Clearance Costs

What the price is made of

A clearance quote (“Offerte”, the binding written offer a Swiss firm gives you after a viewing) is built from four blocks. The largest is labour time: number of staff multiplied by hours on site. The second is transport — number of trips, vehicle size, distance to the disposal facility. The third is the disposal fees charged by the recycling and incineration plants, calculated by weight and material type. The fourth is add-on services such as final cleaning (“Endreinigung”), a furniture lift, skip hire or partial dismantling.

From that total, anything with a resale value is deducted. This value credit (“Wertanrechnung”) can amount to several thousand francs in a well-furnished household — in an average rented apartment it is usually close to zero.

The six factors that set the price

First, the volume in cubic metres — the single most important factor. Second, accessibility: which floor, lift or no lift, how far things must be carried, whether a van can park close to the entrance. Third, the material mix: bulky waste is cheap, hazardous waste and electronic waste are expensive, and mixed unsorted waste is the most expensive of all.

Fourth, the sorting effort: anything you have already separated costs less to dispose of. Fifth, urgency — appointments within 48 hours or on a weekend carry a surcharge. Sixth, add-on services such as cleaning or dismantling.

Swiss benchmark figures

As a rough orientation: 1-room apartment CHF 600–1,200, 2.5-room CHF 900–1,800, 3.5-room CHF 1,200–2,800, 4.5-room CHF 1,800–4,000, detached house CHF 3,000–15,000. A cellar compartment on its own runs CHF 400–1,200, and a hoarder apartment CHF 3,000–15,000 depending on severity. Note that Swiss apartments are counted in rooms including the living room but excluding kitchen and bathroom, so a “3.5-room” flat is roughly a two-bedroom.

These ranges are deliberately wide because accessibility and how full the property is vary enormously. Anyone who quotes you a fixed price without a viewing is either calculating with a large safety margin or will come back asking for more.

How to bring the cost down

Clear the easy things yourself in advance — clothes, books and crockery into bags and boxes. Separate metal and electrical appliances. Release anything sellable for valuation early instead of letting it disappear into the clearance. Avoid express appointments. And obtain two to three quotes — the spread between providers in the Zurich area is considerable.