Who to hire for an end of lease clean

Short answer

A cleaning business that does end-of-lease work specifically, and get the agent's own exit checklist first so the quote is against the right list. The thing to insist on is a re-clean guarantee that covers you if the agent objects — and to check whether it requires you to report within a fixed number of days.

Soon, not tonightIt will not usually get cheaper by waiting, and it is rarely worth an after-hours rate.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Cleaner.

  • your property manager

    before booking. Ask for the exit condition report and the entry condition report. The second one is the standard you are actually being held to.

  • a gardener

    the lease covers the garden. It usually does and it is usually forgotten until the inspection.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Get the entry condition report out. You are obliged to return the property in the condition it was in, allowing for fair wear and tear — not to a showroom standard, and not better than you got it.
  2. Photograph everything after the clean, dated. This is the evidence if the bond is disputed.
  3. Ask what is excluded: walls, blinds, the oven, the range hood filter, carpet steam cleaning, the garage, and outside windows are the usual exclusions.
  4. Check whether your lease requires professional carpet cleaning and a receipt. Many do, and some of those requirements are not enforceable — but the receipt ends the argument either way.

What to ask when you book

  • Is there a re-clean guarantee, what does it cover, and for how many days?
  • Is carpet steam cleaning included or subcontracted, and do I get a receipt?
  • Are walls, blinds, the oven, the range hood and outside windows included?
  • Do you carry public liability insurance?
  • Is this priced per hour or for the job, and what happens if it takes longer?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Size of the property and its condition.
  • Carpet cleaning, which is usually a separate line.
  • Whether the oven, range hood, blinds and windows are included.
  • Whether it is furnished or empty — an empty property is cheaper and better cleaned.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Cleaning is not a licensed trade anywhere in Australia. Public liability insurance and, for anything involving heights or chemicals, safe work practices are what separate businesses rather than a licence.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for an end of lease clean
A cleaning business that does end-of-lease work specifically, and get the agent's own exit checklist first so the quote is against the right list. The thing to insist on is a re-clean guarantee that covers you if the agent objects — and to check whether it requires you to report within a fixed number of days.
Does the property have to be professionally cleaned?
Tenancy law in every state requires the property to be left reasonably clean, and generally does not require a professional. Lease clauses demanding professional cleaning receipts are common and their enforceability varies by state — several tribunals have found blanket clauses unenforceable where the tenant left the property clean. What is not in dispute is the standard: reasonably clean, having regard to its condition at the start.
What is a re-clean guarantee worth?
It is worth exactly what its conditions say. Check the window — many are 72 hours from the clean, which can expire before the exit inspection happens — and check whether it covers items the agent lists that were excluded from the original quote. A guarantee that excludes everything the agent is likely to pick up is decoration.

Find a Cleaner near you

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Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.