Your bond is judged against one document
At the start of your tenancy you signed a condition report describing the state of every room. At the end, your property manager walks the property with that same document. They are not asking whether the place looks clean. They are asking whether each item matches how it was recorded on day one, allowing for fair wear and tear.
This distinction matters, because it explains the outcomes that feel unfair. A spotless kitchen with an oven you did not touch will fail. A slightly tired carpet that was already tired at move-in will pass.
Find your entry condition report first
Before you clean anything, dig out the entry report and the photos attached to it. Two things come out of this. First, you find the items recorded as already marked or worn, which you are not responsible for restoring. Second, you find the items recorded as clean and undamaged, which you are.
The room-by-room list agents actually check
Kitchen
The oven is the single most common reason bond money is withheld. Racks, trays, the glass door including between the panes, and the interior walls all need degreasing. After that: the rangehood and its filters, the splashback, inside and on top of every cupboard, the sink and drain, and behind the fridge and oven if they can be moved safely.
Bathrooms and laundry
Soap scum on shower screens and mould in grout are the two that get flagged. Both need a proper de-scaler and dwell time, not a quick spray and wipe. Also check the exhaust fan cover, the tracks on the shower door, behind and under the toilet, and the inside of the laundry trough and dryer lint filter.
Living areas and bedrooms
Walls get spot-cleaned for marks and scuffs, but do not scrub painted plaster hard enough to burnish it, which leaves a shiny patch that is more obvious than the mark was. Skirtings, architraves, door tops, light switches, power points and window tracks are all on the list. So are the insides of built-in wardrobes.
Windows, blinds and flyscreens
Interior glass, tracks, sills and frames are always expected. Exterior glass is usually expected on anything reachable from the ground. Blinds need dusting slat by slat, and flyscreens should be removed and brushed.
Outside
Balconies, courtyards, garages and carports are part of the property. Sweep them, remove cobwebs, and take every last item to the tip. Leaving rubbish behind is treated as a rubbish removal cost, not a cleaning one, and it is charged at a much higher rate.
Carpet cleaning is usually a lease condition
Most Victorian residential leases require carpets to be professionally cleaned at the end of a tenancy if they were professionally cleaned at the start. Read the clause. If it applies, you need the receipt or certificate, because that is what the agent files, and a hired machine from the supermarket will not produce one.
Five mistakes that cost people money
- Cleaning while furniture is still in the property, then discovering the marks underneath on handover day.
- Leaving the oven until last, when you are tired and out of time. Do it first.
- Forgetting the range hood filters, which are removable and usually go in the dishwasher.
- Assuming the agent will not check inside cupboards, the dishwasher filter, or the top of the fridge cavity. They will.
- Booking the clean for the same day as the handover inspection, leaving no time to fix anything.
Should you do it yourself?
If you have a small, well-kept apartment, a free weekend and the right products, doing it yourself is realistic. For a family home, the maths usually goes the other way once you add up two days of your time, equipment hire and the risk to a bond worth several thousand dollars.
If you do hire a cleaner, ask two questions before you book: is there a re-clean guarantee if the agent flags something, and is carpet cleaning included or quoted separately. Anyone who will not answer those in writing is not the right choice.