Most leases require the property left "reasonably clean" — not necessarily professionally cleaned unless your specific lease says otherwise. Whichever standard applies, the clean is what your bond actually gets judged against, so it's worth treating as a real task with its own timeline rather than something to squeeze in on the last afternoon.
How to do it
- Check your lease's exact wording first. "Reasonably clean" and "professionally cleaned, with receipt provided" are genuinely different standards, and some agreements specify the second explicitly — don't assume until you've checked.
- Book a cleaner who does end-of-lease work specifically, not a general house clean, if you're not doing it yourself — the checklist differs: oven interiors, cupboard interiors, window tracks, extractor fans, skirting boards, the detail a routine clean skips.
- Do the clean on your actual move-out day, once everything's packed out, so dust and marks from moving furniture don't resettle before the final inspection.
- Take dated photos of every room as you go, including inside cupboards and the oven — this is your evidence if the property manager's view of "clean enough" differs from yours.
- Keep the receipt if you pay for a clean — proof of a professional service is useful evidence if a bond dispute ever comes up.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a regular weekly-clean service covers this — most don't do ovens, window tracks, or extractor fans as standard.
- Booking a cleaner for moving day itself without confirming they can actually get in after your furniture is out, not before.
- Not checking whether carpet cleaning is specified separately in the lease — some agreements require it explicitly, on top of a general clean.
Related tasks
Time this alongside your bond inspection — most people book both for the same day, back to back, so the property is inspected while the clean is still fresh.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a bond/end-of-lease clean cost in Australia?
- Roughly $220-$320 for a one-bedroom unit up to $650-$1,100 for a four-bedroom house — Sydney and Canberra sit at the top of that range, regional Queensland and Tasmania at the bottom.
- How far ahead should I book?
- 7-14 days before your final inspection as a general rule, but 3-4 weeks ahead during December-February or end-of-financial-year, when cleaners in capital cities book out fastest.