The end-of-lease checklist

The final inspection is where a tenancy is settled, and where most bond disagreements start. The agent is not judging how clean the house feels. They are comparing it, room by room, against the entry condition report you signed when you moved in. Everything below follows from that.

Start with the entry condition report

Find your copy of the entry condition report and any photos you took when you moved in. It records the state of the property at the start of the tenancy, including marks and damage that were already there. You are generally expected to leave the property in the same condition, allowing for fair wear and tear.

Fair wear and tear is the deterioration that comes from normal use: faded curtains, light scuffs, carpet worn along a hallway. It is different from damage, such as holes in walls, burns or pet stains. Your state or territory's tenancy authority publishes guidance on the difference - NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria and the Residential Tenancies Authority in Queensland all do.

What agents actually check

Kitchen

• Inside the oven, including racks, trays and the glass door.
• The rangehood and its filters.
• The cooktop, splashback and the tops of cupboards.
• Inside every cupboard and drawer, and under the sink.
• The dishwasher filter and seals.

Bathrooms and laundry

• Soap scum and mould in the shower, and on grout and silicone.
• Exhaust fans, which are easy to forget.
• Toilets, including around the base.
• The dryer lint filter, and the floor behind the washing machine.

Throughout the house

• Walls, for marks and holes left by picture hooks.
• Skirting boards, light switches, door frames and handles.
• Windows, sills, tracks and fly screens.
• Light fittings, including the insects that collect inside them.
• Air conditioner filters and ceiling fans.
• Carpets, particularly if your lease requires professional cleaning.

Outside

• Lawns mowed and edges trimmed, if the garden was your responsibility.
• No rubbish, garden waste or belongings left behind.
• Oil stains on the garage or carport floor.

Jobs to do before the inspection

1. Read your lease for specific end-of-tenancy requirements, such as professional carpet cleaning with a receipt.
2. Arrange repairs for any damage you are responsible for, and keep the receipts.
3. Remove everything you own, including from the shed and the meter box.
4. Clean once the property is empty. It is quicker and far more thorough without furniture in the way.
5. Take dated photos of every room after cleaning, from the same angles as your entry photos.
6. Return every key, remote and access card, and ask for a receipt.
7. Give the agent your forwarding address.

After the inspection

If the agent raises issues, ask for them in writing and check each one against the entry condition report and your photos. Some may be fair wear and tear. Some may have been recorded when you moved in.

Many issues can be fixed with a return visit, which is often quicker for everyone than a deduction. If you cannot agree on a claim against the bond, the process for resolving it depends on your state or territory, and your tenancy authority can explain the options.

Timing it with the move

Leave a gap between moving out and the final inspection if your lease allows it. Trying to clean around a removal crew, or doing both on the last day of the tenancy, is where corners get cut. Moving a day or two before the lease ends and then cleaning an empty property is usually the calmer order.

Our end-of-lease cleaning can be booked alongside the move, so both are organised together.