Final Cleaning (Endreinigung)

What a final cleaning includes

A complete final cleaning covers all floors wet-cleaned; all windows inside and out including frames and rebates; external blinds (Storen) and their slats; every kitchen appliance inside and out — oven, extractor hood with filter, fridge, dishwasher; all cupboards inside; the entire sanitary area descaled; radiators, doors, frames, sockets and light switches; plus cellar, attic compartment and balcony.

The effort involved is regularly underestimated. For a 4-room apartment a professional team calculates eight to twelve person-hours — doing it yourself easily turns into an entire weekend, and without professional equipment the windows and the oven are where most handovers fail.

Why the handover guarantee matters

The real value of a professional final cleaning lies in the handover guarantee (Abgabegarantie). It means that if the property manager objects to cleaning defects at the inspection, the cleaning company comes back and puts them right free of charge. Without that guarantee you carry the full risk of a refused handover yourself.

Make sure the guarantee is confirmed in writing and that the company either attends the inspection or is available at short notice. A guarantee that can only be redeemed two weeks later is of little use on a fixed handover date.

Clearance and cleaning from a single provider

If the same provider handles both clearance and final cleaning, the interface disappears. In practice that means: no scheduling between two firms, no argument about who is responsible for dirt left behind, and one contact person at the handover inspection.