When does the heating come on in a Swiss flat?
In the heating period, usually mid-September to mid-May, when the landlord or the Hauswart switches on the shared heating. As a rule of thumb it must go on after three days below 14 °C outside, or at once if rooms fall below 16 °C by day. By day, from 07:00 to 23:00, a rented flat should reach 20 to 21 °C.
Ep. 62 · Ding or Clonk? · 69 seconds. Watch
The real rule
Why the Swiss laugh, and what it means if you're new here.
Most Swiss flats share one central heating system, so tenants do not switch it on themselves; the landlord or the Hauswart decides, usually between mid-September and mid-May. As a rule of thumb the heating must go on when it has been below 14 °C outside for three days, or at once if your rooms fall below 16 °C. By day a rented flat should reach 20 to 21 °C, and much less is a defect the landlord has to fix. Measure, then tell the Verwaltung in writing.
Blüemli's verdict: Ding. 20 to 21 degrees. From 07:00 to 23:00 a rented flat should reach 20 to 21 °C. Too cold is a defect.
HEIZPERIODE: literally: “heating period”; really: usually mid-September to mid-May Ueli's Word
Be like Ueli. Measure first. Then write to the Verwaltung.
Learn more: How to get an apartment in Switzerland
The rule, explained
The home portal myky.ch, formerly hausinfo.ch, sets out tenants' rights in its piece on the heating period, updated 27 October 2025. By day, from 07:00 to 23:00, a rented flat should reach 20 to 21 °C; at night it may be lower, but never under 15 °C. The landlord must heat when it has been below 14 °C outside for three days in a row, or at once when rooms fall below 16 °C by day. The usual heating period runs from mid-September to mid-May. Too little heat breaches Art. 256 of the Code of Obligations, under which the landlord keeps the property fit for use, and tenants may ask for the repair and a rent reduction. So Sam's seventeen degrees are a defect, and the first step is a thermometer, then a letter to the Verwaltung.
Sources: myky.ch (formerly hausinfo.ch), Heizperiode: Diese Rechte haben Mieter, updated 27 October 2025; Code of Obligations, Art. 256 (SR 220)
Questions people ask
What temperature must a rented flat in Switzerland reach?
By day, 07:00 to 23:00, 20 to 21 °C; at night lower, but never under 15 °C (myky.ch).
When must a Swiss landlord turn on the heating?
When it has been below 14 °C outside for three days in a row, or at once when rooms fall below 16 °C by day (myky.ch).
What can I do if my rented flat is too cold?
Too little heat is a defect under Art. 256 of the Code of Obligations; tenants may ask for the repair and a rent reduction (myky.ch).
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