Your guide to end of lease cleaning

The best way to ensure your exit from your lease is as easy as possible is to be prepared. It is important to have in place a time sensitive cleaning schedule that can prepare you for your next bond clean. Use this guide to guarantee that your property is in the ideal handover state to avoid any tenancy issues with your rental bond.

ONE MONTH BEFORE YOUR LEASE ENDS

Professionally clean the carpets. In most lease agreements, it is a requirement that the carpets are professionally cleaned before the property is vacated. Now is the most ideal time to book in a professional carpet cleaner who can arrive the day before you hand your keys back to us.
Consider whether your property requires pest control. Some lease agreements will stipulate that pest control is to be done on your property. This is particularly important if you have had pets during your tenancy as it is your responsibility to keep the premise pest free. The month prior to exiting your lease is a good time to book a professional pest control service to spray your property.
Ensure the lawns are maintained. If your property has a lawn, ensure they are mowed in the last week of your tenancy. If you do not have a mower, you should consider booking in a professional gardener or landscaper to mow the lawns for you.
Cancel your utilities (where necessary). RentConnect can take care of your utility disconnections and reconnections.

ONE WEEK BEFORE YOUR LEASE ENDS

Clean the exterior of your property. This includes:

Cleaning and sweeping the garage. Consider whether the floor needs de-greasing.
Ensuring you remove any cobwebs and spray the outdoor area with insect spray.
Disposing of any extra rubbish in the backyard including cigarette butts and bottle tops that may be left around the garden or lawn areas.
Scrubbing down the driveway and pay attention to residual oil or tyre marks made by your vehicle.

Clean the interior of your property. This includes:

Removing, cleaning and replacing your light fittings. Check the light globes and make sure they are in working order. If bulbs have blown, ensure they have been replaced.
Inspecting curtains and blinds. Make sure you pay attention to whether any dirt, dust or marks are present. If your property has venetian blinds, we recommend wiping each slat clean. Some curtains may also be able to be washed. Alternatively, vacuuming can help remove excess dust or dirt.
Wiping clean any Airconditioning units, smoke alarms and ceiling fans. Remove the exhaust fans in the kitchen, toilet and bathroom and wash and replace them.
If there are any fly spots on your ceiling, use sugar soap or mild detergent in a bucket of warm water with a sponge to remove them.

THREE DAYS BEFORE YOUR LEASE ENDS

Clean the window exteriors by:

Clearing out all the cobwebs with a broom or wet cloth.
Inspecting your window tracks and clearing them of dirt or any other build up. Do this by carefully running a screwdriver along the tracks to loosen any dirt and follow up by using a vacuum or wet cloth.
Removing and hosing down the fly screen. The fly screen can be loosened by placing a screwdriver underneath the screen and lifting it from side to side before pulling it out entirely. NB: Fly screens can bend easily so ensure you are not forcing the screen out of the window sill.

Ensure you 'squeegee' your windows!

Use a sponge and warm soapy water on your window panes to remove any dirt and build up.
Once the window is wet and soapy, wipe the top edge to minimise streaks and slide your squeegee blade down the window pane, applying firm pressure.
Continue until all the soapy residue is gone. Dry the window edges and remove any remaining marks with a dry cloth.

TWO DAYS BEFORE YOUR LEASE ENDS

Toilets

Disinfect and clean all parts of the toilets in your property. This includes the fittings, cistern, behind the toilet and the pipes.
Use a spray disinfectant, paper towel and disposable gloves to ensure you are keeping everything safe and hygienic.
Clean all wall tiles with the spray disinfectant and a cloth and wash any dirty walls down. Lastly, scrub the inside of the bowl with toilet bowl cleaner and a toilet brush.

Living areas, bedrooms and corridors

Vacuum the inside of the wardrobes and cupboards and wash the panelling and doors with warm soapy water before drying.
Remove any personal hooks, posters, sticky tape as well as residue. If there are any cobweb marks on your walls wash them down with sugar soap or a mild detergent.
Ensure all light switches are clean.

Kitchen

Clean the oven by removing the rangehood, stove and knobs (if they are removable). Soak these parts in hot soapy water and scrub with a scourer until clean. Clean the oven glass as per the oven's cleaning directions.

Bathroom

Clean and vacuum your bathrooms to get rid of any surface dust or build up. In the shower, use a creme cleanser and a scourer sponge. Ensure you attend to all the corners, door frame and top of the shower. Check your drains to make sure they are hair free. Rinse your showers with water and squeegee the glass.

Laundry

Remove any calcium or rust build up in the laundry trough using a creme cleanser and scourer sponge. The same process may need to be used on your laundry cupboards. Wipe down all tap fittings and surrounding wall tiles. Scrub any last marks off the floor with the cleanser.

Floors

Vacuum each room in the house in preparation for the carpet cleaner. Sweep and mop any hard floors, including the patio.

ONE DAY BEFORE YOUR LEASE ENDS

Your carpets should be professionally cleaned on this day. Once this process is completed, ensure you do a final lap of the property with this guide to be certain your property is in its best condition.