Rental inventory tip sheet (état des lieux)

Last checked: 5 Oct 2026. Unofficial student guide, not EPFL or government advice: confirm on the linked official pages before you act. Unfamiliar abbreviation? See the Glossary.

To verify This page has 1 item that could not be confirmed on an official page. Check them yourself before relying on them:

Entry état des lieux + furniture inventory: walk every room; photo/video dated if useful (To verify: your leas…

Not legal advice. Companion to Rental deposit and EPFL housing.

What this is

When you move into a private flat or room, you and the landlord (or agency) usually walk through the place and record its condition and the furniture. In French this is the état des lieux (entry / exit inspection) plus an inventaire of furniture when the place is furnished.

EPFL’s housing guidance (written for people who rent to students, but the steps are the same for you as tenant) says to:

Set a date that works for both sides.
Walk through and note existing defects.
Validate the furniture inventory.
Sign and date the documents in duplicate (one copy each).

At departure: check cleanliness, compare with the entry inspection, check the inventory again, sign in duplicate, then free the rental guarantee if everything is in order.

Sources:

Move-in checklist (tenant view)

Written lease (or clear sublease), EPFL advises a written agreement covering dates, rent, utilities, guarantee, house rules (EPFL, Rental of my housing).
Entry état des lieux + furniture inventory: walk every room; photo/video dated if useful (To verify: your lease may already require photos, follow the paper you sign).
Note pre-existing damage before you sign; ask to add anything you see that is missing from the form.
Keep your signed copy.
Deposit / blocked guarantee → Rental deposit.
Commune registration with this address → Permit & commune. EPFL's arrival page tells landlords to fill in and sign the commune arrival form (form from the housing commune); if there is no written contract, the landlord can sign a certificate of landlord confirming you live there.

Move-out checklist

Book the exit inspection with the landlord/agency in time.
Clean to the standard the lease /EPFL departure page expects (EPFL: check cleanliness, then defects vs entry document).
Compare furniture to the entry inventory.
Sign exit documents in duplicate; keep your copy.
Ask how/when the garantie de loyer will be released → Rental deposit.
Announce departure to the commune if you are leaving that address → Leaving / deregister.

Source: EPFL, The departure of my tenant

Federal Code of Obligations (pointers)

On restitution of the rented object, art. 267a CO (Fedlex) requires the landlord, when the tenant returns the premises, to check the condition and immediately notify the tenant of defects the tenant is liable for. If the landlord neglects that, the tenant is discharged for defects that a normal check would have found (hidden defects: notify when discovered).

Official text: Fedlex, Code of Obligations, art. 267a (open with a JS-capable browser; French/Italian/German consolidations on the same ELI).

Fedlex English text (consolidation in force 1 Jan 2026, checked 5 Oct 2026):

1 When the object is returned, the landlord or lessor must inspect its condition and immediately inform the tenant or lessee of any defects for which he is answerable. 2 If the landlord or lessor fails to do so, he forfeits his claims save in respect of defects not detectable on customary inspection. 3 Where the landlord or lessor discovers such defects subsequently, he must inform the tenant or lessee immediately.

Fedlex states that English is not an official language of the Confederation and the translation has no legal force; in a dispute, rely on the French (or German / Italian) text.

Related: return the premises in a condition resulting from contractual use (art. 267 CO). Deposit cap / blocked account: see Rental deposit (art. 257e CO + EPFL Vaud practice notes).

What this page does not do

It does not provide a fill-in form template (use the landlord/agency form, or ask Chambre Vaudoise Immobilière materials if you are the landlord, EPFL points owners there).
Cleaning fees, “normal wear” CHF amounts, and deposit-return timelines are not listed here; confirm on your lease / with the agency.

Sources (checked 5 Oct 2026)

Unofficial student project. Follow the documents you sign and the linked official pages.