Between the outgoing tenants moving out and the new tenants moving in, there are often only a few days, sometimes a few weeks. In that time, the flat has to be inspected, the defects recorded, and the work planned and carried out. This article describes the process from the property manager's point of view: from the move-out inspection and the question of what the outgoing tenants have to pay for, through to the order of the trades and the handover.
Before move-out: the pre-inspection
The most effective lever against vacancy comes before move-out. Many property managers carry out a pre-inspection with the tenants a few weeks before the return date. This is the moment to discuss what the tenants will put right themselves — filling plug holes, removing fixtures they installed, thorough cleaning — and what will have to be done after move-out anyway. If the tenants agree, the contractor can also take measurements on the same occasion. The advantage is simple: the quote is already in hand at move-out, the materials are on order, and work can start the day after the move-out inspection instead of a week later.
The move-out inspection
When the flat is returned, the landlord checks its condition together with the tenants. The result is recorded in an inspection report (Abnahmeprotokoll), ideally signed by both sides. The report should go through each room individually — walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, built-in fittings, kitchen with appliances, bathroom with fixtures, ancillary rooms — and describe defects precisely: not ‘floor damaged’ but ‘living room parquet, three deep scratches in front of the window, approx. 1 m²’. Photos supplement the report and help later if the condition is disputed.
The timing of the notice of defects is important. Under Art. 267a OR (Swiss Code of Obligations), the landlord must check the condition of the flat when it is returned and notify the tenant immediately of any defects for which the tenant is liable. Defects that would have been detectable in a normal inspection and were not notified in time can generally no longer be claimed. That is why the list of defects does not belong in a folder for later; it should go to the tenants in writing straight after the inspection.
What the tenants pay for
The tenants must return the flat in the condition that results from use in accordance with the contract. Normal wear and tear — paintwork that no longer looks fresh after some years, traffic marks on the parquet, yellowed grout — is borne by the landlord; it is covered by the rent. The tenants are liable for damage that goes beyond normal wear and tear: burn marks, deep scratches, water damage caused by improper use, heavy soiling, unauthorised alterations.
Even then, the tenants generally do not bear the full cost of a new component, only its residual value. This is where the joint lifespan table (paritätische Lebensdauertabelle) comes in. It is published jointly by the Swiss homeowners' association (Hauseigentümerverband Schweiz, HEV) and the tenants' association (Mieterinnen- und Mieterverband), and sets out the average lifespan under normal use of items such as paintwork, floor coverings, kitchen appliances or sanitary fixtures. If a component is damaged on return but not yet fully depreciated, the tenants typically bear its current value. If it has reached or exceeded its lifespan, the landlord bears the cost of replacement. For the values that apply in a specific case, refer to the current edition of the table from the HEV or the tenants' association; we deliberately do not give any figures here, because they vary by component and by edition.
For billing, it helps if the contractor's quote is structured so that the work on a damaged component appears as a separate item. On request, we structure quotes and invoices in exactly this way: item by item, room by room, with materials shown separately from labour. The property management decides what share is charged to the tenants.
The trades in the right order
A vacant flat usually requires several trades. The order is not arbitrary: each trade should work on a finished surface without damaging the work that follows. A typical sequence for a comprehensive refurbishment:
- Strip-out: old floor coverings, tiles or kitchen removed, rubble taken away as work progresses.
- Installations: plumbing pipes and connections adapted, with a pressure and leak test for new pipes. Electrical work by a licensed electrical firm.
- Drywall and plastering: closing up walls, treating cracks, skim coating surfaces.
- Tiling: bathroom and kitchen splashback, with bonded waterproofing in wet areas.
- Painting: walls and ceilings, two coats on a prepared surface.
- Floors: parquet or floor covering, once the dust from the painting has gone.
- Fitting: kitchen, sanitary fixtures, taps, skirting boards, minor touch-ups.
- Cleaning and acceptance: flat left broom-clean, joint acceptance with an acceptance report.
Not every flat needs every step. Often, painting, a few floor areas and some minor repairs are enough. What matters is that the steps that are needed follow on from one another without waiting time. When the trades are contracted separately, these transitions are exactly where the delays arise: the floor layer can only come once the painter has finished, and the painter only once the plaster has dried. With us, all trades — renovation, plumbing, tiles and floors, remodelling and drywall, strip-out and dismantling, painting — come from a single company, planned by one site management team. Where the sequence allows, work runs in parallel in different rooms.
How long it takes
The duration depends on the scope. A vacant flat with normal surfaces is usually painted in three to five working days. If floors and minor repairs are added, it takes correspondingly longer; a complete bathroom renovation alone takes three to four weeks. We give you the binding date after the survey, and it is written into the contract. If a delay starts to emerge — for example because materials do not arrive in time or damage comes to light during strip-out — we tell you immediately, not in the final week. For your planning, this means: only commit firmly to a handover date with the new tenants once the scope is known, or build in enough slack if a larger job such as a bathroom is involved.
What it costs
For a vacant flat renovation of 3.5 to 4.5 rooms, our guide prices are CHF 8'000 to 20'000 per flat, covering all work from strip-out to handover. We calculate painting at CHF 950 to 1'700 per room, and parquet and floor coverings at CHF 35 to 65 per m². All figures cover labour only; materials are charged separately. In the city of Zurich and the agglomeration, travel is included; outside this area, it appears as a fixed item in the quote. For details of the painting work, see the article Painting a vacant flat: prices per room and per square metre.
Checklist for property managers
- Pre-inspection with the tenants a few weeks before move-out, if possible with the contractor taking measurements
- Inspection report room by room, with photos, signed by both sides
- Notice of defects sent to the tenants immediately and in writing
- Residual value of damaged components determined using the joint lifespan table
- Quote with items that can be shown separately for the tenant's final statement
- Handover date only confirmed to the new tenants once the survey has been done
- Keys handed over to the contractor and back, with a written record
If you would like to report a flat to us, you will find the process and the form on the Renovating a vacant flat in Zurich page. Property managers with several properties should also take a look at For property managers.
This article is not a substitute for legal advice. What counts is the tenancy agreement, the Swiss Code of Obligations and, in the event of a dispute, the conciliation authority (Schlichtungsbehörde). The joint lifespan table is a joint recommendation by the associations, not a law.