Defects list & handover protocol apartment: free template (PDF & Word) – plus the wear calculator that protects you from inflated damage bills
Move-out inspection, the manager grabs the pad and writes: «carpet damaged, replacement CHF 2,400». You sign, pay, and stew over it for years. Yet the carpet was eight years old, so almost worn out. Here's the free template that records your handover without gaps. And a tool no one else has: the wear calculator, which shows you in a second what you really owe under CO Art. 267, namely the residual value and not the as-new price.
🏛️ What the law says at the apartment handover
The biggest misconception first: you don't have to return the apartment like new. The law only requires the contractually agreed condition (CO Art. 267), i.e. the condition resulting from careful use. You're not liable for normal wear, because you've long paid for it with every rent payment. You only pay for excessive wear: cigarette burns, deep scratches from a pet, a dozen large drill holes, wilful damage.
The second surprise is about money. Even with real damage you never owe the full new price, only the residual value. A damaged item is treated by its age: the closer it is to its life expectancy, the less you pay. That's exactly what the wear calculator below works out. And your best protection against disputes is, from the start, the written protocol.
These traces are normal use and are not at your expense:
📝 Your handover protocol in 2 minutes
Room by room, two minutes, and in front of you is a complete apartment handover protocol with nothing important missing. Stop searching for «apartment defects list Excel free»: fill in the fields and the generator turns them into a clean protocol with all rooms, meter readings and keys. Download as PDF, print, both sign, done. To adapt, copy the text and tweak it in Word.
🛠️ Defects protocol generator
Fill in the fields → finished handover protocol as PDF or to copy. Free, no sign-up.
APARTMENT HANDOVER PROTOCOL
Type of protocol: … Rental object: … Tenant: … Landlord / management: … Move-in on: …. Handover on: …. 1. Kitchen … 2. Bathroom / WC … 3. Living and bedrooms … 4. Meter readings … 5. Keys Keys handed over: … Both parties confirm the accuracy of this protocol by their signature. Visible defects not recorded here, detectable in a normal inspection, can no longer be claimed later (Art. 267a CO). … Tenant's signature: __________________ Landlord's signature: __________________
Tip: photograph every defect with the date and attach the photos to the protocol. Both sign, each party keeps an original. That's your strongest proof in a dispute.
This template is no substitute for legal advice. If the handover is disputed, the conciliation authority or the tenants' association helps.
🚦 The liability check: normal wear or your damage?
Before you argue about amounts, settle the question half the handover hinges on: do you owe anything at all? The ConvivaPlus liability check classifies the defect — normal wear is always the landlord's (🟢), for damage or excessive wear it depends on the life expectancy (🟡/🔴). In ten seconds you know whether you can dispute the final bill.
🚦 ConvivaPlus liability check
Two questions → green, amber or red. Determines under Art. 267 CO whether you pay for a defect — and whether the zero limit applies.
How did the defect arise?
Has the item's life expectancy already expired under the joint table?
How the ConvivaPlus liability check judges: it separates, according to ConvivaPlus, the two levels that decide your obligation to pay — first the nature of the defect (normal wear = landlord, Art. 267 para. 1 CO; excessive wear or damage = tenant), then the zero limit: if the life expectancy under the joint table has expired, liability drops to zero. Green means cost-free, red means a residual-value share.
🧮 The wear calculator: what you really pay for damage
This is where it's decided, and no other template portal works it out for you: with damage you never owe the new price, only the residual value. That's why we built the ConvivaPlus wear calculator, the first live check of its kind in Switzerland. It takes the life expectancy from the joint table, deducts the age and shows you in a second your real share. Often a fraction of what's on the damage bill.
🧮 ConvivaPlus wear calculator
Enter the item, age and as-new value → your residual-value share according to the joint life-expectancy table.
The item is partly worn out. You only pay the residual value, not the as-new value. Ask the landlord for the life-expectancy calculation in writing and check whether there's really excessive damage.
Guide values according to the joint life-expectancy table (HEV/MVD, 2024 edition). Individual life expectancies vary by material and quality. In a dispute, the conciliation authority decides.
How the ConvivaPlus wear calculator works: it takes the as-new value, multiplies it by the remaining life expectancy and divides by the total life expectancy. The life-expectancy guide values come from the joint life-expectancy table of the owners' and tenants' associations. When an item reaches its life expectancy, the residual value is zero. This assessment is the calculation according to ConvivaPlus, derived from residual-value practice under CO Art. 267.
📋 What must absolutely be in the handover protocol
A quick walk-through and a «looks fine»? Before the conciliation authority, that's worthless. A protocol that really protects needs seven building blocks, and most often it's the concrete defect with a photo that's missing. The generator above builds the structure automatically. Here's why each block protects your money.
| Building block | What's needed | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Parties | Tenant, landlord, any representation | Who is liable and who inspects must be clear. |
| Date | Move-in, handover with date and time | Basis for the notice deadline under Art. 267a CO. |
| Rooms one by one | Each room with its condition, no gaps | What isn't recorded later becomes disputed. |
| Concrete defects | Type, place and extent of each defect | «Kitchen OK» is worthless, a dated photo holds. |
| Meter readings | Read electricity, water, gas | Clean separation of the service charges. |
| Keys | Number of keys handed over | Prevents a bill for replacing the lock. |
| Signatures | Both parties, place and date | Makes the protocol a valid means of proof. |
⚠️ The 5 costliest mistakes at the apartment handover
Each of these five mistakes has already cost someone several hundred francs, and the most common one happens at move-in. Read them once, and you'll fall into none.
No move-in protocol made. Without a protocol at move-in, the landlord can pin defects on you at move-out that were there all along. There's no longer a presumption in your favour. Always make a move-in protocol.
Accepting the as-new value instead of the residual value. Paying the new price for a worn-out carpet is the costliest reflex of all. Calculate with the wear calculator above and demand the life-expectancy calculation.
Describing defects vaguely. «Kitchen in order» helps no one. Be concrete: type, place, extent, plus a dated photo. Otherwise you stand before the conciliation authority empty-handed.
Letting the notice deadline slip. The landlord must report visible defects immediately on handover (Art. 267a CO). If they report days later, their claims have lapsed. Insist on immediate notice in the protocol.
Leaving without signature or copy. A protocol without a signature or with only one page is no proof. Both sign, each party takes an original.
For a worn-out carpet you don't owe a single rappen, even if there's a hole in it. It's not the tenant saying so, it's the life-expectancy table.
✅ The clean apartment handover in 5 steps
Five steps, none longer than your coffee break, and at the end your protocol holds even before the conciliation authority. Here's how to go from move-in to handover without a damage bill spoiling the finish.
The lever almost no one uses: Art. 267a CO forces the landlord to report visible defects immediately on handover. If they send the damage list days later by post, their claims for all visible defects have lapsed. Whoever keeps a clean protocol and insists on immediate notice turns the tables. The same care pays off for any tenancy document, e.g. the sublease agreement.
Where are you right now?
One click – anonymous, no sign-up required.
❓ Frequently asked questions about the apartment handover
The questions buzzing around before every handover, answered briefly and honestly.
People also ask
Related questions from our magazine
All information without guarantee. Found an error? → support@conviva-plus.ch
You're not liable for normal wear (CO Art. 267), it's covered by your rent. And even with real damage you only pay the residual value according to the joint life-expectancy table, never the full as-new value. A worn-out carpet costs you nothing.
Related reading
More on tenancy law and templates
Discussion
6 voices from the community
The management wanted CHF 1,800 for the carpet, it was 9 years old. With the wear calculator it was clear at once: residual value almost zero. In the end I paid 150 francs instead of 1,800. This tool is worth gold.
At move-in I didn't do a protocol, big mistake. At move-out, suddenly the parquet scratch was mine. I couldn't prove anything. ALWAYS do a move-in protocol with photos.
Thanks for sharing, Patrick. That's exactly why we stress the move-in protocol: since the legal presumption disappeared, the burden of proof often falls on the tenant. A few photos at move-in save a lot of trouble at move-out.
The most important sentence for me: the landlord must report immediately. The damage list arrived ten days after the handover by post. With reference to Art. 267a CO, the matter was closed.
Finally a template that doesn't just have fields to fill in, but also explains what normal wear is. I showed the list with the faded walls and plug holes straight to the management.
At the handover I filled in the protocol room by room and photographed every defect. The management couldn't object to anything. Simple and clear, thanks.
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