Normally in Switzerland you can only move out in April or September, so despite giving our rental agency 7 months notice before moving out… we were responsible for finding new tenants.

The agency told us that they would list our flat on one of the popular listing sites, but when we reached the typical 3 month mark before moving, our flat was still not online so I decided to make a fancy PDF to distribute among friends and family workplaces.

I made sure to highlight our address and set up a gmail account for the replies from the ad. We wrote all the important flat details in both German and English and I included lots of pretty pictures taken in the flat or from the balcony. I included some from when we were moving and the place was empty and some with furniture to give people a better sense of space.

I also took the time to measure out the entire flat and draw a floor plan so that people would know the approximate size and layout of the flat.

Thankfully we did have a fair amount of interest regarding the flat. So much that I set up two visitation days for people to come view the place…. which meant I had to clean pronto!

Kay was gone during the week before the visitation so I cleaned up the dining room, living area, laundry room… tidied my desk and then attacked my open wardrobe.

My wardrobe does not have space to have the doors because of the exposed beams in the room, so it was extra important that it be tidy. I took a few tips from my friend Jeannine over at Small Chic Home and took 1/5 the clothes out of the wardrobe and rearranged everything to look neutral (dark) in the drawer area to the left.

…yes, I only ever keep pretty bags on my wardrobe shelves and I never stuff them full of clothes. Cough cough.

It’s pretty much the cleanest my wardrobe has ever looked!

With everything put in its place, the place looked great!

I took out the orchids from the bathroom where they live and placed them around the flat to add some greenery.

All our laundry was hidden away in the laundry room as well… usually it’s hanging out next to the balcony door up there.

And last but not least, I made Kay sweet rolls for breakfast on Monday and they just happened to come out of the oven right before the visitors arrived… (because I am evil like that.)

We did advertise the place as a 2 room (or 1 bedroom in US), but some people saw the floor plan I drew and really thought the laundry room could be a second bedroom, making the place a 3 room flat. Alas, the ceiling is all attic in that room and there is a big washer and dryer taking up a lot of room… not really a bedroom by any means!

But we did have people who loved the flat and wanted to apply right away. In the end, we were able to find a tenant to take the place over immediately after we move out so we can avoid paying double rent!

What kind of tactics do you use to get out of a lease on time?