Types of clearance
Apartment Clearance
Also known as: Flat clearance · Apartment clear-out · Wohnungsräumung · Apartment emptying
An apartment clearance is the complete removal of all contents from a flat, including the cellar compartment, the attic compartment (Estrich) and the balcony, followed by correct disposal of everything taken out. In Switzerland it typically costs between CHF 800 and CHF 5,000, depending on the size of the apartment and how full it is.
What an apartment clearance actually covers
An apartment clearance is far more than the furniture in the living room. The job covers every room of the flat, all the secondary spaces permanently assigned to it — the cellar compartment (Kellerabteil), the attic compartment (Estrichabteil), the balcony or the garden seating area — and in many cases a garage or underground parking space as well. These secondary spaces are exactly what people forget when they estimate the job themselves, and they are the single most common reason a clearance takes longer than planned.
Fixtures that belong to the apartment normally stay. Anything the tenant installed, however, usually has to be removed again: a replacement for the slatted blinds, a self-built kitchen cupboard, a laminate floor laid over the original parquet. Whether that is demanded in a specific case is written in the tenancy agreement (Mietvertrag) or follows from the handover report made when you moved in (Antrittsprotokoll).
When an apartment clearance becomes necessary
The most frequent reasons are a death in the family, a move into a retirement or nursing home, a separation, relocation abroad, or a notice of termination. What they all have in common is time pressure: the handover date is fixed, and the apartment has to be empty and in contractual condition by then. For expats leaving Switzerland this is usually tied to the end of the notice period, which in Zurich is commonly three months to the end of a quarter unless the tenancy agreement says otherwise.
A second, often underestimated case is a clearance ordered by the landlord or the property management company because a tenant has moved out without clearing the flat. Special rules apply here: items left behind may not simply be thrown away. They have to be documented and, depending on the situation, put into storage before anything is disposed of.
How a professional apartment clearance runs
The apartment is viewed first. That is the only way to estimate the volume realistically, and the only way to see access, lift situation and carrying distances — the three factors with the greatest influence on the workload. On the basis of that visit you receive a written quote with a fixed price.
On clearance day the flat is sorted through first: documents, photographs, jewellery and personal papers are secured and handed over to the client. Only then is the apartment emptied, separated by material group — bulky waste, metal, electrical appliances, hazardous waste and anything of resale value all go different ways. Finally, depending on the order, comes either the broom-clean handover (besenrein) or the full final cleaning with a handover guarantee (Endreinigung mit Abgabegarantie), meaning the cleaning company stands behind the result at the official inspection.
A real-world example
A 3.5-room apartment in Zurich Oerlikon, third floor with a lift, is cleared after a death in the family. The flat itself is normally furnished, but the cellar compartment has been filling up for thirty years. Volume: roughly 32 cubic metres. Two staff clear the apartment in one day; the final cleaning follows the next day. From the estate, a sideboard from the 1950s and a watch collection are set aside and valued; the credited amount noticeably reduces the invoice.
Services that cover this
Frequently asked questions about Apartment Clearance
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Free on-site assessment, a fixed price, and final cleaning with a handover guarantee (Abgabegarantie) — we stand behind the result at the official handover inspection.
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