Check-in inspection and handover of keys

You will have an appointment at the flat with a representative of the régie on the day the lease takes effect.

You will visit the flat with this person. Each room is inspected, and any existing damage or defects are listed in the check-in inspection report and often photographed. At the end of the visit, both parties sign the check-in inspection report, and you are given the keys to the accommodation.

The check-in inspection must be carried out very carefully so that you are not held responsible for any damage caused by previous tenants.

Often, representatives have little time. This is not a problem, as you have 10 days to report any problems or defects that you may have missed. So take the time after the person has left to carry out a thorough inspection of the flat again, and if you find any other faults report them in writing to the régie with photos. Some defects will be repaired, if necessary, others will simply be mentioned in the inspection report.

The check-out inspection is also carried out between the tenant and a régie representative, this time to examine the condition of the flat when you leave. You will compare the condition in which you rented the flat (using the form signed at the check-in inspection) with the current condition as you’re leaving. Once again, the installations in each room will be analysed. Although normal wear and tear is accepted, the criteria for cleanliness and maintenance remain demanding.

If you would like to know what is expected of you when you leave, there is a checklist available here (in French only), which you can download in PDF format.

Other steps

It is your responsibility to take the following steps, as the régie does not intervene in these areas:

• Register with the SIG (the electricity supplier in Geneva). You can do this up to 3 working days BEFORE you move in, so that you have electricity on the day you move in. You can do this online. You don’t need to fill in all the sections if you don’t have the information. The names of the previous tenant(s) is/are important. You’ll find these names on the rent setting notice (the green sheet). In the Canton of Vaud, your local electricity company will tell you who your electricity supplier is. There are around ten of them, divided by region.
• Obtain an Internet/Wi-Fi subscription (if you want one). Tip: ask the outgoing tenant for the number of the optic fiber socket, so that you can organise the connection in advance.
• Inform your employer of your new address and:
  • If you already have your residence permit : inform the OCPM
  • If you don’t have your residence permit yet: ask your employer to inform the OCPM.

Settling in

If you or the moving company need to park a van in front of your home, you can reserve spaces on the public road with TraceRoute. However, if any vehicles parked in the spaces reserved before the TraceRoute signs were put up are still there on the day of the move, you will have to pay the tow truck costs to remove the vehicles.