A good vacate clean is easier when the property is empty, utilities still work and the tenant compares the result with the condition report before returning every key.
What Victorian rental rules say about cleaning
Consumer Affairs Victoria says renters must leave a property reasonably clean and in the same condition as at the start of the rental agreement, allowing for fair wear and tear. A rental provider cannot automatically demand professional cleaning for every tenancy signed from 29 March 2021. Professional cleaning can be required where the property needs to be returned to its starting state - for example, if it was professionally cleaned before the renter moved in - or where its condition requires professional cleaning.
Review the current Consumer Affairs Victoria condition-report and cleaning guidance and your own agreement. This checklist helps organise cleaning; it is not legal advice and does not promise a bond outcome.
Before cleaning begins
Use the tenancy agreement, entry condition report and any written property-manager instructions as your source of truth. Cleaning cannot repair damage or decide how a bond is distributed, and no cleaner can guarantee a full bond return.
Complete these preparation steps before the booked service:
- remove furniture, belongings, food and rubbish from agreed areas;
- keep electricity, lighting and hot water connected;
- provide working, authorised access for the entire booking;
- confirm keys, fobs, lifts, loading areas and parking;
- tell the cleaner about delicate surfaces or known damage;
- send agent checklists and inspection timing in advance;
- confirm whether professional carpet treatment is required;
- leave time after cleaning to inspect before returning keys.
An empty property helps the cleaner work methodically. If removalists and cleaners overlap, rooms may remain blocked and dust can be reintroduced after an area is completed.
Kitchen checklist
- Clean benchtops, splashback, sink and tapware.
- Clean the cooktop and accessible surrounding surfaces.
- Clean the accessible oven interior, racks, trays and door glass included in the service.
- Wipe appliance exteriors.
- Clean empty cupboard and drawer interiors and exteriors.
- Attend accessible rangehood exterior and filters where included and safe.
- Clean skirting, reachable ledges and visible marks within scope.
- Vacuum and mop the floor.
- Remove all food and rubbish.
Permanent staining, damaged coatings and sealed appliance components are not cleaning failures. Unsafe appliances cannot be dismantled or repaired by a cleaner.
Bathroom and laundry checklist
- Clean shower, bath, accessible tiles and screens.
- Clean toilet, vanity, basin, mirrors and tapware.
- Wipe accessible cupboards and empty interiors when included.
- Attend reachable vents, fittings, ledges and skirting.
- Clean laundry trough and accessible surfaces.
- Vacuum and mop floors.
- Remove personal items and rubbish.
Cleaning is not mould remediation, regrouting or silicone replacement. Photograph existing damage and refer it to the property manager rather than asking a cleaner to conceal or repair it.
Bedrooms and living areas
- Dust accessible surfaces, ledges, skirting and fittings.
- Clean reachable wardrobes and empty storage interiors included in scope.
- Remove cobwebs from safe reachable areas.
- Clean mirrors and accessible interior glass selected in the booking.
- Vacuum carpets and mop suitable hard floors.
- Check doors, handles and visible reachable marks.
- Remove hooks, belongings and rubbish only where your tenancy instructions require it and removal is safe.
Moving heavy furniture, exterior windows and unsafe-height work sit outside ordinary domestic cleaning.
Carpet, windows and other separate work
Carpet steam cleaning is separate from routine vacuuming. Check the tenancy agreement and written agent request before booking it. Provide the number of rooms, stairs, stains, fibre concerns, furniture status and drying time. Stain removal cannot be guaranteed.
Interior windows may be an extra; exterior glass and high-access work require separate assessment. Balconies, walls, blinds and specialist areas should also be selected or discussed instead of assumed.
Access, keys and parking
Send private key instructions through the booking process, not in a public note. If a concierge, agent or lockbox controls entry, confirm hours and authorisation. Reserve lifts or loading bays where the building requires them.
The cleaner needs uninterrupted access while the service is underway. Returning a key before the cleaner finishes can prevent agreed work or an eligible follow-up. For paid or restricted parking, explain the legal option before the date.
Final inspection checklist
Walk through in daylight where possible and compare each room with the condition report. Check the agreed cleaning scope, take dated photographs and send any cleaning-specific concern promptly. Maid At Home asks customers to report an agreed missed item within 48 hours so the service can be reviewed.
Keep cleaning invoices, carpet receipts, emails and photographs together. Give the property manager every key, remote and fob according to the agreed process, but allow enough time for your own inspection first.
What re-clean support means
Re-clean support applies only to eligible cleaning items under the current service terms. It does not guarantee a bond, cover damage, rent, rubbish left by occupants, inaccessible areas or tasks outside the booking. Access must still be available and feedback must be supplied promptly enough to assess.
Read the live terms and conditions and ask questions before booking if your property manager has an unusual checklist.
A realistic handover sequence
- Finish moving and remove all rubbish.
- Keep utilities and authorised access active.
- Complete the End of Lease Clean.
- Allow separately booked carpet work to dry.
- Inspect against the condition report and take photos.
- Report any eligible cleaning concern within 48 hours.
- Return keys after the property has been checked.
Maid At Home’s End of Lease Cleaning starts from $410 for a one-bedroom property as of July 2026. The oven and empty cabinet interiors are included in the core scope; carpet steam cleaning is separate. If you are also entering a new property, keep that work separate with the move-in cleaning checklist. Use the price calculator or book the vacate clean once the property date and access are confirmed.
