Property inventory report in Geneva: fill-in template, defects and disputes

Go to the property inventory template to fill in ↓

The property inventory report (état des lieux) records the condition of the home at move-in and at move-out, and it is what determines what the tenant pays on leaving. A defect recorded on arrival will not be charged to them; a defect missing from this document but noted on departure will be.

This article covers what the report contains and how to fill it in, how the move-in and move-out appointments unfold, the line between normal wear and tear and chargeable defects, the cleanliness required when the property is returned, what the signature commits you to, and the deadlines for reacting or disputing.

What is a property inventory report?

The inventory report is the record drawn up between the parties describing the condition of a home on a given date, established to prove which defects existed there and to determine, at the end of the lease, which ones are chargeable to the tenant.

The record is drawn up at two points in the lease. The move-in inventory report sets the reference at the handover of the keys; the move-out inventory report compares the condition returned against that reference, item by item.

Both bring together the tenant and the landlord or their agent: each party discusses each heading and has their remarks entered before signing.

No federal statute makes the inspection compulsory or sets out its headings; the layout of the report stems from practice in French-speaking Switzerland, taken up by the forms of Geneva letting agencies (régies).

What does an inventory report template contain?

An inventory report template contains the parties and the property, the technical readings, the items inspected, the remarks and reservations, and finally the signatures, following the layout of a Geneva report.

• The parties and the property: landlord, tenant, appointed régie, address and floor of the rented premises, date of the inspection, move-in or move-out.
• The technical readings: meter readings taken on the day, number and purpose of the keys, badges and remote controls handed over.
• The items inspected: room by room, floors, walls, ceilings, woodwork, doors, windows, blinds, taps, sockets and household appliances.
• The remarks and reservations: a free column runs alongside each item and takes the note "in order" ("e.o.") or the agreed works.
• The signatures: both parties sign on the spot, stating place and date, each receiving a copy.

The same form is used for the move-out inspection, for a line-by-line comparison (Chambre genevoise immobilière). The wording of each line gives the report its evidential value.

Fill in the property inventory template

How do you fill in an inventory report?

To fill in an inventory report, set down an objective record of the condition of each item, without assigning responsibility or estimating the cost of restoration. The inspection proceeds in seven steps.

1. Prepare an empty, well-lit home, in full daylight: in half-light, water marks, cracks and scratches go unnoticed.
2. Move through each room in a set order: floor, walls, ceiling, woodwork, door and window, then taps, blinds, sockets and switches.
3. Word each defect by location, nature and extent: "living-room parquet, 20-centimetre scratch along the window", never "damaged parquet".
4. Photograph each defect and date the shots, appended to the report.
5. Take the meter readings, report the change of account holder to the Services industriels de Genève (SIG), and count the keys, badges and remote controls handed over.
6. Enter remarks for disputed items: "disputed", "already in this condition when we arrived", "normal use"; a remark not entered before signing loses its effect (ASLOCA Geneva).
7. Sign only once any figure in francs has been removed. A report stating an amount counts as an acknowledgement of debt and grounds debt enforcement proceedings: acknowledge no sum, even an "approximate" one (ASLOCA Geneva). Read, date, sign and insist on a copy.

The move-in and move-out appointments differ in their timetable and in the actions expected of each party.

How does the move-in inventory report take place?

The move-in inventory report takes place in the empty home, in the presence of the tenant and the landlord's representative, who go through each room then date and sign the report on the spot before the keys are handed over.

The move-in inspection falls into three steps.

1. Ask for the previous tenant's move-out report. Article 256a paragraph 1 of the Swiss Code of Obligations requires the landlord to produce it, on request, when the property is delivered.
2. Take the meter readings and register with the Services industriels de Genève at least 4 working days before moving in.
3. Date, sign and keep a copy, every defect having first been recorded, including those the landlord's representative considers minor.

Without a written move-in inventory report, the landlord bears, when the tenant leaves, the burden of proving that the home was in good condition at move-in (ASLOCA Geneva): the rule flows from the burden of proof, not from the Code of Obligations.

The report signed at move-in is the reference document at the handover appointment.

How does the move-out inventory report take place?

The move-out inventory report takes place as a room-by-room comparison against the move-in report, and sets the list of defects charged to the tenant, on which the release of the rent deposit depends.

The handover appointment follows three steps.

1. Empty and clean the home completely, cellar and ancillary spaces included, the cleaning coming before the inspection.
2. Restore the original configuration of any fittings altered without the agency's consent, gather the maintenance invoices (chimney sweeping, drains, gutters, heating) and take the meter readings, passed on to SIG.
3. Complete the move-in report item by item, then hand all the keys back to the agency, duplicates included; replacing the cylinder for a missing security key is charged.

Three points separate the move-in inspection from the move-out inspection.

Step	At move-in	At move-out
Timing	When the home is delivered, before moving in	During office hours, no later than the last day of the lease
Condition of the home	Empty	Empty, thoroughly cleaned, cellars and ancillary spaces included
Effect	Sets the reference condition binding on both parties	Finalises the list of defects charged and opens the release of the rent deposit

Geneva régies have this appointment preceded by a preliminary inspection (pré-état des lieux): this visit lists the works and cleaning expected at the final inspection, separating out what remains at the tenant's expense.

This timeline places the two inspections in the life of the lease, from the handover of the keys to the release of the rent deposit.

Which defects are charged to the tenant?

The defects charged to the tenant are those going beyond use in accordance with the contract, namely damage caused by fault and minor routine maintenance; normal wear and tear stays with the landlord.

Three categories of damage fall to the tenant in Geneva.

• Scratches, burns and large stains on floors. The Geneva tenancy rules and practices exclude them from normal wear and tear, stiletto-heel damage included.
• Damage caused by an animal. Replacing wallpaper damaged by the tenant's pet falls to them, less depreciation.
• Broken appliance parts. The cracked vegetable drawer or broken freezer flap is replaced at the tenant's expense, not the ageing of the appliance.

Three mirror-image items stay with the landlord: repainting walls dulled by time, hanging pictures being part of normal use, with only the filling of fixing holes falling to the tenant; redoing worn wallpaper and varnish, after 10 and 15 years respectively; replacing an appliance that has failed through age, such as an old oven.

Routine maintenance follows a separate logic: article 259 of the Swiss Code of Obligations makes the tenant responsible for minor tasks that can be carried out without technical knowledge. ASLOCA Geneva regards as ineffective the clause charging the tenant with any repair under 100 or 200 francs, as no Geneva local practice sets such a threshold.

The basis for calculating the damage is the current value of the fitting, never its value when new (ASLOCA Geneva); article 267 paragraph 2 of the Swiss Code of Obligations renders void any agreement imposing systematic restoration to new condition.

The amount owed depends on the service life of each fitting and the years of that life already used up.

These six examples contrast normal wear and tear, borne by the landlord, with the damage the régie charges to the tenant.

How does the service life of fittings reduce the bill?

The service life of fittings reduces the bill through depreciation: each year of use takes off a fraction of the value and the tenant repays only the residual share.

The Fédération romande immobilière and the ASLOCA-Fédération romande publish a joint depreciation table, in force since 1 March 2007 and renewed for two-year periods. Eight items give its scale.

Fitting	Service life	Share payable by the tenant after 6 years of use
Paint on walls and ceilings, emulsion or acrylic	8 years	25%
Medium-quality wallpaper, woodchip, printed or painted	10 years	40%
Medium-quality fitted carpet	10 years	40%
Refrigerator with built-in freezer compartment	10 years	40%
Ceramic or induction cooker	15 years	60%
Dishwasher	15 years	60%
Taps, chrome-plated mixer unit	20 years	70%
Acrylic bathtub or shower tray	25 years	76%

The count runs from the last installation or full renovation, not from moving in: a kitchen eight years old passes on eight years of accrued depreciation to the incoming tenant (ASLOCA Geneva).

A dishwasher installed nine years before the end of the lease is put out of service by mishandling; the replacement costs 1,200 francs. Service life of 15 years, accrued depreciation of 9 years out of 15: the landlord bears 60% and the tenant pays 40%, or 480 francs. Beyond the service life, the residual value is nil and nothing is charged to the tenant.

The table "has no binding force and does not allow either party to derive any right from it": the conciliation authority uses it as a mere indicative reference.

The move-out inspection checks the cleanliness of the premises returned.

This chart shows what age-related depreciation takes off the bill, for three fittings with different service lives.

What standard of cleanliness can be required when the property is returned?

The standard of cleanliness that can be required at the return of the premises is that of clean, empty and fully inspectable premises, never that of a brand-new home.

Article 22 of the Geneva tenancy rules and practices provides for the return of clean premises, with the inspection drawn up, where possible, in the empty premises.

The move-out inspection checks four cleanliness items.

1. Kitchen: appliances degreased inside and out, metal hood filter replaced, units and worktop washed.
2. Bathroom and WC: sanitary fittings washed and descaled, seals cleaned.
3. Floors, woodwork, paintwork and walls: cleared and maintained, mechanical sanding remaining prohibited without the landlord's written consent.
4. Windows, blinds, radiators and ancillary spaces: slatted blinds and radiators cleaned, cellar, attic, balcony and parking space emptied.

The régie bills additional cleaning solely on the basis of the move-out report: costs never mentioned there cannot be billed, for want of notice of defects (art. 267a para. 2 CO). The amount matches the actual cost, which justifies demanding the contractor's invoice rather than a flat fee; any deduction from the rent deposit follows art. 257e para. 3 CO.

The weight of the reservations entered depends on what signing the report commits you to.

What is the signature on an inventory report worth?

The signature on an inventory report amounts to acceptance of the report's findings and an acknowledgement of debt as soon as the document puts a figure on a sum to pay.

The signed report sets the reference condition binding on both parties, but no tenant is obliged to sign, ASLOCA Geneva points out. Three courses are open to the signatory.

• Signing without reservation. The signatory validates every item, charged defects included; going back on it requires invalidation for fundamental error.
• Signing with reservation. Enter your remarks against the disputed items before signing: "disputed", "already in this condition when we arrived", "normal use".
• Refusing to sign. The physical findings remain and the landlord preserves their rights through the notice of defects under art. 267a para. 1 CO.

A heading "damage at the tenant's expense" or a commitment to pay turns the report into an acknowledgement of debt. ASLOCA Geneva then advises adding by hand, next to the signature: "this signature does not amount to acknowledgement of any liability for the defects the landlord intends to charge to me". Each party receives a copy of the signed report, to be requested in writing if it is missing.

A defect discovered after signing then falls under a deadline specific to each situation.

How long do you have to report a defect discovered afterwards?

The deadline for reporting a defect discovered after the inventory report has been drawn up is immediate for the landlord who notes a defect at the return of the premises, set by the lease (ten days in many leases) for the incoming tenant, and one year from discovery for fundamental error: three deadlines of distinct legal nature.

Situation	Who acts	Deadline	Basis
Defects noted when the home is returned	Landlord	Immediately, meaning two to three working days, a week already being late	Statutory: art. 267a para. 1 CO; time frame from case law, relayed by ASLOCA Geneva
Defect missed at the move-in inventory report	Incoming tenant	Deadline written into the lease, ten days in many leases	Contractual: no time limit set in figures in the CO (art. 258 CO)
Inventory report signed under a fundamental error	Party pleading the error	One year from discovery of the error	Statutory: art. 31 paras. 1 and 2 CO

Without immediate notice, the tenant is released from all liability (art. 267a para. 1 CO); invalidation for fundamental error is exercised by registered letter, sent before any payment (ASLOCA Geneva).

No French rule governs a Geneva lease: the ten days of French law have no effect in Switzerland, where that figure comes only from the contract.

These three deadlines govern what each party can still claim after the property is returned.

How do you dispute an inventory report?

To dispute an inventory report, before any payment, send the landlord a registered letter naming each disputed item and expressly refusing the amounts claimed.

The dispute proceeds in six steps.

1. Write to the landlord by registered letter, item by item: defects charged, ground for refusal (normal use, defect already present at move-in, extent overstated).
2. Gather the evidence: dated photographs, signed copy of the move-in inventory report, maintenance and cleaning invoices, contact details of those present at the inspection.
3. Check the date of the notice of defects: a missing notice releases the tenant, except for defects not detectable through customary checks (art. 267a paras. 1 and 3 CO).
4. Invalidate any agreement already signed, by written declaration for fundamental error (art. 23 and 24 CO) or fraud (art. 28 CO) within one year of their discovery (art. 31 CO), before any payment: paying without reservation tacitly ratifies the agreement.
5. Apply to the Conciliation Commission for leases and rents by written application (opposing party, relief sought, subject of the dispute); conciliation over a residential lease entails neither court costs nor party costs (art. 113 CPC).
6. Bring the case before the Leases and Rents Tribunal within 30 days of the authorisation to proceed being issued (art. 209 para. 4 CPC).

Two outcomes shorten the proceedings: the commission decides the case itself, at the claimant's request, up to 2,000 francs (art. 212 para. 1 CPC) and submits a proposed judgment up to 10,000 francs (art. 210 para. 1 let. c CPC).

Settled or disputed, the report continues to produce its effects after the keys are handed over.

This diagram sums up the dispute path in Geneva and the deadline attached to each stage.

What happens to the inventory report after the keys are handed over?

Once the keys are handed over, the signed inventory report becomes the reference document for the end-of-lease settlement, binding on tenant and landlord alike.

It serves as the basis for the landlord preparing to put the home back on the market and marks the two endpoints of the lease, from delivery to return.

What does a landlord prepare before letting out their property?

Before the tenant moves in, a landlord prepares the home in a fit state to be delivered, the meter readings and the previous occupant's move-out report, so that the move-in report remains usable until the property is returned.

• The home in a fit state to be delivered: cleaning completed, repairs carried out, fittings in working order.
• The meter readings: water, electricity and heating readings taken as at the day the keys are handed over.
• The previous tenant's move-out report, shown on request to the new tenant when the property is delivered (art. 256a para. 1 CO).

The owner who decides to let out a Geneva apartment gathers these documents before the first viewing, along with the keys and badges to hand over and a blank inventory form. They mark out the course of a Geneva tenancy, from delivery of the home to the return of the keys.

Where does the inventory report fit in a Geneva tenancy?

The place the inventory report holds in a Geneva tenancy is twofold: at the delivery of the home following the signing of the lease, then at the return of the keys at the end of the lease.

Between these inspections, the tenant pays the rent and handles the routine upkeep of the home until notice is served by either party. Each stage of renting a home in Geneva produces its own documents, and the move-in report remains the reference against which the move-out report is compared.

The inventory report template and the way it is filled in shape the evidential value of these two appointments.