Invoice from the administration for the replacement tenants

Hello everyone

I have the following situation:

My girlfriend and I signed a lease for a new apartment in mid-March with the rental start date of June 15, 2009. Only one week later, we tried to withdraw from the contract for personal reasons, which was not accepted by the management. They told us that we would have to provide a replacement tenant who takes over the apartment under the same conditions. We now have a replacement tenant who is taking over the apartment as of the beginning of June 2009, and the contracts have been signed with the management. The management also informed us by email that we are thus released from liability.

Now the management has sent us an invoice for 200 Fr. The invoice only states "Invoice for efforts and expenses for re-letting ..."

Do we have to pay this invoice? I find it unjustified since we have searched for the new tenant ourselves! What can you advise me?

I’m afraid you will probably not be able to avoid the payment. Read your rental contract carefully again and check if there is a clause included that states that a processing fee is incurred when handing over the apartment to new tenants. If there is no such clause, you should perhaps consult a legal expert.