Between-Tenancy Repairs in Geneva: Who Pays for What

Normal Wear or Damage: The Distinction That Decides Who Pays

The Swiss Code of Obligations (Art. 267 CO) sets out the principle: the tenant returns the home in the state resulting from use in accordance with the lease. In other words, they do not have to hand back a brand-new flat, but a flat that has been used normally.

• Normal wear — ageing of the paintwork, slight yellowing, ordinary traces of use, a reasonable number of small fixing holes. It arises from occupancy and falls to the landlord: it is maintenance.
• Attributable damage — avoidable damage going beyond careful use: numerous or large holes, indelible stains, personalised paintwork not put back, marked impacts. It may be charged to the tenant.

The dividing line depends on the length of the tenancy: after a long occupancy, many defects amount to wear rather than fault. The longer a tenant has stayed, the greater the share of normal wear.

Painting at the End of a Lease: A Service-Life Reference, Not an Automatic Rule

Under Swiss tenancy law, reasoning relies on service-life tables (depreciation periods) for installations and finishes, including paintwork. The idea: paint has a theoretical period of use. If attributable damage occurs before the end of that period, the tenant bears only the residual value — the share not yet depreciated — and not the cost of a full renewal.

In practice, if paintwork is already old when the tenant leaves, its residual value may be low or even nil. In that case, even where there is a defect, little or nothing is owed, since the landlord would have had to redo it anyway.

These service-life figures are indicative, customary reference points (often drawn from the scales circulated within the tenancy sector). They have no absolute contractual force and are assessed against the actual condition recorded. Renovhome SA sets no scale: it describes the condition of the surfaces, and the landlord or property manager applies the split.

The Inspection Report: The Centrepiece of the File

The inspection report is what settles most disputes. Without a written record, it is difficult to prove that a defect existed — or did not exist — at the start of the tenancy.

• Move-in inspection — the reference point. Any defect not noted at move-in is presumed to have been absent at the start of the lease.
• Move-out inspection — dated and signed by both parties. It lists the defects found and, ideally, specifies what amounts to wear and what is attributable.
• Notice of defects — the landlord must report defects in good time after the handover, failing which they may lose the right to invoke them.

Dated photographs are a useful complement to the inspection report. To prepare an assessment on the painting side, our painting move-out inspection checklist sets out the points commonly checked in Geneva: walls, ceilings, woodwork, floors and documents.

Indicative Allocation Table: Who Pays for What

This table summarises the general logic of tenancy law. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment or the signed inspection report.

Situation on the painting side	Category	Responsibility (principle)
Ageing, slight yellowing, ordinary traces of use	Normal wear	Landlord / property manager
A reasonable number of small fixing holes	Use in accordance	Landlord / property manager
Numerous or large holes, marked impacts	Attributable damage	Tenant (residual value)
Indelible stains, abnormal soiling	Attributable damage	Tenant (residual value)
Personalised colour not restored to white	Modification not reversed	Tenant (per the lease)
Water stain / declared water damage	Insurance claim	Relevant insurer

For claims, cover goes through insurance (the tenant’s liability cover, or the building’s or property’s insurance as the case may be). See our water-damage repair service.

The Painting Company’s Role Within This Framework

The painting company does not rule on the legal split: that is a matter for the landlord, the property manager, the tenant and, in the event of disagreement, the conciliation authority. Its role is technical and descriptive.

In a between-tenancy repaint, Renovhome SA:

• records the actual condition of the surfaces, room by room, during the visit;
• draws up a detailed quote that the property manager or owner can break down by category (maintenance / attributable / claim);
• keeps photographic traceability internally, useful in support of an inspection file;
• carries out the preparation and painting following an identical protocol from one site to the next, with touch-ups checked under raking light.

The work delivered carries the 2-year legal warranty under Swiss law (Art. 371 CO, Swiss Code of Obligations) for defects in the work.

The Sequence of a Successful Between-Tenancy Repaint

Beyond the legal split, a repaint between two tenancies follows a methodical sequence, timed against the inspection schedule set by the property management company. The order in which surfaces are tackled is standardised — reversing it means soiling a surface that is already finished:

1. Ceilings — diagnosing cracks, filling, a stain-blocking primer where there are traces of old moisture, then matt ceiling paint. This is the least forgiving surface.
2. Walls — filling holes, smoothing, sanding, a suitable primer, then two top coats. The Geneva property-management standard is a neutral, bright off-white that flatters every layout.
3. Woodwork — washing down, light sanding, repairing impacts, a specific primer, then an enamel finish. This is the element the eye scrutinises at the move-in inspection.
4. Floors — generally outside the painter’s scope (parquet, tiling, soft flooring), coordinated with the contractor appointed by the property management company.

Ahead of the handover, a pre-acceptance walkthrough in full light makes it possible to spot and redo the final touch-ups before the move-in inspection: this is what sets a successful repaint apart from an “almost successful” one. Renovhome SA applies this protocol across the canton and details it in its between-tenancy repaint service.

In Case of Disagreement: Conciliation and ASLOCA Reference Points

When landlord and tenant cannot agree on the repair invoice, several reference points exist in Geneva.

• Direct discussion first, on the basis of the signed inspection report and the service-life figures.
• Advice and information — ASLOCA (the tenants’ association) advises tenants on their rights; property circles and landlord associations inform owners.
• Conciliation authority for tenancy and rent matters — a free cantonal body to be approached before going to court. It seeks an agreement and, failing that, issues an authorisation to proceed.

The deadlines for contesting are short: it is best to react quickly after receiving a statement or a deduction from the rent deposit. For purely technical support on the condition of paintwork, contact Renovhome SA or request your quote.