End of Lease Cleaning Checklist for Melbourne Renters (2026)
By Cleaning Near Me team ·
Short answer: agents compare the property to the ingoing condition report. Clean everything you’d touch, open or look into: inside cupboards, ovens, rangehoods, shower screens, window tracks, skirting boards, light switches and wardrobes. Most bond deductions for cleaning come from the kitchen and bathroom, so start there.
This checklist follows the areas most Melbourne property managers check at a vacate inspection. Print it, or keep it open on your phone while you work.
Before you start
- Get out your ingoing condition report. The standard is “reasonably clean, allowing for fair wear and tear” compared with how the property was when you moved in, not “brand new”.
- Remove everything: furniture, rubbish, food, items in the garage and shed. Cleaners can’t clean inside cupboards that are still full.
- Make sure power and water stay connected until the clean is done.
- Check your lease for carpet cleaning or garden clauses.
Kitchen
The kitchen is where most cleaning deductions happen.
- Oven: inside, racks, trays, glass door (between the panes if it comes apart), and knobs
- Stovetop and hotplates, including under removable parts
- Rangehood: filters degreased or washed, and the underside wiped
- Cupboards and drawers inside and out, including the tops of overhead cupboards
- Benchtops, splashback and grout
- Sink, taps and drain; polish the stainless steel
- Dishwasher: filter, seals and door edges
- Fridge space: walls and floor where the fridge stood
- Floors mopped, edges and corners included
Bathrooms and toilets
- Shower screen: remove soap scum and water spots from the glass
- Tiles and grout on the walls and floor; treat any mould
- Bath, vanity, basin and taps
- Mirrors streak-free
- Toilet inside, outside, the base and behind it
- Exhaust fan cover dusted
- Drawers and cabinets wiped out
Bedrooms and living areas
- Wardrobes: shelves, rails, tracks and mirrored doors
- Skirting boards, door frames and doors (both sides)
- Light switches and power points
- Window sills and window tracks, which inspectors often run a finger along
- Marks on walls removed where possible (test first, and don’t scrub through the paint)
- Carpet vacuumed thoroughly, or steam cleaned if your lease requires it
- Hard floors mopped
Laundry
- Trough and taps
- Cupboards inside and out
- Behind and under where the washing machine stood
- Lint and dust along the floor edges
Outside (if included in your lease)
- Balcony or courtyard swept and wiped down
- Garden weeded, lawn mowed, green waste removed
- Garage and shed empty and swept
- Bins emptied and rinsed
Most commonly missed
| Area | Why it gets missed |
|---|---|
| Rangehood filters | Out of sight, heavy grease build-up |
| Window tracks | Fiddly, full of dust and dead insects |
| Tops of cupboards and doors | Above eye level |
| Oven glass | Grime builds up between the panes |
| Exhaust fans | Dust builds up slowly and nobody looks up |
| Behind appliances | Only visible once the fridge or washer is moved |
DIY or professional?
A thorough DIY vacate clean of a 2-bedroom unit usually takes a full day. Professional cleaners bring commercial degreasers, steam equipment and experience of what agents look for. A good cleaner will also come back if the agent raises an issue.
If you’d rather hand it over, get a free end of lease quote. We clean to this checklist, you inspect before paying, and we re-clean free within 3 days if your agent asks.
This guide is general information only. For your rights and obligations as a renter in Victoria, see Consumer Affairs Victoria.