The renter s guide to end-of-lease cleaning

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The last thing you want to think about when you re moving house is the cleaning. But if you want your bond back you re going to have to exert some elbow grease – or save your time and energy and get someone else to do the end of lease cleaning for you.

You ll forgo your bond unless you leave your rental property spick and span for the next tenant. Bond money is normally equivalent to a full month s rent so is worth cleaning for! It will no doubt come in handy at moving time due to the long list of moving expenses.

End of lease cleaning costs

Sometimes you need to spend a little in order to save and this is definitely the case when it comes to hiring professionals to do your end of lease cleaning .

End of lease cleaners on ServiceSeeking.com.au start from just $15 per hour, with the average hourly rate around the $30 mark. If you re after an all inclusive package you can expect to pay a flat fee of $250.

What do you get for your money?

For $250 you ll get an average sized two-bedroom place scrubbed from top to bottom – including that all-important toilet, oven and stove top.

In addition to the “basics,” this amount typically includes your doors, walls and windows spot cleaned, as well as carpet steam cleaning.

Quotes obviously vary according to the size of the house and the extent of the work needing to be done. For a larger three-bedroom house expect to pay around the $400 mark.

And don’t be frightened into thinking you’ll be forking out for a complete two days of work for an end of lease clean. While it may take you that long to get your place in order, a professional will power through it in a fraction of the time.

Be careful not to underestimate the hard work required.

Why use professional end of lease cleaners?

You may be confident that you can handle the clean yourself, but be careful not to underestimate the hard work required.

End of lease cleaning is much more involved than your typical fortnightly clean. You re often dealing with fixtures and appliances that have never been cleaned – just picture those disgusting insect-filled light fittings!

Rather than spending your weekend knee-deep in dust and grime, it makes sense to leave the demanding task in the hands of a professional cleaning company.

End of lease cleaners not only work harder, but smarter. They know exactly what real estate agents and landlords are looking for in a clean and make sure they deliver.

Money back guarantee

Most end of lease cleaners offer some type of bond refund guarantee. If you fail to get your full bond back due to a cleaning issue they ll happily return to the property and rectify the problem.

At the very least your cleaner should provide you with a tax receipt which you can present to the real estate agent as proof you ve had the place professionally cleaned. This will hopefully lessen the likelihood of any nit-picking.

A professional end of lease clean allows you to focus on your move and new home without being dragged back to scrub your old one.

$250 it really is a small price to pay for a full bond refund – especially when you factor in the cost of cleaning products and value of your time.

You will actually end up strides ahead financially. Once you ve settled the cleaning bill you shouldn t have to open your wallet again. Instead, you can get busy spending your re-claimed funds on moving expenses – and then pocket the rest!

*Pricing data based on 73,729 quotes submitted on ServiceSeeking.com.au between October 2007 and March 2010.

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