Hi everyone,
I’m renting in Switzerland and recently received this message from the person managing the place (see description below). I’m looking for an objective take, especially from people familiar with Swiss rental culture.
Context:
Shared/common area, main tenant, another one and me,
A very small mark was left on a sanitary surface (easily cleanable, no damage),
I cleaned it immediately once notified,
The messages I received included things like:
– “Don’t lie to me” (for a balcony window)
– Calling it an “extreme mess”
– “What will the other tenants think of you?”
I fully understand the expectation to keep common areas clean. That’s not the issue. What I’m questioning is the tone and escalation, which felt moralizing and disproportionate compared to the situation.
In Switzerland, I’m used to communication being rather factual, calm and proportional, especially in rental contexts. This felt more like pressure or shaming than a practical reminder.
So my questions:
– Is this kind of communication considered normal here?
– Would you see this as acceptable landlord/manager behavior?
– How would you typically respond in a Swiss context: short acknowledgment, or push back on tone?
I’m not looking to escalate, just to understand whether my perception is off or if this is objectively excessive.
Thanks for your insights.
https://i.redd.it/jmmyhzkog6bg1.png
Posted by WishGroundbreaking25
29 Comments
It’s excessive and patronizing, not normal at all.
Normally here the landlords would send neutral messages.
If you don’t feel comfortable, you can either tell them to get lost, if you like facing people, or you should move somewhere else, you can’t change a person.
This is not normal lol
ye bruh ngl these people are insane
Landlord is bonkers
I leave notes to my neighbors when they take my laundry day, but I always add a smiley;)
But you haven’t answered. What will the other tenants think of you? 🤣
oh hell nah. runn, this is a case for a professional…
i wish this question didn’t matter in Switzerland, but … what’s your ethnic background?
Why would other tenants be seeing your bathtub?
This is wild..why were they in your flat…fucking report them.
Hi, I’d like to say otherwise, not least as I’m now Swiss, but this is pretty close to something we’ve experienced including the unfounded and weirdly escalated accusations about lying.
Even when it became clear that the owner was mistaken there was no apology.
That said and although it was weirdly “anal retentive” and the accusations were definitely disappointing, we have are now neighbors in our own house and have maintained a pretty decent relationship.
In short pretty normal but I wouldn’t worry about it too much – otherwise you might just be as Swiss as the rest of us 🙄
Eww it’s borderline abusive
clear case for r/bĂĽnzli
appropriate answer for copy/paste:
entspann di du vogel sus kriegsch no en herzinfarkt. obwohl… 🤷‍♂️
Crazy? I was crazy once they stuck me in a room, a room with a little dry soap and soap makes me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once they stuck me in a room, a room with a little dry soap and soap makes me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once they stuck me in a room, a room with a little dry soap and soap makes me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once they stuck me in a room, a room with a little dry soap and soap makes me crazy.
Good lord. Bonkers.
In Very much swiss landlord fashion he is insane, patronazing and over reacting.
That’s not ok. I wish you could answer them to fck off
It is excessive and unhinged. Sadly, It is “normal” in how common that is in Switzerland. There are many older people that are absolutely uptight and unhinged. Often your typical +60 years men , that had a career, some financial success, a housewife and basically treat anyone below them like shit.
They’ll smile to everyone in the street but will go absolutely apeshit for anything outside of their box-shaped mind. There’s even the “bĂĽnzli” meme due to them.
You gotta kill em with niceness. It throws folks like this for a loop. Thank them sincerely for showing you how you erred. Apologize profusely for your shortcomings. Take control by playing their game better than they do.
Top it off. Ask them to demonstrate the correct way to clean it up, thereby having them perform the task for you.
Have fun with it.
Always look at the bright side of life.
Sounds like the witch I have lived with at the beginn of my Switzerland journey
Fuck dealing with a landlord like that. Block their WhatsApp and they can communicate with you by letter if they have anything important to say.
you shouldn’t tolerate this but i’m not surprised.
We all come across a crazy landlord at least once. Part of the journey lol
In Swiss law landlords cannot just enter rented out promises. They need to announce their visit in writing and with a reason (e.g. water damage, inspection of devices etc).
It’s completely illegal what they did here but I am not a lawyer.
extreme messes lmao
tell him to get lost if you have the chance
also, how does he gets inside and snaps pictures
Lol what the hell. Obviously bonkers. Even though I would not appreciate to find such things *regularly*, I would ask in a very polite and mindful way.
Not normal.
But it got me thinking, if you get stuff like that not for the first time, maybe you actually are an unclean/messy person and that’s a way for the others to relief pressure and tell them their annoyance.
that text is absolutely insane! also, how does the landlord even know about this? do they live with you (is it kind of a flatshare situation?)?
i have never heard of such kind of behaviour and don’t even know how i’d react to it right now tbh…
Take your belongings and run… out of the Country!
I once got fined for accidentally using the wrong garbage bag from the next town over. I asked how they found me and they said, “we went through the garbage and found an envelope with your name and address on it.”
You’re lucky the landlord didn’t fine you. If you hadn’t noticed, it’s a pretty tidy country!