The rights and duties of the usufructuary " I am the usufructuary of the house I live in. What costs do I have to pay (repairs, maintenance, etc.)? To what extent am I obliged to pay them? Louise, Geneva Under article 745 of the Civil Code, usufruct confers on its beneficiary a right of enjoyment...
From 1 July, watch out bikes! "I was astounded to learn that e-bike riders will now have to wear motorbike helmets and that their bikes will have to be registered. Is this true? Cyril, Geneva In view of the growing number of e-bike users in recent years, the Federal Council has adopted a regulation...
Are hives on my roof legal? Bees are essential to the ecosystem, and have rightly received a great deal of attention in recent years. But while it's great that beekeeping is raising awareness among a wide audience, the practice is far from trivial and requires a number of steps to be taken.Honey producers, bees are considered to be "livestock"...
Keeping dogs The Swiss Code of Obligations (CO) contains various types of liability, including so-called "simple objective" liabilities arising from a lack of diligence on the part of the person concerned. They relate to specific dangers inherent in certain installations, activities or situations. In particular, liability of this kind may be incurred by the...
Becoming a "public interest organisation" " Could you tell me what an association has to do to be declared a public interest organisation? Jean, Geneva To be recognised as being in the public interest, the association must first be registered with the tax authorities. Once this has been done, it can apply to be declared tax-exempt, as it is...
Becoming Swiss and living in France "I'm a French citizen who grew up in Geneva, but now I'd like to move to France and obtain Swiss nationality at the same time. Is this possible?" Anita (Lancy) Swiss law provides for two separate naturalisation procedures. The first is the facilitated naturalisation procedure, which is available to all...
Will I have to work on 1 August? "I work as a secretary for a company in Geneva that mainly operates in the French market. My employer has told me that I will have to work on 1 August 2013 because it is not a public holiday in France. Is this legal? Jeanne, Perly If your employer...
Defamation and discharging evidence "I am following up on your publication of 28 August concerning the offence of defamation. I would like to know whether, in the event that I communicate to people that a person has committed criminal offences and that this is true, I can also be sued for defamation." Sylvain Article 173 of the Criminal Code...
Discriminating against a man is illegal " When I was looking for a job, I was surprised to be told by the boss of a company that she only intended to take on a woman for a position that suited my skills perfectly. I know it's illegal to discriminate against women, but is it legal to discriminate against men?
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