Bike Shifting in Maradu

Maradu sits along the bypass south of Vyttila, and much of its housing is let rather than lived in by owners. Newer blocks, often well finished, are let furnished or part furnished to people working across the city. Moving out of one is delicate, because half of what's in the flat isn't yours, and someone will check the inventory before returning the deposit.

Occasionally, the inventory includes a vehicle. An owner who lives abroad or in another city leaves a scooter in the parking, partly so it's used and kept running, partly as a perk for the tenant. It may be listed on the inventory, or mentioned in a message, or simply handed over with the keys.

When you leave, that scooter is the owner's, and it stays. But it needs the same care as the rest of the inventory, because its condition will be checked.

Start with the inventory. If the scooter is listed, look at what it says: registration number, condition notes, accessories like a helmet or a cover. If you took photos when you moved in, find them. If it isn't listed, check the messages or the agreement for anything said about it.

Check its condition, ideally in daylight and with the move in photos open on your phone. Compare it with the move in photos and notes. A new scratch, a cracked mirror, a flat tyre or a dead battery are the kind of thing an owner notices. Small things are often easily fixed before you go: pump the tyres, charge the battery, wash it.

Check the papers. These are easy to leave in the boot of the wrong scooter on a busy day. If the owner left the RC copy and insurance with the scooter, make sure they're still there. If the insurance or pollution certificate lapsed while you had it, tell the owner; some owners expect the tenant to renew it, others don't.

Hand it over properly. The owner's agent may want to see it run, so start it once in front of them if they ask. Leave the key with the owner or their agent, not in the scooter. Walk round it with them if they come in person, or send photos and a short note on its condition if they don't. Ask them to confirm by message that it's been returned.

Then move your own bike. If you have a bike of your own in the same parking, make sure the crew know which one is yours. Point out your bike's plate to them, and if the owner's scooter looks similar, point it out as staying.

Talk to the owner early. An owner who lives abroad may want the scooter serviced, covered or parked in a particular spot when you leave, or may want it sold or collected by a relative. A message a few weeks before the move gives them time to decide, and saves you guessing on the last day.

If the owner asks you to take the scooter somewhere, to a relative or a workshop, treat it as a separate booking in their name, with their written permission.

Keep a record. Photos of both bikes on the day, yours leaving and the owner's staying, settle any later question.

The crew in the Maradu parking will be vetted local partners, and they arrive knowing from our survey which bike is yours and which stays. The written price and the accountability are ours.

Our Maradu packers page covers packing around a furnished flat's inventory. This page is about the scooter that might be on it.

If the owner left an electric scooter and its charger, check that both are there and the battery is charged before you hand them back. For your own electric scooter, tell us at booking who manufactured it and if the battery comes out.