Rental deposit guarantees in Basel

Landlords may ask for a deposit of up to three months' rent, which tenants receive back on leaving (Hallo Baselstadt, checked 21 Oct 2026). Disagreements about it go to the Staatliche Schlichtungsstelle für Mietstreitigkeiten at Grenzacherstrasse 62 (Kanton Basel-Stadt, checked 21 Oct 2026). The procedure is quick, simple and in principle free of charge, and starts with a written application naming the parties, the claim and the subject of the dispute, with an original signature and copies of the lease and correspondence in duplicate (Kanton Basel-Stadt, checked 21 Oct 2026).

The hearing takes place in German, the parties as a rule appear in person, and an unexcused absence can bring a fine of up to CHF 1,000. Without agreement the commission can propose a decision, rule at the claimant's request or issue an authorisation to sue, after which 30 days remain to file with the civil court (Kanton Basel-Stadt, checked 21 Oct 2026). Advice is given in German by phone or at the counter, not by letter or email (Kanton Basel-Stadt, checked 21 Oct 2026).

Two other mechanisms sit beside the deposit. Rent withheld because of a defect is paid to the same office after a written deadline to the landlord, and a conciliation request must follow within 30 days of the first payment (Kanton Basel-Stadt, checked 21 Oct 2026). A tenant who objected to a collection claim that the creditor leaves unpursued can ask the Betreibungsamt to withhold the entry from extracts, for CHF 40, three months after the payment order at the earliest (Kanton Basel-Stadt, checked 21 Oct 2026).

Newcomers register with the Einwohneramt of Bevölkerungsdienste und Migration at Spiegelgasse 6; from 2 November 2026 its counters work from a temporary building on Schwarzwaldallee, opposite Badischer Bahnhof. The deadline is 14 days (2026) (Einwohneramt BS, checked 21 Oct 2026): the date of the online booking counts, not the date of the appointment. Registration costs CHF 25 per person (Einwohneramt BS, checked 21 Oct 2026). The general steps are in registering at your commune.