Green lease provisions are optional. While green lease provisions are not yet market standard in Switzerland, there has been a significant (and growing) uptick in respective interest from landlords (in particular, foreign ones) in recent years. They are an effective tool for landlords to encourage tenants to use the property in the most sustainable way possible, while allowing owners and developers to better manage the energy consumption of their buildings and reduce the cost of energy consumption. Without such green provisions in the lease, landlords have limited options to influence their tenants’ environmentally friendly usage of the rental premises. Green lease provisions need to be specifically included in the lease to be enforceable against the tenant. Adding them to existing leases generally requires the signing of a lease amendment. If applicable, it is therefore advisable for landlords to plan ahead and to integrate green leases into their leases when new leases are signed.

Green lease provisions range from environmentally friendly cleaning procedures, to waste reduction and recycling, to requiring the use of energy-efficient appliances and lighting.