Moving in Switzerland: customary dates, end-of-tenancy cleaning and clearance

In general, the lease on a flat can be terminated with three months' notice to the locally customary date, unless the lease says otherwise. Customary dates differ by canton and municipality: check your lease or ask your local conciliation authority.

Where there is no local custom, notice in general runs to the end of a three-month lease period (Art. 266c of the Swiss Code of Obligations). Other dates agreed in your lease take precedence (Art. 266a). In German-speaking Switzerland, moving house is called zügeln and these dates are often known as Zügeltermine; in French, they are the termes usuels.

In the canton of Vaud, the customary dates are 1 April, 1 July and 1 October, at noon. They are set in Article 35 of the Vaud rules and customs for leases (RULV), which apply from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2032. Older lists show other dates for Vaud; the RULV is what counts.

In Geneva and Valais there are no customary dates: your lease decides. For the other places in the table, the dates come from a private list (comparis, 2021): they are customs, not official rules, so always check your lease or ask the conciliation authority. For Ticino, sources conflict, so rely on your lease.

A few things to sort out, in order, so nothing slips through:

• Read your lease: notice period, termination dates and the rules for returning the flat.
• Give notice in time – in general at least three months before the customary date, unless your lease says otherwise.
• Book moving help and cleaning early: on customary dates, many leases end on the same day.
• Sort your belongings and arrange a clearance for anything you won't take before moving day.
• Plan who will dismantle and reassemble your furniture.
• Schedule the final cleaning before the handover; in Vaud, the flat is returned at noon on the due date.
• Agree the price, times and equipment in writing with everyone who helps you.
• Attend the handover yourself and keep a copy of any written record of defects.
• If you pay a private person for cleaning, check your obligations as an employer (AHV, accident insurance).

According to the Swiss price portal Ofri (June 2024), moving companies charge CHF 700–1'500 for a 3 to 3.5-room flat, with about three helpers for five hours. For a 4 to 4.5-room flat, they charge CHF 1'100–2'400, with about four helpers for six hours. Swiss flat sizes count the bedrooms and the living room, but not the kitchen or bathroom. Volume, floors, access and distance all change the price.

If you hire private helpers, describe exactly what needs carrying: number of rooms, heavy or fragile items, floors, whether there is a lift, and access for the van. That way, people can offer a realistic price. If you need someone who speaks English, say so in your post. For dismantling and reassembling furniture, Ofri cites CHF 165–400 per job (January 2023).

At the end of a lease you hand the flat back clean. In Vaud, the RULV says that at noon on the due date the tenant returns the premises clean, well maintained and emptied of their belongings (Art. 36). Elsewhere, check your lease for what is expected at the handover (Wohnungsabnahme in German, état des lieux in French), when the landlord or letting agency inspects the flat.

Cleaning companies offer end-of-tenancy cleaning with a handover guarantee (Abnahmegarantie in German; in French, nettoyage de fin de bail avec garantie). If the landlord or letting agency does not accept the cleaning at the handover, the company undertakes to come back, on its own terms. Read those terms carefully: what the guarantee covers, and for how long, varies from company to company.

With a private helper, there is only a guarantee if you agree one in advance – for example that the helper attends the handover or comes back to fix any defects. Workpop does not provide a handover guarantee. If you pay a private person for cleaning, you are in general their employer: AHV contributions are due from the first franc, and you must insure them against accidents with an approved insurer (not Suva).

Indicative company prices with a guarantee come from renovero (September 2026) and the list prices of abnahmegarantie.ch (VAT included, 2023 data). Ofri also cites CHF 600–785 for 3 rooms, with an average of CHF 679.

Anything you are not taking has to leave the flat before you hand back the keys. According to Ofri (June 2025), clearing a flat typically costs CHF 850–1'849, with an average of CHF 1'285. By size, the ranges run from CHF 800–2'200 for 1 to 1.5 rooms to CHF 2'500–6'000 for 4 to 5 rooms; labour is charged at about CHF 90–100 an hour.

The price depends on volume, access, sorting and disposal. Giving away or selling usable items in advance reduces what has to be taken away. For smaller loads, you can also post a job for help taking things to the recycling centre.