Hi all,
Really pleased that we finally got a flat to live in!!! but perplexed having received along with the contract, a letter asking to pay 616chf for cleaning the flat
Now, from all my EF knowledge, I know that I have to clean the flat when I vacate- So wondering what this is about??

Has anyone got a similar rental contract??
I plan to call the agency tomorrow and check with them.. in the meanwhile want to know if this is common or not....

Many thanks in advance

When you when to view the flat, did you drop some crumbs on the floor or leave a coffee cup on the counter by any chance? ..no, really, that's strange. I would assume it's meant for the previous renter. I'm sure asking the agency about it will clear it up.

Thank you esto
The paucity of replies confirms that this is indeed strange, as u say.
We called the tenant who is vacating and he says that he did the same i.e. pay at the beginning of the contract.. wonder what's going on.
Will call the agency today and let's see what they say......


Can anyone (especially esto) please tell me how to thank a poster??- I can't see any buttons or icons for the same

Cheers

Very unusual indeed! Unless maybe the landlord wants to make sure that the money is already in place for cleaning when you leave. But I'd definately question that.

BTW - I think the Thanks button only appears after you've posted at least 10x

We did have to pay an amount when we rented the appartment. This is for the cleaning when we will leave the appartment.

I am not sure if they asked to everyone in the buildings since I saw someone cleaning from ceiling to floor the appartment before they left. Did they had to pay? Did they get their money back since they did the job? I have no idea.

Nil

Yes i moved into an apartment in Basle last week and had the same steep charge for cleaning. I just paid it, but it was a hidden charge i was not expecting. Perhaps i should of queried it. Not very impressed considering the apartment was completely renovated and decorated so there should not of been any charge.

It seems like a Basel thing.... do you also have to have the apartment cleaned when you move out or is the fee instead of that?

I think this is a Basel thing. We lived in Basel and had the same experience. Ours didn't turn out well. It was meant to be refunded if the apartment was left clean. Despite the fact that it was spotless and looked better than when we had moved in, it was not refunded and the landlord also threw in some made up charges to keep our security deposit with. I think there is a way to have your deposits kept in an account in which the money can only be released with your say so. Our mistake was just handing it over, and then being overseas and unable to fight back when our money was removed from the account under false pretenses.

I'm with a big agency in Basel and I had to pay the cleaning upfront. It was explained to me that this is their preferred way and that there will be no cleaning charge when I leave - assuming it is left in an acceptable condition. I would also add that what is acceptable w.r.t cleanliness seems to vary massively based on various threads.

Make sure you keep all invoices and bank statements showing you have paid this in case they 'forget' at the end of your tenancy!

It does indeed sound like a Basel thing as I have had the same experience and so has everyone I know (I had assumed it was a Switzerland wide thing but obviously not from some of the posts here). I was charged 330 CHF to clean a tiny studio flat which I thought was a bit steep given that I already paid for a fortnightly cleaner and I only lived there 2 months.

However, when I came to leave I didn't have to bother cleaning much and got all my deposit back so I guess in some cases it saves arguments.

I'd be interested in knowing if landlords are allowed to demand a non-refundable cleaning fee from new tenants. I've never heard of such a thing and think that the cleaning is the responsibility and liberty of a tenant.

U better dont pay it cos its none in ur contract i think that u need to pay the cleaning bills from the start. if i were u, i will deinied it. u just move in right? so not ur problem if the tenant get the ompony to clean the place before u move in.

Apparently this is quite normal in Basel and surrounding region. If it is stipulated in your tenancy agreement then yes you will have to pay it. If not then don't.

A good idea is to join these guys

Basel Mieterschutz - Tenants association (sorry only in german)

According to them, it is customary that in Basel you only have to sweep the appartment when you move out and the more thorough cleaning is done by an official company, hence the charge...

thanks everyone for your replies.
we called the agency- this is their usual routine and the tenant vacating now has nothing to pay......so hopefuly that is how it will work out for us when we leave!!
in a way, it would be nice not to bother about cleaning when going through the whole relocation hassle again.
cheers

Even so, join the Mieterverband (sp?) and have them come round during the final inspection. Also, if there are any unexpected charges at the end of tenancy, you can put them through your insurance company.

Our landlord tried to stiff us for CHF2'000 for a new bathroom suite, as, alledgely, one of the basins had a hairline crack. Our insurance company told him to take a hike.

How does that work exactly? In my previous apartment, we had a problem with mositure in the apartment (new apartment, moisture stuck in the walls from during construction). The landlord insisted we pay repairs (1,000 CHF) from moldy walls. I contacted my insurance company to see if they would pay, but my insurance company agreed with me that it was mositure in the walls from construction and wouldn't pay it. The landlord insisted someone pay it so I would up paying it in the end.

...how did your insurance company tell the landlord to take a hike?...and what's the phone number for your insurance company? ...it seems mine (Allianz) didn't step up to bat when I needed them

My insurer was Winterthur. I wrapped up the bills from the landlord and sent it to them. They said - we're not paying for this, this and this. Landlord sent revised bill.

I guess that he realised if the loss-adjuster turned it down (and they did accept some of other parts of the claim as accidental damage), then if it went before a judge, he'd lose. So he decided to settle. He knew I'm not a pushover, so he knew I would have taken it to the judge. Also, he was anxious for his money, and the insurance company didn't process the claim quickly. I didn't care about the deposit money, so I had no interest in speeding things up.

I could have taken issue with a few other bits and pieces. ( We had a flood just after we moved in, and he didn't clean the carpets then, so there was no requirement for us to clean them when we moved out. ), but we already counted the deposit as lost. (from day one). In the end, we got CHF500 back, which was nice.

Now, I'm a home owner. Man, it's good!

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