Between-tenant cleaning for owners who are not in France, with a dated photo report on completion
If you own a rental property in Paris but live abroad, the turnaround between two tenants is the part you cannot supervise. You are relying on someone to enter an empty flat, do the work properly, and tell you honestly what state it was in. Ménage Parfait handles that with 35 salaried agents, a written scope agreed before we start, and photographs sent to you the same day. Everything is handled in English, and we work either directly with you or alongside your gestion locative agency.
What Makes a Remote Turnaround Difficult
Overseas landlords tell us the same four things:
- You cannot verify the work. Someone tells you the flat is clean. You have no way to check before the next tenant walks in and disagrees.
- You cannot judge the damage. Deciding what to deduct from the deposit means knowing what the property actually looked like. A phone call is not evidence.
- Every vacant day costs money. Coordinating a cleaner across a time zone, in a second language, adds days to a turnaround that should take one.
- The paperwork is French. Quotes, invoices and the vocabulary around the état des lieux are all in a language you may not read comfortably.
What a Slow Turnaround Actually Costs
Turnaround cleaning is usually treated as a cost. For a landlord it is closer to an investment, because the real expense is the empty week. At Paris rents, the arithmetic is straightforward:
| Monthly Rent | Cost Per Vacant Day | Cost Per Vacant Week |
|---|---|---|
| 1,200 € | 39 € | 276 € |
| 1,800 € | 59 € | 414 € |
| 2,500 € | 82 € | 575 € |
A turnaround clean that lets you relist five days earlier has usually paid for itself before the new tenant signs. That is why we quote on how fast we can be on site, not only on price.
How We Work With Owners Who Are Not in France
Three things make a remote turnaround work. All three are standard with us, not extras.
Key Handling
We collect from your agency, your concierge or a key safe
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Named agents only, logged for each intervention
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Returned the same day, to whoever you specify
Photo Report
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Dated photographs of the property before we start
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The same rooms photographed after completion
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Sent by email the day of the intervention
Documentation
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Itemised invoice in English, listing what was cleaned
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Usable as supporting evidence if you deduct from a deposit
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Payable by card or transfer, no French cheque required
What You Can and Cannot Charge to the Outgoing Tenant
This is where most overseas landlords get it wrong in both directions, either absorbing costs they could recover or making deductions that get contested. The principle in French law is that the tenant returns the property in the condition recorded at entry, minus normal ageing.
- Cleaning is chargeable. If the property is returned dirty relative to the état des lieux d'entrée, a professional cleaning invoice can be deducted. You must be able to produce the invoice.
- Normal wear is not. Under the vétusté rules, faded paint, worn flooring and aged fittings are the owner's cost, not the tenant's. Deducting for these is the most commonly contested item.
- Damage is chargeable, with proof. Burns, holes and broken fittings can be deducted, but only against the entry inventory and with a quote or invoice.
- Deadlines apply to you. The deposit is returned within one month where the exit inventory matches the entry one, and within two months where it does not. Late return carries a penalty.
- Documentation decides disputes. Dated photographs plus an itemised invoice settle most disagreements before they escalate. Verbal accounts settle nothing.
We are not legal advisors
The above is general background, not advice on your specific tenancy. For a contested deposit or an unusual lease, consult ADIL, which provides free housing information in every département, or your own lawyer. What we can do is give you the documentation that makes your position provable.
What We Cover
Two levels, depending on the condition the tenant left it in:
Standard Turnaround
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Full clean of every room, floor to ceiling
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Oven, extractor hood and hood filter
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Bathroom descaling, joints, taps and screens
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Window interiors, shutters and rails
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Inside cupboards, skirting boards, VMC vents
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Fixed price from 100 €, quoted before we start
Heavy Condition
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Properties left abandoned, heavily soiled or after a contentious departure
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Removal of furniture and belongings left behind
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Deep degreasing, injection-extraction, steam treatment
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Pest treatment coordinated with a certified partner where required
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Quoted after a site visit, because these vary too much to price blind
Frequently Asked Questions
- I live abroad. How do you get access to the property?
We collect keys from your gestion locative agency, your concierge, a neighbour or a key safe, whichever you arrange. The collection and return are logged, and keys go back the same day to whoever you nominate. - How do I know the work was actually done?
You receive dated photographs of the same rooms before and after, by email on the day of the intervention. If something is not right, tell us and we return. - Can you work with my letting agency rather than me directly?
Yes. Many of our turnarounds are commissioned by agencies. We can invoice you directly while coordinating scheduling and keys with them. - How quickly can you be on site?
For a standard turnaround in Paris, Hauts-de-Seine or Yvelines, usually within 48 to 72 hours. Tell us your relisting date and we will work back from it. - What does it cost?
Standard turnarounds start at 100 € for a studio and run to 350 € and above for larger properties, quoted before we start. Heavily soiled properties are quoted after a site visit. - Can I claim the tax credit on this?
The 50 percent services à la personne credit applies to cleaning at your own residence, not to a property you rent out. Turnaround cleaning of a rental is normally a deductible property expense instead, so ask your accountant how it is treated in your situation.
Related Pages
Talk to Us in English
Tell us the address, the size of the property and your relisting date. We will come back with a fixed quote.
- Phone: 01 89 19 68 69
- Email: [email protected]
- Office: 92 avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris
01 89 19 68 69
