Detection of Hidden Cohabitations

For private individuals, lawyers, municipalities, and cantonal authorities, our trained Swiss detectives investigate suspected hidden cohabitations. Our research and surveillance services are not limited to the canton of Zurich, where our company is based, but are conducted nationwide and even cross-border with locally experienced investigators: +41 44 5522 264.

A New Relationship Also Means Recalculating Alimony

After a divorce, ex-partners typically enter new relationships either immediately or after some time. If this relationship develops into a marriage-like cohabitation, it affects the payment or receipt of spousal support, and the ex-partner must be informed accordingly.

Swiss law distinguishes between “simple” and “qualified” cohabitation in such cases:

Simple Cohabitation

In a simple cohabitation, it is assumed that the divorced individual does not receive financial support from their new partner. However, monthly living costs (rent, utilities, phone, etc.) are shared, providing the divorced person with a financial benefit through cost savings. In this case, the alimony payment can be reduced by the value of these savings.

Qualified Cohabitation

A qualified (or established) cohabitation is a long-term, non-marital partnership oriented toward a shared future. In this case, the right to spousal support may be completely extinguished, and any support obligations are recalculated on request. In all cases, children from the previous marriage continue to be entitled to alimony.

Court-Admissible Documentation by Swiss Detectives

To present the ex-partner’s living circumstances convincingly in court, it is not enough to simply see them holding hands with a new partner. A thorough investigation of the cohabitation is required, including the household income, living arrangements (shared residence, leisure activities, car use, etc.), and the duration of the relationship. Comprehensive and neutral documentation is essential, which our experienced Zurich detectives regularly provide for their clients. We can also verify your ex-partner’s new living arrangement. Send us a job description by email at kontakt@kurtz-detektei-schweiz.ch or call us at +41 44 5522 264.

Duty of Truth Also Applies for Benefit Recipients | Zurich Private Detectives Investigate for Municipalities

Cohabitation investigations are commissioned not only by ex-partners or their lawyers but also by municipalities that provide additional living allowances to beneficiaries. Recipients are legally obliged to provide truthful information to the welfare authorities, just as they must to the alimony payer. In many cases, however, the beneficiary knowingly or unknowingly fails to declare the cohabitation. Municipal or cantonal authorities rarely perform thorough checks. To conceal their living situation, some individuals may avoid public appearances together, display only one name on doorbells or mailboxes, or park the new partner’s vehicle a few streets away to avoid suspicion.

Our Swiss private detectives also conduct cohabitation investigations on behalf of relevant authorities. Depending on the case, surveillance of the benefit recipient may be necessary to provide clear proof of the changed living situation. Please use our contact form or call us for enquiries.