When I left my last appartment in 2004, it cost me the princely sum of CHF 2,500 for the cleaning bill. Yes, Two-thousand five-hundred francs!

This was after my gf and I had spent 8 hours cleaning it. It looked sparkly and new when we had finished. My landlady then took it upon herself to clean it for a further 35 hours after we left - yes a whole week's work! I am not sure quite what she did, but the taps did seem to be gold plated by the time she finished. We got a nice bill with for her hourly rate. I particularly remember being charged 2/33 of the floor costs as each wood panel has a 33 year life span. We also got billed to replace the glass teethbrush holder which we broke the week before. Fair enough (though I have a feeling it was replaced with the Villeroy & Bosch version).

Anyway, with a typical British flourish, I grumbled to myself (not to the owner) and then handed over the cash.

Clearly I was ripped off then and I don't want to have a repetition when I next move out. At the time, I was unaware of the collective wisdom of EF.

So the questions I have are:

What is the best way to handle moving out? Is it best to get one of those companies that charge you a flat rate of CHF 1,000 to clean your appt and you dont get charged any more?

Is it best to involve the MV? I recall you can bring one of them in at the same time as the landlord is there and they will make sure you are being billed correctly. We never had an inventory check to start with in the new place as far as I can remember. We just took it on from an ex-colleague, after the bathroom was redecorated. I know, not covering myself in glory here...

Can I claim on any of the costs on any of the insurances? I read something to this effect on another thread, but think I misinterpreted it. I would be very (pleasantly) suprised if you could.

All in all, we live in fear of ever moving again after the last episode!

You can still join the MV but its a bit late...they can help you out when you leave but you have no proof to seperate previous damage( from the tennant before you) and damage that you did yourself

are you renting from a private person or from an agency?

IMHO agencys are the best when you leave as private owners go through the flat in micro detail

whatever you do dont sign anything if you are leaving and are unhappy and make sure someone from the agency is there as opposed to just the Hausart

I'm with an agency. I'm sure they will be better than the last owner - they cant be any worse.

The last bill was for a standard appt - 3.5 or 4.5 rooms (can't quite remember), about 90sq metres. The cleaning bill was effectively one month's rent.

Anyway, I am ready for the next bill - my expectations have been managed...

Contact your agency and ask them for a referral, chances are they might be able to get you a better rate with a company they continually use. In our case we were able to clean a large 4.5 for an 800 CHF flat rate - which seems pretty good in comparison to what I was quoted from other cleaning companies.

listen to this one

the last place I moved out of in Basel..I had professionally cleaned before I left

I meet the hausart the enxt day to hand it over

after inspecting the flat he brought me into the bathroom and made me pay for a new shower valve and handle as he said I had pulled on it too hard... "he needed to replace it for the new tennants next week" were the words he used

it was already broken before i move in but I did not list it when I signed the contract

anyway I paid him the the 80 francs after a long and heated discussion

a week later I'm cycling to work past my my old flat and there is my entire bathroom(shower included) on the side of the street in a tip

the wee (------) took the money off me knowing full well that he was about to gut the whole bathroom

and that was with an agency

needless to say I marched up the stairs and demanded my money back

the whole system is so ed up its beyond a joke

Don't ever cough up for anything without first consulting the MV and even having a representative present when discussing a dispute.

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Absolutely. It may be too late to change what is not on the original protocol or list but the MV rep being present can help in the dispute. Dont pay or sign anything without MV.

[quote=ilpostino;389995]You can still join the MV but its a bit late...they can help you out when you leave but you have no proof to seperate previous damage( from the tennant before you) and damage that you did yourself

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Take third party insurance for the damages if there is no proof that you did not damage yourself...no other way out

We moved into our apartment last April 1, 2008 and signed up for a home contents and private liability insurance policy starting the same date. We are moving out of the country and giving up the apartment March 31, 2009 so we will cancel the insurance policy then. We plan to hire a cleaning company with a handover guarantee.

This sounds like a silly question, but I don't want to assume anything. If we owe any damages on the apartment, they will probably not be charged to us until after April 1, 2009. Our insurance will be cancelled at that point, but since the damages were incurred during the time we were insured, the insurance should cover the damages, correct? Also, does anyone have experience with paying the damages and filing insurance after leaving the country? Any helpful hints?

Thanks much,

Worrywart

Weve just had a similar problem when leaving our service apartment. They sent a bill for 1100chf for cleaning the appartment after my wife and i spent two days cleaning it thouroughly. We refused to pay the bill and complained about the charge. After a few days they came back to us with an apology, that the apartement was cleaned satisfactory apart from one section in the Kitchen, which needed extra work. They reduced the bill to 300 chf. We were happy with that and paid up. Just shows it pays to complain, if yoru in the right and stick to your guns...

More worryingly, how many other places / companies are doing this? Could be a genuine mistake, but it could easily be someone trying it on. I'll bet there are plenty of people who would have paid up without contesting it, sadly.

Sad to say but even 1100chf sounds like a steal compared to what I shelled out. Ah well. Live & learn. Good for you to get the cost down, a salutary tale for us all. I will not be such a pushover next time!

Yes i agree with you . This was for a 4 1/2 room apartment btw.
We knew it had to be spotless and we made sure it was.. apart from the one section in the kitchen we couldnt clean to perfection. We werent even sure it was us that made the mess in the first place. If we hadnt have complained we would have been 800chf poorer.

HELLO mom an dad teach to clean your room!!!!!!! I have 5 1/2 room an I clean IT NOT a cleaner an talk with landlord an they come an look said ok or look good that my contract an hand shake. That if you all know what that is!!!! Hay a littel talk help sometimes.To be frendy. If not thin it your problem. thin give your money to a cleaner!

Are you advertising your services? What rates do you charge?

[quote=danny;390139] When you say take third party insurance, what do you mean exactly? Do you mean claim on the private insurance? Or do you mean take out some other insurance? I must confess iinsurance is not really my area of expertise, despite having plenty of it (we are in lovely Switzerland after all).

[quote=Breezy;391843] When I took out my household contents policy they asked us if we were renting. With Zürich I paid a slightly higher premium when renting, but I was covered for damages (excluding water damage). I did get back half of a years premium when I didn't make a claim during 3 years of renting.

[quote=MarieZug;391849] Household contents (Hausrat) and Liability Insurance (Privathaftpflicht) are two different things. The Hausrat insurance does not cover you for damage that you might do to a landlord's property, but it will cover damage from fire and water. A scratched floor for example would definitely come under the Privathaftpflicht.

Do you have the contact information for the company you used? We are looking for a company and that seems like a really good price. Thanks!

On the subject of cleaning, I have just found out that we may be moving. With that and everything else going on, I went to ask my Hauswart how much he thinks it would cost for me to have the apartment cleaned for handing back. We have a 5.5 place and he said Chf 2,500!! After reading thse blogs, I am a little suspicious now. We have been in this building for 7 years and someone else told me that I should also not be expected to repaint the inside because we have lived there for more than 5 years. Does anyone know whether this is correct? I can't see anything in the contract to tell me otherwise.

Also, forgive me for being stupid, but what is an MV?

Look forward to hearing from some wise owls.

February