Context: I am the main tenant of a flat I am renting in Zug, for the last 5 years. One of my flatmates is moving out and I helped him move some heavy stuff. Unfortunately, it seems we scratched my floor (which in this apartment it seems its like butter). I also found that under the sofa there is a scratch (the really deep one in the photos), apparently due to its own weight as we never moved this. I really do not understand how this floor is so soft.
I really need your advice to understand how bad this can be, as we hear horror stories in Switzerland about anything, hence I attached some photos for your opinion (if you could take a look I would be super greatful).
I really need your advice in what is my best option?
Report this to landlord (which is not a person but a large bank) now, make them send a repair guy and evaluate it, and then submit the costs to my personal household insurance?
Only report this when moving out and do same process as above?
Any other options that I do not see (like hire someone to do a light repair)?
Does any of you know how much this could cost? Could those scratches fall under the normal usage degratation, since i dont plan to move out soon, so probably only after staying 10 years here, I would move out?
Any other advice?
I am indeed worried, to be honest, as I have no idea how much this can cost.
Your help is super valuable. Thank you in advance.
If the scratches on the floor donât bother you, or if you can fix them yourself but they are still visible, you can go ahead and submit the damage claim before the end of your lease when you are moving out, provided you are the policyholder. This type of claim is usually subject to a deductible, typically around Fr. 100.â
Thanks! I have a general Privathaftpflichtversicherung. And I do not care about the scracthes, I really only care about the peace of mind of not having a pending huge sum to pay
If you have a âPrivathaftpflichtversicherungâ, you can indeed have peace of mind. The only expense youâll need to cover is the deductible, which is usually around Fr. 100.â
Review your insurance policy, and be sure to ask your roommate to reimburse you for any deductible you have to pay. Good luck!
Just make sure you keep up to date with payments on your insurance and donât forget to renew it. Maybe you stay so long they donât care about the scratches, but if you leave in the next few years, it will come in handy if they challenge the scratches.
Thatâs the one. Privathaftpflichtversicherung is all you need
I got the impression it is linoleum. Itâs come into fashion again (an improved kind to what we know from our grand-parents, I heard ) or vinyl (very similar) which is known to be prone to scratches.
You can ask your landlord what it is exactly, say you need to know what to clean it with if they ask why you ask. And it wonât be a lie either as you better make sure you use the correct detergent.
If you donât mind the scratches, leave them. If you do stay a long time there will be more to come. Keep them clean though, if dust and stuff gets stuck in them they will be more visible and harder to clean over time.
The good thing about the experience is: It wonât happen to you again as you will never shift sofas and beds accross that floor again. I got parquet and when Iâm on my own having to shift such a thing, I put a fat towel under two feet and lift the other two. That way you can drag things for miles without scratches.
All the best.
Yes, poor quality because itâs probably destined to be a rental.
We moved a couple of times and didnât have any problems with the parquet scratches which are unavoidable, seriously.
I remember we took pictures of the scratches which were present when we moved in but we never needed those photos.
I think youâre worrying too much. On the other hand we also never had a petty landlord, we only had to deal with agencies, till we bought our own apartment.
If I misidentified the flooring materialâŠno worries, there are repair kits for all the materials you find at home: wood for flooring, natural stone or quartz for kitchen tops, ceramic for shower floors, ceramic for bathroom sinks. If itâs only a chip and not a huge fracture, it can be fixed.
I am surprised people show so much care for linoleum but not about other people.
We have old curley here who mocked my childâs sport accident on another thread and sheâs so super nice and oh so, so sensitive to someoneâs problem with linoleum.
I just couldnât help.
Ahhhh, completely forgot about linoleum. That explains the absence of joints. There must be repair kits for it too.
I got the DIY illness. Itâs not about caring too much about an object, but the joy of solving a problem. I choose a life where I rarely see the results of my work. So, itâs satisfying to have a result in 1 hour and not 5 years later haha
Must ask a friend who has a PhD in polymers and had the kindness to explain me the process of packing chips or other stuff that comes in plastic bags. It was fascinating.
Thanks folks for all the help, your help is invaluable, canât quantify it how much!!
Regarding the linoneum and joints, I see that those are panels and there is some frontier between each panel, so not sure if this joint thing you mentioned, discards being linoneum?
Actually your floor is not called âlinoleumâ unless itâs made of organic materials - although most people improperly use this name -, but what you have seems like vinyl flooring and guess what, it can be fixed. (or just replace the scratched âtileâ)
I once destroyed our parket floor. I washed it down and water got under the boards. The boards started to lift up. I played the innocent not knowing anything person and they replaced the whole floor for me at no cost.
Thank you. I will have to ask around cause I have no idea and it does not show up in the apartment documents.
) or vinyl (very similar) which is known to be prone to scratches.
(or just replace the scratched âtileâ)