The Handover Guarantee (Abnahmegarantie): How It Protects You at Move-Out

What the Abnahmegarantie actually promises

At its core, an Abnahmegarantie is a simple promise from the cleaning company: if the Verwaltung raises an objection about the cleaning at the handover inspection (Abnahme), the company comes back and re-cleans the flagged areas for free – as many times as it takes until the apartment is accepted.

It is not an insurance policy against everything that can go wrong at move-out; it's a guarantee limited to one clearly defined thing: the cleanliness of the rooms that were actually part of your booking. Established Swiss providers describe it the same way – as a promise that the cleaned apartment meets the property manager's requirements, backed by free follow-up cleaning if it doesn't pass on the first attempt.

Step by step: what happens if the Verwaltung objects at handover

The process is similar across most providers, and it's exactly what you should ask about before booking anyone.

• The objection gets written into the handover protocol as specifically as possible – «streaky windows in the living room», not just «not clean enough».
• You or the Verwaltung notify the cleaning company – with a reputable provider, usually the same day.
• The company sends a team back to re-clean the flagged areas, free of charge, typically within a few days.
• If it's still not accepted, the process repeats until the Verwaltung signs off.

Being present at the Abnahme yourself isn't a legal requirement, but it's strongly advisable: only someone who's actually there can push back on vague objections in real time, take photos, and immediately clarify what was and wasn't part of the cleaning contract. If you genuinely can't attend, stay reachable by phone and ask the Verwaltung to note any complaint precisely and in writing on the protocol.

What the Abnahmegarantie does NOT cover

Which brings us to the part most providers would rather skip.

• Damage – a burn mark in the carpet, a crack in a wall, or a broken window pane is a damage question (covered by your deposit or liability insurance), not a cleaning question.
• Normal wear and tear – small nail holes, faded paint, or slightly yellowed blinds count as the ordinary result of living in a home, not a cleaning defect you can be charged for.
• Rooms or areas that were never part of the job – a cellar, a garden terrace, or a fireplace that wasn't booked separately simply isn't covered by a cleaning guarantee.
• Common market exclusions – some companies leave walls, radiators, carpets, or adhesive residue out of their acceptance guarantee entirely and only offer them as a paid extra.

None of that is dishonest by itself – but it needs to be spelled out in writing before you book, not discovered on handover day.

Checklist: questions to ask before hiring any cleaning company

That's exactly why it's worth running through a short checklist before hiring any cleaning company – ours or anyone else's:

• Exactly which rooms, windows, kitchen and bathroom are included in the guarantee?
• What is explicitly excluded, and is that written into the quote?
• How fast does the free re-clean happen after a complaint – is that promised in writing or just spoken?
• Do I need to be present at the Abnahme for the guarantee to apply?
• How many times will the company re-clean if the second attempt still isn't accepted?
• Who ultimately decides «clean enough» – the company itself, or the Verwaltung?

How it works at Wie Neu - Reinigungsfirma

At Wie Neu - Reinigungsfirma, we bill by the hour as a rule: Standard from CHF 43.90 per hour, Premium – which covers move-out cleaning – from CHF 49.90 per hour, both excl. VAT and per person. Before we start, you always get a written estimate of how many hours the job realistically needs, so you're never planning around an open-ended bill.

If you'd rather have price certainty than an hourly bill for your move-out clean, you can also request a fixed-price quote (Fixpreis-Offerte) with an Abnahmegarantie: you know the final price upfront, and we come back for free if the Verwaltung objects at handover. Either way, the same principle applies: we show you the terms before the handover, not after.