Move-out inspection in Geneva: the room-by-room checklist
In Geneva, the move-out inspection (état des lieux de sortie) is prepared two weeks ahead: an empty home, cellar included, deep-cleaned (kitchen, appliances, bathrooms, windows), holes filled and the original lighting in place. You are not liable for normal wear and tear, and the property manager must report defects to you straight away. Here is the room-by-room checklist, with the points property managers reject most often.
Two weeks before
- Set the date and time of the inspection with the property manager (régie), and ask for their checklist if they have one.
- Go back to the move-in inspection: defects already listed there are not yours.
- Book the cleaning if you are not doing it yourself; the end of the month is busy. We offer end-of-tenancy cleaning with a handover guarantee.
- Empty the cellar and attic: anything left is not accepted. For what you are not taking, there is house clearance.
Room by room
Kitchen
- Oven, hob, extractor hood and filters degreased: the filters are among the first things checked.
- Fridge and freezer defrosted, cleaned and left open.
- Cupboards cleaned inside and out, sink and taps descaled.
Bathroom
- Limescale removed from the shower, bath, screens, taps and joints.
- Washbasin, toilet, mirrors and bathroom cabinets.
Windows and blinds
- Glass on both sides, frames and tracks, blinds and shutters.
Walls, doors and floors
- Plug holes filled neatly.
- Door frames and skirting boards cleaned: they are almost always checked.
- Floors washed, including under the furniture that has gone.
Lighting
- The original lighting must be in place: bulbs and sockets fitted by the property manager, wherever there were some when you moved in.
Cellar, attic and keys
- Cellar and attic empty and swept.
- All keys returned, including the letterbox and cellar keys.
Your rights, in short
- Normal wear and tear is not on you. Whatever comes from time and normal use of the home is the owner’s responsibility; it is up to them to prove damage beyond that.
- Defects must be reported to you straight away, usually within 2 to 3 working days of handing back the keys. Otherwise, you are no longer liable for them.
- Your rent deposit (at most 3 months’ rent) is returned with the property manager’s agreement, or automatically one year after the end of the lease if no claim has been brought against you.
- If you disagree, do not sign anything you dispute without noting it, and seek advice from ASLOCA, the tenants’ association.
On inspection day
- Be there, or send someone: you can discuss every remark on the spot.
- Compare with the move-in inspection and have your reservations noted in writing.
- Photograph every room before handing back the keys.
- With our handover guarantee, if the property manager raises a point on the cleaning, we come back and fix it free of charge, usually the same day.
The mistakes we see most often
- Forgetting the hood filters and the fridge.
- Leaving limescale on taps and shower screens.
- Neglecting door frames, skirting boards and window tracks.
- Removing the original bulbs and sockets.
- Not filling the holes left by frames and shelves.
- Leaving things in the cellar.
