End of Lease Cleaning: What Sydney Renters Shouldn't Forget

Moving house involves enough jobs already. Packing, organising removalists, changing your address and handing back the keys can quickly become overwhelming.

Then there's the final clean.

End-of-lease cleaning is more detailed than an everyday house clean because you're preparing the property for its final inspection. In NSW, the condition of the property is generally considered against the condition at the beginning of the tenancy, allowing for fair wear and tear.

Here's a simple checklist to help you avoid the areas that are commonly missed.

Start with the kitchen

The kitchen usually needs more attention than a normal clean.

Check:

1. Oven interior and racks
2. Cooktop
3. Rangehood and filters
4. Splashback
5. Benchtops
6. Sink and taps
7. Cabinet fronts
8. Inside cupboards and drawers
9. Dishwasher
10. Kitchen floor
11. Skirting boards

Grease around the cooktop and rangehood can be particularly easy to miss.

Give the bathrooms a proper clean

Bathrooms should be checked from top to bottom.

Don't forget:

1. Shower screen
2. Shower tracks
3. Tiles
4. Grout
5. Bath
6. Toilet
7. Vanity
8. Mirrors
9. Taps
10. Exhaust fan
11. Floor
12. Skirting boards

Pay particular attention to soap build-up and areas around taps and shower screens.

Don't overlook bedrooms and living areas

Once the furniture is out, it's much easier to see what needs cleaning.

Work through:

1. Floors
2. Carpets
3. Skirting boards
4. Doors
5. Door frames
6. Light switches
7. Window sills
8. Window tracks
9. Wardrobes
10. Accessible light fittings
11. Cobwebs
12. Visible marks on walls

What about windows and carpets?

These depend on the property, lease and condition requirements.

Internal windows, window tracks and carpets can be areas that tenants overlook, so check your original condition report and tenancy agreement before deciding what needs to be done.

If professional carpet cleaning is required, it's worth arranging it before the final inspection rather than leaving it until the last minute.

Do one final walkthrough

Before handing over the keys, walk through the property as if you're seeing it for the first time.

1. Open cupboards.
2. Check corners.
3. Look behind doors.
4. Check window tracks.
5. Look at the oven.
6. Walk through each bathroom.
7. Make sure rubbish has been removed.

A few extra minutes at the end can help you catch the small things that are easy to overlook.

Moving out soon?

If you'd rather spend your final days dealing with the move instead of scrubbing the property, professional end-of-lease cleaning can take a lot of the work off your plate.

At The Cleaning Crewz, we can clean the main areas of your property and arrange additional services such as carpet cleaning, windows and oven cleaning.