End of lease cleaning checklist: room by room

Before the clean starts

Most inspection problems come from things that were missed rather than things that were cleaned badly. A little preparation removes most of them.

• Read your lease and your entry condition report. Anything recorded as clean at the start needs to be clean at the end.
• Ask your property manager for their exit checklist. Many agencies have one, and it tells you exactly what they look at.
• Move out first. Nobody can clean inside cupboards that are still full or floors that are still under furniture.
• Keep the power and water connected until after the clean. Vacuums, hot water and lighting all need to work on the day.
• Book carpet steam cleaning, pest control or outside window cleaning separately if your lease asks for them. They are specialist jobs and not part of a standard end of lease clean.
• Schedule the clean for after the removalists, and leave a day or two before the final inspection in case anything needs a touch-up.

Kitchen

• Inside the oven, including racks, trays and the glass door
• Rangehood, including the filters
• Cooktop and knobs
• Splashback and the wall behind the cooktop
• Inside and outside every cupboard and drawer, including shelves and handles
• Benchtops, including under small appliances
• Sink, taps and drain
• Dishwasher filter and door seals, if a dishwasher is provided
• Inside the fridge if one is provided, and the floor and wall where yours stood
• Walls and doors spot-cleaned
• Floors vacuumed and mopped, including under movable appliances

Bathrooms and laundry

• Shower screen, tiles and grout, with soap scum and limescale removed
• Bath, including the taps and plug
• Toilet inside and out, including the base, behind it and the seat hinges
• Vanity inside and out, and the mirror
• Taps and fittings polished
• Exhaust fan cover
• Towel rails and toilet-roll holder
• Laundry tub and cupboards, and the space behind the washing machine
• Floors and drains
• Walls and doors spot-cleaned

Bedrooms, living areas and hallways

• Inside wardrobes, including shelves, rails, mirror doors and door tracks
• Walls spot-cleaned for marks and scuffs
• Skirting boards
• Doors, door frames and handles
• Light switches and power points
• Light fittings, ceiling fans and cobwebs
• Window interiors, sills and tracks, and flyscreens where they can be removed
• Blinds dusted and curtains checked for marks
• Air-conditioner filters, where they are removable and easy to reach
• Carpets vacuumed to the edges, hard floors vacuumed and mopped
• Hooks and adhesive strips you added removed, if your lease requires it

Outside, garage and the final walk-through

• Balcony or patio swept and washed down
• Garage swept, with oil marks treated
• Bins emptied and rinsed
• Letterbox cleared
• Lawns mowed and garden tidied, if the garden is your responsibility under the lease
• All rubbish removed from the property
• Keys, remotes and swipe cards counted and ready to return
• Dated photos of every room after the clean, for your own records

What a standard end of lease clean does not include

These are specialist or separate jobs. If your lease or property manager asks for them, arrange them separately:

• Carpet steam cleaning
• Outside windows, especially above the ground floor
• Pest control and flea treatments
• Mould remediation beyond surface cleaning
• Rubbish removal and furniture disposal
• Repairs, painting and filling holes
• Gardening beyond a basic tidy

How bonds work in each state

In most states and territories your bond is held by a government body and released once you and your landlord or agent agree on the amount, or after a tribunal decision if you do not. No cleaning service can promise the outcome of a final inspection. What a good clean does is take cleaning off the list of reasons a claim could be made.

• New South Wales: In NSW, rental bonds are held by NSW Fair Trading and managed through Rental Bonds Online. If you and your landlord or agent disagree about a claim, it can go to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).
• Victoria: In Victoria, rental bonds are held by the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA). If you and your rental provider disagree about a claim, it can go to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
• Queensland: In Queensland, rental bonds are held by the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA). If you and your lessor or agent disagree about a claim, the RTA offers dispute resolution, and unresolved claims can go to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).
• Western Australia: In Western Australia, rental bonds are held by the Bond Administrator. If you and your landlord or agent disagree about a claim, it can go to the Magistrates Court.
• South Australia: In South Australia, rental bonds are held by Consumer and Business Services (CBS). If you and your landlord or agent disagree about a claim, it can go to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT).
• Tasmania: In Tasmania, rental bonds are held by the Rental Deposit Authority. If you and your landlord or agent disagree about a claim, the Residential Tenancy Commissioner decides it.
• Australian Capital Territory: In the ACT, rental bonds are lodged with the Office of Rental Bonds at Access Canberra. If you and your lessor or agent disagree about a claim, it can go to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT).
• Northern Territory: In the Northern Territory, there is no bond authority: your landlord or agent holds the bond. If you and your landlord or agent disagree about a claim, it can go to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT).

Booking an end of lease clean on Ousie

Ousie’s end of lease clean covers everything on this checklist that a cleaner can do inside the property: everything in a deep clean, plus inside cupboards and drawers, behind and under movable furniture, doors, handles and light switches, and full-height wall spot-cleaning. Your cleaner brings all the products and equipment.

It costs $266 for the first 3 hours, then $80 for each extra hour, and you see the full price before you book. Add anything your property manager has asked for to the booking notes so your cleaner knows before they arrive. If they need more time on the day, they ask in the app, and nothing is added unless you approve it.