If you haven’t asked your landlord to lower your rent, it may pay to be proactive.

In December the reference interest rate fell by a quarter of a percent, meaning many people renting are in for a reduction.

But public television show Kassensturz last night reported many of the biggest property management firms will only honor the reduction if tenants ask in writing. 

This was the case for apartments belonging to Allianz, Helvetia insurance, and the Migros pension fund.

Livit AG said it was up to individual building owners whether a reduction would be automatic.

The firms said only about 10 percent of tenants ask for a reduction, and some of those are rejected if costs increase.

A representative from the Zurich tenants association told the program that even if a company says no, it might pay to fight that through arbitration.

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