End the Black Box:
How to Expose Abusive Rental Prices in Your Neighborhood

Do you also get that sinking feeling in your stomach when you sign the lease for your new apartment? Or when the registered letter with the rent increase flutters into the house? The question that concerns us all is simple, but difficult to answer:

Am I actually paying too much?

Statistics say: Probably yes. In 2023 alone, tenants in Switzerland paid 10.6 billion francs too much because rents rose decoupled from actual costs.

There is an imbalance in the Swiss rental system. And in Zurich, 3.5 rooms often cost more than 4,000 francs. A current study shows: We tenants pay billions more annually than the law actually allows. The problem? Landlords keep the data under lock and key.

We can change that. We want to shed light on the 'black box' of rental prices, and your help plays a crucial role in this.

Knowledge is power – especially before the arbitration authority

To understand why we need your support, we have to take a short trip into the 'engine room' of Swiss tenancy law. Many do not know that the rent cannot be set arbitrarily. There are clear rules, but the calculation methods are complex.

Roughly speaking, we distinguish three scenarios of how your rent should be composed:

The problem: The burden of proof lies with you

Regardless of whether you challenge your initial rent after signing the contract or challenge an increase within the strict 30-day period: You must be able to argue before the arbitration authority.

Theoretically, the landlord would have to disclose their return. But practice shows: This almost never happens. Without this data, you stand empty-handed before the arbitration authority. This is exactly where we close the gap: If the landlords remain silent, we let the community's data speak.

Even if the return calculation is in the foreground, comparable apartments are a powerful means of argumentation. They help the arbitration authority to assess what an 'appropriate' price is. If you have to prove that your rent is abusive, data on comparable apartments is a strong weapon.

Your shield and compass

We have developed a tool that fills exactly this data vacuum. But it only works with your help. It offers you two massive advantages:

1. The reality check for your rent

By entering your rental data, we calculate anonymous average prices in your immediate vicinity.

Is your rent in the most expensive 10% of comparable apartments? Then all alarm bells should be ringing for you. This is a strong indication of abusive rent.

2. Solidarity that pays off

If a tenant challenges the price, they need concrete comparison objects (reference apartments).

• Your apartment could be exactly this missing puzzle piece for someone in your neighborhood.
• We never give data to landlords.
• You decide whether and what info you want to share.

We do not allow exaggerated return expectations of large investors to dictate the standard. Your entry helps to document a realistic local and neighborhood custom, even if landlords do not want to disclose their accounting.

A Give and Take

Maybe you don't need comparison apartments today. But maybe your neighbor moves out tomorrow and the new tenant is facing a 15% higher rent. Or you move in two years and are glad if your previous tenants have already ensured transparency.

By sharing our data, we break the information sovereignty of the real estate giants. We create equality of arms before the arbitration authority.

Your data is safe

We know that the topic of rent is sensitive. That's why the following applies to us:

• Full anonymity for public statistics.
• Data transfer only on request and with your explicit 'Yes'.
• Safety Zone: No info to the landlord.

Knowledge protects against costs

Many tenants cave in because the litigation risk is too high. With our tool, you don't go into a procedure blindly. You know beforehand whether your rent is in the top tenth and whether you have solid comparison objects behind you.

Let's ensure fair rents in Switzerland together. It only takes a few minutes to deposit your details, but the effect can be life-changing for someone in your street.