Rental Application in Switzerland Without a Debt Register Extract, how to convince landlords anyway

When a Swiss landlord picks a tenant, they really only want one question answered: will this person pay the rent reliably? For many property managers, the debt register extract is the fastest answer, it lists all open debt proceedings and loss certificates from the last five years at your current address.

What landlords actually check on the extract:

• Open debt proceedings, outstanding claims that have not been paid
• Loss certificates, claims written off as unrecoverable
• Number of entries, several small, paid entries are seen as less critical than one single loss certificate
• Date of entries, recent entries weigh heavier than three-year-old ones

Important to know: there is no legal obligation to submit an extract with your application. Landlords may, however, make it a condition for signing the contract. This is exactly where you have room to manoeuvre, if you can explain why you don't have one yet and provide other proofs that answer the same core question (yes, I pay reliably), you are often just as convincing.

The Federal Data Protection Commissioner makes it clear: landlords may only request data that is genuinely necessary for the rental decision. For a CHF 650 shared room the burden of proof is lower than for a CHF 2,800 family apartment, that's negotiating space you can use.

Bottom line: the extract is a risk-assessment tool, not an end in itself. If you cover the same risk with alternative proofs, you stay in the race. For the full ordering process, costs and timing see our piece on the Swiss debt register extract, ordering and costs.

Not every situation is a disaster. There are clear scenarios where applying without an extract is completely normal, and landlords know that.

Typical cases where the extract is missing:

• You just moved to Switzerland. A Swiss debt register extract only exists for your current Swiss residence. Before you register with your municipality, there is simply nothing to fetch.
• You just turned 18 and have never signed your own contracts. The extract would be empty, but you still need to be able to order it, that takes 3-5 days.
• You just moved. The extract only covers your current address. If you've only been registered in your new municipality for two weeks, the office may not yet have meaningful data.
• The extract is ordered but hasn't arrived yet. The viewing is today, the extract arrives by mail next week.
• You don't want to share the full extract for data protection reasons before you're on the shortlist. Legally fine: the data protection commissioner states that the extract doesn't need to be presented before the rental commitment, but may also be requested only at contract signing.

What doesn't work:

• Hiding the fact that no extract is included, landlords notice immediately and sort you out
• Vague promises without a date ("coming soon"), sounds unreliable
• Sending someone else's extract (e.g. a parent's), this is application fraud and is detected instantly

What works:

• Address it openly, with a concrete order date and a concrete submission date
• Provide strong alternative proofs right away (next section)
• Add a short context-fitting explanation in your cover letter

For the right attachment choices see our 2026 application dossier guide with template and checklist.

This is the core: you must give the landlord other proofs that answer the same question as the extract. Four alternatives are well-established in Switzerland and accepted by almost every property manager.

1. Last 3 payslips plus employment contract

The single strongest piece of evidence. Three recent payslips show landlords at a glance: ongoing income, regular pay-ins, no gaps. Combined with an open-ended employment contract, this addresses the landlord's central worry almost completely. Rule of thumb: gross income at least three times the gross rent, that's the internal threshold at most property managers.

2. Rent confirmation from your previous landlord

A short written confirmation from your last landlord stating that you lived there for X months and paid on time is gold. It costs nothing, takes 24 hours to arrange, and replaces the extract entirely for many property managers. What it must contain: letterhead, date, rental period, monthly rent, statement on payment reliability, signature.

3. Latest tax assessment

The most recent definitive tax assessment shows income and assets, an official Swiss source and highly credible. For very young professionals it may not yet be meaningful (the first tax year after training), but for anyone over 25 it's a very strong proof.

4. Bank reference or bank statements from the last 3 months

If you've been running standing orders for rent and health insurance reliably for years, every landlord can see it in a bank statement. Important: you may redact amounts for sensitive expenses, only the relevant payments need to be visible.

For special situations:

• Students: enrolment confirmation + parental guarantee (with parents' payslips). This combination is standard in university cities like St. Gallen.
• Self-employed: last two tax assessments + business financial statement + business account bank reference.
• New to Switzerland: foreign equivalent (SCHUFA report from Germany, French "Extrait Banque de France", letter of reference from your home country) + employer confirmation with employment duration and annual salary.
• Probation period in a new job: employment contract + employer confirmation including statement on contract duration + possibly a parental guarantee.

Pro tip: always provide at least two of these alternatives in combination. One alone reads as a substitute, two together read as a dossier built deliberately strong.

The cover letter is the decisive piece. The landlord decides within 30 seconds whether to keep reading your application or sort it out.

Golden rule: address the missing extract actively, don't hope nobody notices. Landlords always notice, and if you don't explain it, they assume the worst case.

How to build the paragraph (3 sentences):

1. State the fact: "I ordered the debt register extract on [concrete date] from the debt collection office in [municipality]."
2. Concrete submission date: "As soon as it arrives, at the latest by [date + 7 days], I will submit it immediately."
3. Bridge to alternatives: "As immediate proofs, I'm attaching my last three payslips, my employment contract and a rent confirmation from my previous landlord."

Full template to copy:

"Dear Sir or Madam,

I am applying with great interest for the 2.5-room apartment at [address]. The location and floor plan fit my current situation as [profession / student] in [city] perfectly.

I have been working since [date] on an open-ended contract at [employer] with a gross annual salary of CHF [amount]. I ordered the debt register extract on [date] from the debt collection office in [municipality] and will submit it by [date + 7 days] at the latest. As immediate proofs, you will find my last three payslips, my employment contract and a rent confirmation from my current landlord.

I am available for a viewing at short notice and look forward to your invitation.

Kind regards,

[First name Last name]"

What to avoid:

• Vague phrases like "will follow" without a date → reads as non-committal
• Apologetic tone ("unfortunately", "regrettably") → makes you look smaller
• Explanations that sound like problems ("due to short-notice move" is OK, "because I forgot" is not)
• More than three sentences on the topic, short, factual information is stronger than long justification

If you want an editable Word cover letter with all the building blocks, grab our free rental application Word package, it already includes the "without extract" variant.

Your dossier must be sent as one single PDF, that's the standard in Switzerland. Property managers like to forward applications, and individual files get lost or aren't opened at all.

Order inside the PDF (what every property manager expects):

1. Cover letter, 1 page, with the concrete note about the extract to be submitted
2. Filled-out registration form / self-disclosure of the property manager (if provided)
3. ID copy, passport or residence permit, both sides
4. Employment contract, first two pages are usually enough (contract type, workload, duration, salary)
5. Last 3 payslips, most recent first
6. Rent confirmation from previous landlord, if available
7. Latest tax assessment, if available
8. Order confirmation from the debt collection office, as proof that the extract is actually ordered

File-name convention:

Use a clear, sortable file name: Bewerbung_[FirstName]_[LastName]_[Street-Number].pdf. Example: Bewerbung_Anna_Meier_Buchserstrasse9.pdf. Landlords get 30-100 applications per apartment, a clean file name signals: this person is organised.

What the order confirmation from the debt collection office is:

When you order the extract online from the office, you get an automatic email confirmation with order number and expected delivery date. Send that email as a screenshot or PDF along with your dossier, it's the written proof that you've actually ordered the extract, not just claimed to.

PDF format rules:

• Maximum file size: 5 MB (many municipal web forms block larger files)
• A4 format, portrait
• All pages correctly oriented (no half-rotated scans)
• Black-and-white or colour, landlord doesn't care, but stay consistent
• No handwritten notes or yellow highlighter marks

Tool tip: with our Mietdossier Express tool you build the full dossier as a print-ready Word document in 10 minutes, including the right order, templates and the "without extract" variant.

While your application is out, the extract-ordering process runs in parallel. This is not optional, without an extract, no contract gets signed in most cases.

How to order the extract quickly:

1. Online at the debt collection office of your municipality, every Swiss municipality has its own page. Search "Betreibungsamt [your municipality] online bestellen".
2. Pay directly by credit card or TWINT, speeds processing up by 1-2 days compared to invoice
3. Choose A-Post delivery, B-Post saves you 1 CHF but takes 1 day longer
4. Delivery, 3 to 5 working days by mail. In Aarau, Wohlen and many other municipalities you can also pick it up at the counter.

Cost: around CHF 17 at the official office. Third-party websites often charge CHF 30-50 for the same document, legal, but unnecessary.

When to submit the extract:

• As soon as you're invited to a viewing: that's the signal to bring the extract along to the viewing at the latest.
• With a rental commitment "subject to extract": landlords often grant a conditional yes, subject to a clean extract. You usually have 5-10 days here.
• At contract signing at the very latest: no contract gets signed without an extract. If it's not there by then, the flat goes to the next applicant.

Email template for submitting later:

"Dear Sir or Madam,

As announced, please find attached my debt register extract from the municipality of [residence] dated [issue date], completing my application for the apartment at [address].

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Kind regards,

[Name]"

What if the extract shows an entry?

Since 2019 you can have settled debt proceedings deleted after three months (Art. 8a para. 3 lit. d SchKG). You need a written confirmation from the creditor that the claim has been fully paid, and submit an informal request to the debt collection office for non-disclosure. Until that's processed: address it actively in your cover letter, attach proof of payment, briefly explain what it was.

Switzerland is small, but regional habits differ. Here are practical notes from the three BoVita locations Aarau, Wohlen and St. Gallen.

Aarau (Canton of Aargau)

In Aarau the debt collection office is integrated into the city administration. Online ordering works smoothly, the extract is typically issued the next working day, mailed within 1-2 days. Aarau-area landlords accept payslips plus employment contract as immediate substitutes in almost all cases, as long as the extract is concretely scheduled to follow. With private landlords (single-family houses, small properties) a short rent confirmation from your previous landlord often matters more than the extract itself. Ordering details: Betreibungsamt Aarau, online ordering.

Wohlen (Canton of Aargau, Freiamt region)

In the Freiamt, structures are smaller and more personal. The debt collection office serves several municipalities, online ordering runs via the municipal website, delivery within 3-5 working days. With housing cooperatives and smaller property managers in the Freiamt, the personal impression at the viewing often matters more than any single document. Anyone who openly communicates that the extract is on the way generally does very well here.

St. Gallen (university city)

In St. Gallen the situation is different: many applications come from HSG students and international young professionals who simply can't yet have a Swiss extract. Landlords and property managers are used to that. The standard combination here is: HSG enrolment confirmation + parental guarantee + order confirmation from the debt collection office, this gets you almost any shared room. At the BoVita location Stahlstrasse 3 this is the most common application path.

What's the same in all three cities:

• Third-party websites for ordering the extract are overpriced everywhere, always order directly from the office
• Extract must be max. 3 months old, otherwise it usually won't be accepted
• At BoVita, a clean cover letter with the order confirmation is enough, we'll wait for the extract if the rest of your dossier is solid

Apply now: browse current shared rooms in Aarau, Wohlen and St. Gallen at available rooms. If you want hands-on dossier support: rental application service with pro check.