End of Lease Cleaning: What Tenants Need to Know

If you are about to move out from your rented property in Sydney, Melbourne or anywhere in Australia, you’ve probably heard about a mandatory bond cleaning that must take place before you leave. Of course, you may feel up to the job of scrubbing the place yourself, but most of the time, in order to get your deposit back, you will have to get your property professionally cleaned.

It’s good to note here that an end-of-lease cleaning service is often ordered by landlords and people who are about to put their house on the market.

In this article, you will learn about what is included in a bond clean, how much it usually takes, what the average price is and whether it’s really required to be done by professionals.

What does an end-of-lease cleaning include?

A bond cleaning usually includes vacuuming all carpets, mopping the floors, thoroughly dusting any hard furniture, cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms, the oven inside and out, as well as washing the windows. The cleaning team uses professional equipment and detergents and follows a detailed end-of-lease cleaning checklist.

We can divide these tasks into three groups. Check out the examples below:

Standard tasks that are always included in the cleaning

• Vacuuming all carpets and upholstered furniture;
• Mopping the floors;
• Wiping the windows on the inside;
• Wiping the kitchen cupboards inside and out;
• Deep cleaning of the oven;
• Dusting and cleaning all skirting boards, window sills, light fittings, window tracks, door handles.

Extra tasks that you can book additionally

Required tasks, which are also booked separately

How much does an end-of-lease cleaning cost?

There are many factors that can contribute to the overall end-of-lease cleaning price, however, the average cost in Australia is around $350.

It mostly depends on the type and size of the property, whether it’s a studio flat, a 1-bedroom house or apartment, or a 2-,3-,4-bedroom house. Logically, the larger it is, the more expensive it will be to have the property cleaned.

Another important thing that can affect the cost is also the number of people assigned to clean your rented house or flat. Depending on the size of the job, it could be one cleaner or a team of two or three people, sent to perform the service.

The next important factor is the number and type of tasks that need to be completed. For example, if you want your carpets steam cleaned, the price will go up, as this is not normally part of the standard end-of-lease service. You can book an external window cleaning or a fridge/freezer cleaning, which will hike up the cost even more. Once you specify all the areas you need cleaning, the price will be calculated, based on those additional tasks, as well. Oftentimes, combining services can be a lot cheaper than booking them separately.

The condition of the property is very important, as well. A well-maintained house or flat will need less time to be cleaned thoroughly than a property, which requires a little extra love or it hasn’t been lived in for a while.

Examples of price differences

Overall, prices for bond cleaning are individual and they also differ by region. For example, a studio flat with a balcony in the centre of Sydney will cost around $450, while cleaning a studio flat with one balcony in a fancy area in Melbourne can cost around $350. However, you can have your house cleaned, again in Melbourne, which has 2 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom, and 1 hallway for as little as $250 if located in a less expensive area.

So, to sum up, the condition of the property, its location and its size are the main factors that are considered when giving a quote for an end-of-lease cleaning.

How long does a bond clean take?

An end-of-lease cleaning session can take from 3 to 8 hours, depending on the size of the property and the number of cleaners attending. It’s very important to have the property ready and empty of personal belongings.

The cleaning team can move around any light furniture so that they can clean the rooms thoroughly but if you have any bigger furniture, it’s more likely that they won’t attempt to move those. We recommend that you advise the company beforehand whether you need any bulky furniture moved so that this can be also factored in the price and in the time it takes the cleaners to complete the service.

Naturally, the job will also take longer if you have booked any extra tasks, such as professional carpet or upholstery cleaning, wall spot cleaning or external window cleaning, for instance.

As mentioned earlier, the amount of time the job takes can vary, based on the number of people doing it. Most standard cleaning jobs include a team of 2 or 3 professionals but as the service can be completely customised, more cleaners can be sent if needed, in order to get everything done more efficiently.

For example, that studio flat with one balcony in Melbourne can be cleaned in 2-3 hours by a team of 2 professionals, if it’s not in a very bad condition. And a 2-bedroom house can be spruced up in about 4 hours by a team of 2 or 3 cleaning experts.

Is professional cleaning required at the end of your lease?

As we mentioned earlier, each agency or landlord has their own requirements when it comes to cleaning the property at the end of your lease. However, tenants have a few obligations in certain situations that need to be considered. Here are the main tenant cleaning responsibilities that cannot be neglected:

• Professional steam cleaning of your carpets, rugs and upholstery. If you’ve had pets in the property, your landlord will most certainly expect you to book a professional carpet cleaning service, as well. Plan ahead and deal with it early, as your carpets will need some time to dry after the cleaning.
• Flea treatment. Again, if you’ve had furry pets in your rented house or flat, no traces of the animals should be left when you move out. Consider hiring a professional pest control technician, so you don’t have any problems with your landlord and agency.
• Clean the property according to the checklist. You are generally provided with it at the beginning of your lease. Professional cleaning teams always work with industry-approved checklists but if your landlord’s is slightly different, it is very important to point this out to the cleaners so that they can take care of everything.
• Check your rights in The Residential Tenancies Act. Your landlord or agency is obliged to base your contract on this Act, where you can clearly see all tenant rights and responsibilities.

Why should you book your end-of-lease cleaning with Fantastic Services?

Doing a proper move-out clean is crucial for anyone who wants to get their bond back from their letting agency or landlord. And the most secure way is to book the service with a professional cleaning company like Fantastic Services that guarantees the retrieval of your deposit back at the end.

If you, your landlord or your agency notice any missed areas in a period of 72 hours after the service, we will send back the team to re-clean those for free. Another benefit you get from us is that you don’t even have to be present during the cleaning! We can arrange a key pick-up from a nearby location, so you can continue with your day as you wish. Still, we recommend that you inspect the cleaning results at the end to make sure that everything is done according to your requirements and checklist.

Book your guaranteed end-of-lease cleaning with Fantastic Services and save yourself the hassle!