The last week of a tenancy is a strange mix of boxes, takeaway and mild panic. You're moving out, the place is a mess, and somewhere in the back of your mind sits the final inspection and the bond you'd very much like to see again.
Here's the good news. Cleaning is the part of the process you have the most control over. This is how to tackle it properly.
What the Agent Is Actually Checking
In Victoria, tenants are generally expected to hand the property back in the same condition it was in when they moved in, apart from fair wear and tear. Your benchmark is the condition report you filled in at the start of the tenancy. If you can still find it, dig it out before you pick up a sponge.
Fair wear and tear means the gradual ageing that comes from normal living, like faded paint or a worn patch of carpet along the hallway. Dirt is not wear and tear. Grease on the oven, soap scum in the shower and dust on the skirting boards are all things the agent will expect you to deal with.
The Room by Room Checklist
Kitchen
This is where most bonds get into trouble.
- Oven inside and out, including racks, trays and the glass door
- Rangehood, including the filters, which collect a surprising amount of grease
- Cooktop and the walls around it
- Inside and outside of every cupboard and drawer
- Fridge shelves, seals and drip tray, if the fridge belongs to the property
- Dishwasher filter and door seals
- Sink, taps and splashback
Bathrooms and Toilets
- Grout and tiles, especially the shower corners
- Soap scum and limescale on screens, taps and the base of the shower
- Exhaust fan cover
- Mirror and vanity, inside and out
- Toilet, including the base, behind the bowl and the seat hinges
- Drains, which tend to hold more hair than anyone likes to admit
Bedrooms and Living Areas
- Skirting boards, which are almost always dusty
- Doors, door frames and handles
- Light switches and power points
- Inside wardrobes and built-in shelves
- Ceiling fans and light fittings, where dead insects like to gather
- Marks on the walls, cleaned gently so you don't take the paint off
- Blinds and curtains that belong to the property
Windows and Floors
- Windows, sills and tracks, inside and out where you can safely reach
- A thorough vacuum of everything, including corners and the spots where furniture sat
- Mopping of all hard floors
- Carpets, which we cover in the next section
Laundry, Garage and Outdoors
- Laundry tub, taps and the lint that collects in odd corners
- Oil marks on the garage floor
- Balcony or patio swept and cobwebs removed
- Garden tidied, if your lease requires it
The Carpet Question
Many agents expect carpets to be professionally cleaned before you leave, and some leases say so in black and white. Check yours. If professional cleaning is required, keep the receipt, because agents often ask to see it.
Our carpet cleaning service can be booked alongside your clean, so both are done on the same day.
Timing Matters More Than You'd Think
- Clean after everything is out. If you clean around furniture, you'll end up cleaning twice.
- Leave a buffer. Finish the day before the inspection, not the morning of. That gives you time to fix anything you spot.
- Book early. Rental changeovers cluster around the end of the month, and good cleaners fill up fast.
What Cleaning Can't Fix
Being honest here saves you some stress. A clean won't fix damage. Holes in walls, burn marks, broken fittings and carpet stains from a spill that soaked in are treated as damage, not dirt.
And no cleaner can promise you your bond back, because the bond also covers things like unpaid rent and damage. What a thorough clean does is remove the most common reason for deductions.
Take Photos When You're Done
Once every room is finished, take clear, dated photos of each one, plus close-ups of the oven, bathrooms and carpets. If there's a disagreement about the condition of the property later, you'll be glad to have them. If it can't be sorted out between you and the agent, the process for resolving bond disputes is explained on the Consumer Affairs Victoria website.
Should You Do It Yourself or Hire Someone?
DIY makes sense if you have the time and the right products, and the place is in decent shape.
Hiring makes sense if you're juggling work, packing and travel, if the oven hasn't been touched in years, or if you want a cleaner who knows what agents look for.
Our end of lease cleaning follows real estate standards and is designed to help you get your bond back. If the place needs more than a standard clean, we also do deep cleaning. Get a quote or call 1300 60 7110.
