The Swiss, generally speaking, have a reputation of honouring financial obligations; but there are occasionally a few rotten apples and Seraphine Gutekunst is one of them. She decided not to pay rent for almost half a year. Her landlord is not a well-heeled property mogul with thousands of units but instead is a single mum who suffered stroke a few years back and has become hemiplegic. The rental income goes towards this old lady’s care home fees. Ms Seraphine Gutekunst is well aware of this situation. She exploited it and precipitated the old lady’s son to go through the rigmarole of applying to the Small Claims and then Lands Tribunal to recover the unpaid rent. With advice from property agent friends Ms Seraphine Gutekunst knew that any application would take a good few months so she stayed in the flat without paying rent until the bailiff application finally came through.
The below are the court orders:-
Small Claims : SCTC029026/18 (HK$ 32,820.50)
Seraphine Gutekunst Small Claims Court Order
Lands Tribunal : LDPD2023/18 (HK$ 62,764.00)
Court Order – Seraphine Gutekunst
Lands Tribunal Order – Seraphine Gutekunst
The information presented herein is factually correct and as of writing the total amount of HK$ 95,584.50 (~US$12,254) is owing. The reader should make their own decisions on Ms Seraphine Gutekunst’s ethical and moral position. The Swiss Benevolent Fund paid for Seraphine Gutekunst’s flight back and all other expenses to Switzerland but have declined to help settle any of the outstanding rental arrears racked up by Seraphine Gutekunst.