Cleaning Tips, Guides & Resources

End-of-Lease Cleaning Guide: Find Out Costs & How to Choose the Right One

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Finding a good home that you can move into is always a great feeling. It's a fresh opportunity to make lifestyle changes with many new and exciting things to look forward to. Of course, with so much going on, you want to be able to make the move with as little worry as possible.

Now, if you're moving from a leased home, you know that you must adhere to the requirements of the tenancy agreement for your bond to be returned in full. Your biggest concern, obviously, is that the property must be handed over in the same condition as it was acquired at the start of the lease. 

If you were to attempt cleaning the property on your own, you would be digging yourself into a long, drawn-out process of assessing the conditions of the property, acquiring tools and materials for the cleaning, and actually taking the time and effort required to clean the property yourself. Owing to the many different factors that come into play when trying to get your bond back at the end of your lease, you might want to consider hiring a professional move-out cleaning service to do the needful instead.

All said and done, based on the many variables, you could be charged anywhere between $100 to $500 for the professional end-of-lease cleaning of a studio apartment. The national average is around $250 for just move-out cleaning while extra/add-on services will drive the cost up a bit more. The charges for these additional services may be as follows:

  • Carpet or ceiling cleaning can be between $50-200
  • Range hood cleaning could be $30 to $100
  • If mopping isn't included in the service, it can cost you anywhere from $30 to $50 extra

How Much Does an End-of-Lease Cleaning Service Cost?

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If you’ve decided to call in a professional cleaning crew, you’re probably wondering how much this service is going to cost you. Most people assume that end-of-lease cleaning services cost a lot more than they'd like to spend, and while that could possibly be true, it's not always the case.

The price of move-out cleaning depends on many factors, and establishing the details of the job prior to executing, can help you get a better idea of what you'll be charged for the service. While you cannot control all of these factors, you can control enough of them to find a good deal for your budget.

Factors That Affect the Price of End-of-Lease Cleaning Services

With the above information in mind, let's look into what actually affects the cost.

Property Size

The key aspect to the cost of the job you're looking for is the size of the property that needs cleaning. Obviously, a studio apartment will cost a lot less than a 4 bedroom house that needs a top to bottom clean.

How Much Cleaning is Required

The second, and equally important factor, is how extensively the space needs to be cleaned. A home that has been looked after regularly, and doesn't have too much traffic in it, will require much less effort than a space that is consistently being used and/or isn't maintained as often.

Location

As a rule of thumb, assume that the larger a city is, the larger the maintenance costs for housing will be. Take Sydney for instance; having a small studio apartment in the heart of a more upscale neighbourhood would amount to approximately $500 for a deep clean. On the flip-side, the same amount of cleaning for the same type of property in the outskirts of the city would amount to about $350 instead.

Additional Services

It's a good idea to understand what the cleaning service in question is offering so that you are aware of what will be cleaned. You can discuss any other requirements for tasks that the service does not normally provide.

In general, however, you should expect the following services:

With that said, other services will have an extra charge on them as these do not fit into the end-of-lease cleaning programs that most service providers offer. As a reference, here are a few examples of services you can expect to not be included and thus, come with an extra charge:

  • Steam cleaning fabrics like carpets and upholstery
  • Cleaning dishwashers/ovens
  • Cleaning swimming pools
  • Lawn Mowing

Depending on the cleaning company in question, you may incur much more costs for extra services, or you may get lucky and find a packaged deal; therefore, it's worth asking around.

How to Choose the Right End-of-Lease Cleaning Service

male cleaner carrying cleaning caddy with a living room in the background

It can be a bit nerve-wracking to filter through countless cleaning companies that offer move-out cleaning services before you land upon the right one for you. However, you can narrow down your options by keeping a few, important things in mind when it comes to finding and reaching out to a provider. Take a look below

Get a Quote

You want to first get general price comparisons done to figure out your budget and what you can afford. Request a detailed quote from every provider you want to consider.

Cleaning Checklist

Since you're requesting a detailed quote for the cost, ensure you have a copy of the cleaning checklist so that you are aware of what's included in the price.

Check Reviews

Expensive doesn't always mean better quality, and cheaper doesn't always mean inferior quality either. With this in mind, do some research into who your provider is, and how good they are at their job. Remember to check reviews on as many platforms as possible before hiring an end-of-lease cleaning service. In addition to this, request for images/videos of their previous jobs for reference on how thorough and professional the results are.

Enquire About Hourly/Service Based Costing

With all the providers you look at, confirm with them how their costing is calculated. While most providers don't use hourly costing, there are a few that do, even if it is just for a few specific cleaning services they offer. As a general rule, however, it's a better idea to opt for fixed pricing as you may end up being overcharged if you are paying an hourly rate.

Bond Return Guarantee

If the cleaning service provider offers a guarantee on your bond return, you can be more confident about them getting the job done to your satisfaction. Not all cleaning companies offer this which can sometimes be a red flag to look out for.

Staying mindful of the information above can keep your cost as low as possible without compromising on the quality of the service. Besides the sheer convenience of it, hiring a move-out or end-of-lease cleaning service can actually help you get your bond back and save you time and money! 

Adriana Aziz is the operations manager at MaidForYou. With over 6 years of experience managing cleaning operations, she knows all the best hacks when it comes to cleaning residential and commercial buildings. With expert experience in managing house cleaning operations, interior design and logistics. She spends her free time with her family and as a freelance food critic.

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