can contact the legal protection insurance company's lawyers. They will tell you exactly how to proceed in a particular case. This will allow you to win your case without stress and at a lower cost. Legal protection insurance also covers lawyer's fees, necessary expert opinions, and legal proceedings if the dispute is brought before the courts.
After what waiting period does rental legal protection apply?
As soon as you take out the insurance, you can benefit from free legal advice by telephone from JurLine. However, the insurance only covers legal disputes after a waiting period of 3 months (known as the “waiting period”). The waiting period specified in the policy applies. Legal disputes whose cause dates back to the waiting period or before the insurance was taken out are generally not covered. Rental legal protection cannot be taken out retroactively.
What should you look out for when taking out rental legal protection insurance?
Even though you can often get legal advice by phone immediately after signing the contract, disputes in other areas of law, such as contract law, are generally only covered after a waiting period of three months. It is therefore best to take out legal protection insurance early on. Check carefully what coverage you need and, if in doubt, seek free advice.
Choose legal protection insurance with no minimum claim amount and a minimum term of one year. Also pay attention to the cancellation deadlines, as most insurance policies are automatically renewed if you do not cancel them in time.
Also make sure that your private legal protection insurance covers legal disputes with your household or personal liability insurance.
