Cleaners
How to contact a cleaner
End-of-tenancy cleaning and ordinary maintenance are different jobs. Words, a message, and who usually pays.
The German cleaning lists separate maintenance (Unterhalt) from an end-of-tenancy clean (Umzugsreinigung / nettoyage de fin de bail). A price follows a visit. The English cards are the same businesses, with the same phones.
Words
- Unterhaltsreinigung / nettoyage d’entretien — regular cleaning
- Umzugsreinigung, Endreinigung / nettoyage de fin de bail — handover clean
- Abgabe, Abnahme / état des lieux — handover inspection
- Kaution / garantie de loyer — deposit
- Backofen, Herd / four, cuisinière — oven, stove
A handover clean is often what the lease requires so the deposit can be released. The deposit itself, for a home, may not exceed three months’ rent and sits in a bank account in the tenant’s name (Code of Obligations, article 257e). This page does not release a deposit. See the deposit and the handover.
Message you can send
Send the German text in Zürich, Basel and Bern. Send the French text in Genève and Lausanne. The English line is only so you know what you sent. It is not a claim that a reply will come back in English.
German
Guten Tag. Ich brauche eine Endreinigung vor der Wohnungsabgabe am [Datum] an der Adresse [Strasse, PLZ, Ort], [Zahl] Zimmer, [mit / ohne] Lift. Bitte um Besichtigung und eine Offerte mit MWST. Eine Antwort auf Deutsch genügt. [Name, Telefon]
French
Bonjour. J’ai besoin d’un nettoyage de fin de bail avant l’état des lieux du [date], à l’adresse [rue, NPA, lieu], [nombre] pièces, [avec / sans] ascenseur. Merci pour une visite et une offre TVA comprise. Une réponse en français me convient. [nom, téléphone]
You give the handover date, the size, and whether there is a lift, and you ask for a quote that shows VAT.
Who pays is in the lease. A landlord’s duty to repair the building is not the same as the tenant’s duty to return the flat clean. Check the company name in Zefix if you are paying before the clean.