Hi Sean,

Ahhhh Regies - do you have legal aide?

Sometimes your RC Menage insurance will have a clause that allows you apartment related legal advice - my Vaudoise Contract did - saved my skin. 

Suggest you check if that is an option on your RC Menage contract. I found picking up the phone for legal advice saves a trip to ASLOCA and is more comprehensive than ASLOCA. 

Another idea could be to let them come and do the pre-inspection, but then pay to have ASLOCA physically with you for the exit inspection. The fact that you lived there for ten years gives leeway for "reasonable wear". Unfortunately the "white glove" deal is not a myth or to be sneezed at, but ASLOCA with you at inspection should keep it reasonable, and you RC should pick up any "damage", cleaning not included. 

Let me know if you need any more help with this,

Elizabeth

That's very helpful Elizabeth, thank you very much! 

> but then pay to have ASLOCA physically with you for the exit inspection.

I like this idea, probably money well spent.

Some Régies ask to do this pre-inspection so to find any problems before the end of the lease and give the tenant the opportunity of fixing the problems theirself.

However, note that the tenant is in no obligation of doing such a thing. If you prefer not to do a pre-inspection just tell your Régie.

Hi Sean,

I was also very scared of the regie inspections but, at least in my experience, the pre-inspection was fairly calm.

No white gloves and no crazy demands. Basically, the guy just wanted to see if there were any 'big' issues like broken walls / fixtures, large holes / scratches in the floor etc.

He looked around for a while and then told us what things they will expect us to fix for the end-of-lease inspection. I actually found it very helpful.

At the end-of-lease inspection (a few weeks after the pre-inspection) they checked the items that were flagged during the pre-inspection + also checked cleanliness (again, no white gloves).

This was my experience, and it may be different for you, but as far as I know, the pre-inspection is just a way for you to get the regie's demands before the end-of-lease inspection.

I know there are a lot of rules for apartments / inspections (many relating to what you do and don't need to fix depending on how long you've been in the apartment) so I agree that you should speak with ASLOCA or some other professional agency before the end-of-lease inspection.
 

Good luck,
Oded

Hi Sean, 

I chose to do the pre inspection because I wanted a heads up if there were any issues. They didn't find anything in my case and I hadn't done any prep before.

It gave me some peace of mind actually.

Dede

Hi, 

As mentioned by others, the pre-inspection is a good moment for them to tell you "don't forget to fix these holes, don't worry about this, yes, better if you leave this shelve", etc etc. 

However, this does not mean they can change their mind when they go for the final inspection. In my last final inspection there were 5 people (!) who came: 2 from the régie, the apartment owner, her niece who wanted to move in the apartment, and an engineer to verify work they wanted done (remodelling). Needless to say it was intimidating. They did try to say, oh, "this is not perfectly clean"  (one side of the dishwasher) which led to me pulling out a rag and spray and fix it on the spot. For a couple of things they said: "this is cracked" but I had a folder with photos and emails I had sent to report every imperfection I had found along the years. TIP FOR EVERYONE: Always send emails with photos when there is an issue, so they cannot get you during the final inspection. 

It is never easy. The régie was Gerofinance Dunand, and it took them 6 months to release the deposit. Asloca said there was nothing we could do, but wait as they have 12 months to do so accroding to the law. 

The one thing they did get me for was the filter for the kitchen exctractor that I forgot the replace. Months later I got the bill: 50 CHF for the filter plus 260 for the "work". TIP FOR EVERYONE: Never forget to change the filters!

Needless to say, when I got the apartment 7 years earlier, the apartment was a dump. Everyhing was dirty and many things were broken. It took a stern letter from ASLOCA to have them come and clean and repair everyhting as it should be. Oh, and ASLOCA also helped us get 800 CHF rent reduction because they found it excessive. I guess that is why in the final inspection they were less than pleasant... TIP FOR EVERYONE: Go to Asloca during your first 30 days to verify if your rent is in accordance to the average in your zone. If not, you can request a rent reduction.

Good luck. 

Thank you Xaviero. I literally have been having bad dreams about this ... the regie and owner have been very difficult for the entire time I have been in the apartment. I hope Asloca will help me.

Thank you Dede, that would be great!

I should say though during the final inspection they noted a small puddle on the kitchen floor from my thawing fridge. I was surprised they included it in the exit report. There was nothing they could charge me for, so it was really odd. In the end my landlord cleared my apartment with no deductions from my deposit. My takeaway is thaw your fridge well in advance, and hire a company to do the cleaning, which I did. I agree it was needlessly stressful, but in the end it all worked out. 

I ended up using WhiteRoomLiga after finding her on Glocals. Absolutely incredible results, the apartment was so clean it hurt my eyes!

I would definately recommend her service to anyone moving out.

https://www.glocals.com/guides/biz/whiteroomliga/

I was going to suggest Liga. I used her for my move out cleaning; she's amazing. The regie representative actually asked who had done the cleaning as he was so impressed. She is worth every penny and then some. 

Glad your move out went smoothly! 

Hi Sean,

It is normal for Régies to do a pre-inspection. They will check if anything needs repair, or areas they will indicate to you that require attention. Usually it's the first step, before the final inspection (and the état des lieux).

While you have been there 10 years, and would be normal for standard wear and tear in certain areas, you will however require to hand back the property pristine clean (here the white gloves might come out!) and do any repairs (if any) that may not follow under the standard wear and tear - for you to get back your deposit. 

Now, I am unsure if the letter itself contains other information/requirements/directions. But from the sole perspective of ending a lease and moving out, this would be normal.

If I may make a recommendation regarding end-of-lease cleaning, WhiteRoomLiga (cleaning company in Geneva) are very experienced in this type of cleaning, and how to liaise with Régies on the état des lieux. They can help you navigate this space easier.

All the best!

Claudia 

Was 5 years ago, but to close the loop - I paid Asloca to come and do the inspection with me (it wasn't that much but I can't recall the exact amount) and was happy I did so as there was silly argy bargy on a couple of items. 

Geneva is a great city but there needs to be an independent inspection process like they have in Brussels, and 3 months rent as security deposit is ridiculous.