Process & handover
Broom-Clean (Besenrein)
Also known as: Broom-clean handover · Besenreine Übergabe · Swept clean
«Besenrein» — broom-clean — means a property has been fully emptied and roughly cleaned: floors swept or vacuumed, coarse dirt and waste removed. It is a clearance standard, not a cleaning standard, and it is almost never enough for a Swiss apartment handover, which requires a full final cleaning (Endreinigung).
What broom-clean actually covers
Broom-clean is a clearance standard, not a cleaning standard. After a broom-clean handover the property is empty, the floors are swept or vacuumed, and loose dirt, dust and waste residues have been removed. Not included are: window cleaning, wet cleaning of floors, descaling of sanitary fixtures, cleaning of oven and fridge, and the removal of limescale, grease or adhesive residues.
The most common misunderstanding at apartment handovers
A great many tenants assume that a broom-clean handover is enough for the apartment handover (Wohnungsabgabe). It practically never is. The lease as a rule requires the property to be returned in the condition agreed in the contract, and the standard practice of Swiss property managers is a full final cleaning — including windows, external blinds (Storen), kitchen appliances, the sanitary area and the cellar compartment.
Anyone who hands over only broom-clean risks the handover being refused. The property manager then commissions a cleaning company at the tenant's expense — usually more expensive than a cleaning you organise yourself, because late-handover costs and lost rent can be added on top.
When broom-clean is enough
Broom-clean is sufficient where construction work is coming anyway: before a refurbishment, before a demolition, for commercial space that the next tenant will convert, or where the landlord expressly waives a final cleaning. Important: get that waiver in writing before the handover date, not afterwards.
A case from practice
A tenant in Wallisellen clears his apartment himself and hands it over broom-clean. At the inspection the property manager objects to the windows, the blind slats, the oven and the shower cubicle, and refuses to accept the handover. The cleaning company commissioned invoices CHF 1,340, and four days of delay pass before the second inspection. A final cleaning with a handover guarantee, ordered in advance, would have cost around CHF 780.
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Frequently asked questions about Broom-Clean (Besenrein)
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