End of Lease Cleaning Guide for Tenants

Moving out of a property managed by Fusion Realty? This guide explains what we look for at the final inspection, what needs to be cleaned, and how to plan your move so that everything is finished before you hand back the keys.

Haven't given notice yet? Submit your notice to vacate online first.

Everything must be finished before you hand back the keys

There is often an incoming tenant waiting to move in. They may have booked removalists, ended their own lease and have nowhere else to live until they can move into the property. A delay at your end becomes a serious problem for them.

Plan your move so that the cleaning, the removal of all your belongings and rubbish, and anything else that needs doing are complete before your key handover appointment.

Aim to leave the property in better condition than when you moved in.

When the property is handed back clean and nothing needs attention at the final inspection, the bond can normally be returned straight away.

The Standard

Your ingoing condition report

At the end of your tenancy we compare the property against the ingoing condition report and photos from the start of your tenancy, allowing for fair wear and tear. If something was clean on the day you moved in, it needs to be clean on the day you move out.

What we check at the final inspection

Every cupboard, drawer and wardrobe is opened
The oven door is opened, the racks are pulled out and the rangehood filters are checked
Window tracks, sills and fly screens
The tops of overhead cupboards, doors, skirting boards and architraves
Light fittings, ceiling fans and exhaust fan covers
Showers, screens, grout, silicone and toilets, including the base and behind
The floor and wall where the fridge and washing machine stood
Balconies, courtyards, garages and bins
Carpets, walls, odours and anything left behind

Anything that falls short of the ingoing condition report is noted and photographed.

Checklist

Room-by-room cleaning checklist

A general checklist to work through. Every property is different, so check it against your ingoing condition report and add anything specific to your property.

1Kitchen

Oven cleaned inside and out, including racks, trays and the glass door
Cooktop, grill and knobs degreased
Rangehood cleaned, filters degreased or replaced
Inside and outside of all cupboards and drawers, plus the tops of overhead cupboards
Benchtops, splashback and sink, including taps, plug and drain
Dishwasher inside, seals and filter, if supplied
Microwave inside and out, if supplied
Fridge space swept and mopped, including the wall behind
Grease marks removed from walls and door frames
Floor vacuumed and mopped, including under the oven if it slides out

2Bathrooms and toilets

Shower screen, tiles and grout descaled and scrubbed
Soap scum and mould removed from silicone and corners
Bath, basin, vanity and taps cleaned and polished
Toilet inside and out, including the base, seat hinges, cistern and behind
Mirrors, cabinets inside and out, towel rails and fittings
Exhaust fan cover removed and cleaned
Drains cleared of hair, floor vacuumed and mopped

3Bedrooms

Built-in wardrobes cleaned inside and out: shelves, rails, tracks and mirror doors
Walls spot cleaned for marks and scuffs
Skirting boards, door frames and doors wiped, including the tops of doors
Light fittings, switches and power points cleaned
Window glass, sills and tracks cleaned
Carpet vacuumed to the edges, hard floors mopped

4Living, dining, hallway and entry

Cobwebs removed from ceilings, cornices and corners
Walls spot cleaned, skirting boards and architraves wiped
Light fittings, ceiling fans, switches and power points
Window glass, sills, tracks and fly screens
Front door inside and out, door handles and intercom
Cupboards and storage inside and out
Floors vacuumed and mopped edge to edge

5Laundry

Tub, taps and cabinet inside and out
Washing machine and dryer wiped if supplied, lint filter emptied
Behind and under appliances where they move
Walls, skirting boards and exhaust fan
Floor vacuumed and mopped

6Outdoor, garage and balcony

Balcony or courtyard swept and washed, railings and glass wiped
Garage swept, cobwebs removed, oil stains treated
Bins emptied and clean, all rubbish removed
Outdoor light fittings and the letterbox
Lawns, gardens and pools as set out in your tenancy agreement

7Often overlooked

If these were clean when you moved in, they need to be clean when you move out.

Blinds, curtains and shutters
Air conditioner filters
Exterior windows and glass
Mould on ceilings and in wet areas

Inside the fridge, if it stays with the property (defrost it first)
Light switches, power points and door handles throughout
Marks on walls where furniture and pictures were
Smells from pets, smoke or cooking in carpets and cupboards

Common Problems

What gets missed most often

The floors are mopped and the benches wiped, yet items are still found at the final inspection. These are the areas most often missed.

The oven and rangehood. Baked-on grease inside the oven, on the racks and glass door, and in the rangehood filters.

Window tracks and sills. The glass is cleaned but the tracks underneath are full of grit, insects and mould.

Dust on every edge. Skirting boards, the tops of doors and architraves.

Light fittings and fans. Insects in light shades, dust on fan blades and grey exhaust fan covers.

Inside and on top of cupboards. Crumbs in drawers, sticky pantry shelves and greasy dust on top of overhead cupboards.

Marks on the walls. Scuffs behind where the bed was, grease above the stove and fingerprints around switches.

Shower screens, grout and silicone. Soap scum, hard water scale and mould that needs treating, not just wiping.

The whole toilet. The base, the floor around it, the seat hinges, the back of the cistern and the wall behind.

Behind and under appliances. The floor and wall behind the fridge and washing machine, and the gap beside the oven.

Smells. Pet, smoke and cooking odours linger in carpets, curtains and cupboards.

Most of these jobs are not difficult. They are slow, and they are usually left until last when everyone is tired. Allow enough time to do them properly.

Belongings

Take everything with you

Tenants sometimes leave furniture, appliances, cleaning products or other belongings behind, thinking the landlord or the next tenant will want them. If you don't want it, the next person doesn't either.

Anything left behind is treated as rubbish and removed at your cost. If you have items to get rid of, book a council clean-up collection or a rubbish removal service well before your moving day, as collections need to be booked in advance.

Pets and Carpets

If you kept an animal at the property

Our tenancy agreements require tenants who have kept an animal at the property to arrange and pay for professional carpet cleaning at the end of the tenancy, if the cleaning is needed because of the animal. Your carpet cleaner will advise whether fumigation is also needed.

Contact us for the details of our preferred carpet cleaners. They are reasonably priced, and because we work with them directly, if anything is found at the final inspection we contact them to come back and fix it at no cost to you, which avoids delays in returning your bond.

Book the carpet clean after the main clean so the carpets are not walked on while wet, and keep your receipts, as we will ask for them.

Repairs

Cleaning and repairs are different

Marks that come off with spot cleaning are cleaning. Holes, burns, broken fittings and damaged floors are repairs, and they are assessed separately. Please talk to us before you carry out any repair work, such as filling holes or painting.

Planning

Planning your move-out

One to two weeks before

Book your cleaner, or set aside the time yourself, for after the removalists have gone. A property full of boxes cannot be cleaned. Contact us if you would like the details of our preferred cleaners.
Find your ingoing condition report and photos.
Check your tenancy agreement for any end-of-tenancy conditions, including the pet term if you kept an animal.
Book rubbish removal or a council clean-up collection for anything you are not taking.
Contact us to arrange your key handover appointment.

Before the clean

Keep electricity and water connected until the cleaning is finished. The oven, hot water and vacuum all need power, and nothing can be washed without water.
Empty every cupboard, drawer, wardrobe and shelf, including the laundry and the garage.
Leave fixtures and fittings as they were when you moved in, unless we have agreed something different in writing.
Defrost the fridge if it stays with the property.

On the day of the clean

Make sure the property is completely empty.
Keep pets away from the property.
When the clean is done, walk through with this checklist and your ingoing condition report.
Take your own time-stamped photos of every room, with cupboards open.

Key handover

Bring every key, remote and swipe card to your appointment and hand them to a Fusion Realty staff member.
Never leave keys in the property, in the letterbox, with a neighbour or anywhere else.
The cost of replacing missing keys, remotes or locks can be claimed against the bond.

After You Move Out

After the final inspection

If the property meets the ingoing condition report, the bond can normally be returned straight away.
If cleaning items are found, we will let you know. You can return within 1 to 2 days to fix them. If it takes longer than that, additional rent may be charged.
The simplest way to avoid any of this is to have everything finished before you hand back the keys.

Questions

Common questions

No. How you reach the standard is up to you. What matters is the result: the property needs to be returned in the condition shown in the ingoing condition report, allowing for fair wear and tear. Many tenants book a professional clean because the list is long and the slow jobs are the ones most often missed. If you would like a professional cleaner, contact us for the details of our preferred cleaners. They are reasonably priced, and because we work with them directly, if anything is found at the final inspection we contact them to come back and fix it at no cost to you, which avoids delays in returning your bond.

Yes. Floors, walls, cupboards and the spaces behind appliances cannot be cleaned properly around furniture and boxes.

Yes. Without power there is no oven cleaning, hot water or vacuuming, and nothing can be washed without water. Keep both connected until the cleaning is finished.

No. Anything left behind is treated as rubbish and removed at your cost.

No. Keys are only accepted by a Fusion Realty staff member at an arranged appointment. Never leave them in the property, in the letterbox or anywhere else.

We will let you know. You can return within 1 to 2 days to fix cleaning items. If it takes longer than that, additional rent may be charged.

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