Tenant has left a mess and/or other damage. What should I do?

The best way to avoid this situation is to be present in person when you take over the accommodation from the tenant during their move-out. This way, you can check the accommodation immediately and, in case of problems, clarify everything directly with the tenant.

For example, if you find that the rental unit is very dirty, you can agree with the tenant on additional cleaning costs or tell them that they'll receive an invoice for reimbursement after the additional cleaning by an outside company. Or, if a deposit was collected, you can appropriately deduct the amount from it and refund the tenant only in part.

The same goes for damages. If your property or one of its pieces of furniture was damaged during the tenant's stay and you are covered by Flatio’s Rental Insurance, you can even contact AXA Assistance and claim the insurance. Please note that additional cleaning costs cannot be claimed under Flatio’s Rental Insurance, but you can turn to AXA to provide you with legal support in pursuing a claim for these costs from your tenant.

However, in order to avoid any problems or misunderstandings, we strongly recommend that you contact the tenant before they move out and inform them that the accommodation must be properly cleaned and returned to the condition in which it was handed over.

Depending on the condition in which you handed over the accommodation to the tenant, you can also make recommendations on how exactly you want it to be cleaned up and restored. However, it may happen that the tenant doesn't follow your recommendations and performs cleaning and restoration in their own way. In such cases, we recommend that you respect your tenant's decision.