End of lease cleaning, to the standard the inspection measures
End of lease cleaning for tenants who want their bond back, and for the agencies that manage the property. Both sides of the border, quoted before we start, with the full task list published on this page. Easy to book, fast quoting, cost effective.
Get a fast quote
A bond clean is a comprehensive end of lease clean, done to the standard your exit inspection is measured against rather than to the standard of an everyday tidy. TLB Cleaning provides bond and end of lease cleaning across the Northern Rivers, the Tweed and the Southern Gold Coast.
Bond clean, end of lease clean, vacate clean, exit clean and move out clean are all names for the same job. Tenants tend to say bond clean because the bond is what is at stake, agencies tend to say end of lease clean because the tenancy is what is ending, and Queensland-side leases often say vacate or exit. We use all of them on this page and mean the same thing by them.
Two people read this page.
Which one are you?
-
I'm moving out and I want my bond back
Then you want the clean measured against the entry condition report, not against how clean the place feels. That is what this page is about.
Get a fast quote -
I manage the property
We already hold ongoing contracts with major agencies across the region. Vacancy windows are tight, so tell us the handover date and we will work back from it.
Real estate and property management -
I'm not sure this is the clean I need
Fair enough. A bond clean is not the same job as a deep clean, and it is priced differently. Here is how the three compare.
Compare the three
What end of lease cleaning includes
Also called a bond clean. Every cupboard, track and fitting, because that is what the inspection looks at.
Kitchen
Inside and outside of all cupboards and drawers, benchtops, splashback, sink and taps, rangehood and filter, oven inside and out including racks and trays, cooktop, the fridge cavity, dishwasher filter and seals, floors including edges and corners.
Bathrooms, ensuites and toilets
Shower screen, tiles and grout, shower base and drain, bath, vanity inside and out, basin, taps and fittings, mirrors, exhaust fan cover, towel rails, toilet inside and out including the base and the cistern, floors and skirting.
Bedrooms and living areas
Inside wardrobes, shelves and drawers, skirting boards, doors and door frames, architraves, light switches and power points, window sills and tracks, inside windows, ceiling fans, cobwebs, air vents, full vacuum including edges and under moveable furniture, mop.
Laundry
Tub inside and out, benches, cupboards inside and out, behind and beside appliances where they can be safely moved, dryer lint filter, taps and fittings, floors and skirting.
Walls, marks and spots
Spot cleaning of scuffs and marks on walls and doors where the paint surface allows it. Some marks are damage rather than dirt and will not come out with cleaning. We tell you which is which rather than scrubbing through the paint and turning a mark into a repair.
Throughout
Light fittings and shades, air vents and returns, switchplates, door handles, blind and curtain dusting, all floors including edges, corners and behind doors.
Quoted separately: carpet steam cleaning, exterior windows, pest control, garages, balconies and outdoor areas, walls needing a full wash rather than spot cleaning, and any cleaning at height. Many leases specifically require professional carpet cleaning at the end of a tenancy, so ask for it with your quote rather than after the inspection.
Not included: repairs, painting, gardening or lawns, rubbish and hard waste removal, or anything that needs a licensed trade. If the property needs one of those, we say so when we quote rather than leaving you to find out at the inspection.
How the standard is actually set
An exit inspection is not a judgement about how clean the place feels. It is a comparison.
It starts with the entry report
Your exit inspection is compared against the condition report from the day you moved in, not against a blank standard. The law in both states asks for the property to be left reasonably clean and in the condition it started in, fair wear and tear aside. So if a mark was there on day one and the report says so, it is not something the clean has to fix.
Fair wear and tear is not dirt
Carpet that has aged, paint that has faded and fittings that have worn are not cleaning failures. We clean what cleaning can change, and we tell you plainly when something is damage or age instead.
The agent still holds the pen
We clean to the standard the inspection measures. We are not in the room when it happens, and no cleaner can promise you what an agent will write in a report, so we would rather be straight with you about that than sell you a guarantee.
If the agent comes back to you
If the agent lists something from our task list on the exit report, tell us and we will come back and put it right at no charge. That covers the items we quoted for. It does not cover things that were never in scope, like a carpet steam clean nobody booked, or damage that cleaning was never going to fix.
Tell us as soon as the report lands, because the window to fix something closes when the keys change hands. Ring us the same day if you can.
This is a re-clean commitment, not a bond guarantee. What an agent writes in a report is their call and not ours, so we promise the part we actually control, which is the work.
What we give you for the agent
Agents rarely take your word for it, so we give you the paper. You get an itemised invoice showing the property, the date and the work done, and it lists the same tasks published on this page. If the agent queries a line, you can hold one against the other.
If carpet steam cleaning was part of the booking, it comes as its own line with its own receipt. A carpet clause in a lease is usually satisfied by a receipt rather than by an inspection.
And if something on our list is picked up on the exit report, the invoice is what tells us what we quoted for. That is how the free re-clean gets sorted without an argument about scope.
Both sides of the border
Our service area crosses the border, so we clean to both sets of rules as a matter of routine. A tenancy in Ballina, Byron or Lismore sits under NSW Fair Trading. A tenancy in Coolangatta, Palm Beach or Burleigh Heads sits under the Queensland Residential Tenancies Authority.
The cleaning itself does not change much between the two. What changes is the paperwork around it, and which condition report your inspection is measured against. If you are moving from one side of the border to the other, which plenty of people here do, you can book the clean at both ends with the same team.
Before you book, three things worth reading
We have written the long versions of the three questions people ask most before a bond clean. They are free, they are not sales pages, and one of them tells you when you do not need to hire anybody.
- What the law actually saysThe condition report standard in NSW and Queensland, what fair wear and tear covers, and when a professional clean can and cannot be insisted on.
- The end of lease cleaning checklistRoom by room, in the order the job is actually worked, with the lines agents mark first.
- What an end of lease clean costsWhat moves the price, what a low quote has left out, and how to compare two of them properly.
Bond clean, deep clean or regular clean
| Which one you need | End of lease clean | Deep clean | Regular clean |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A clean measured against an exit inspection | A one-off reset, room by room | Ongoing upkeep on a set schedule |
| The standard | Whatever the inspection requires | Back to a baseline | Held at that baseline |
| When | When the keys go back | Moving in, before guests, spring, after a long gap | Weekly, fortnightly or monthly |
| Inside ovens and cupboards | Included | Quoted separately | Not included |
| Who decides it passed | The agent or landlord | The client | The client |
A bond clean is the most thorough of the three and priced accordingly, because it has to satisfy someone else’s checklist rather than your own. Book it for an empty property wherever you can. It is faster, costs less and comes out better when there is nothing left to clean around.
What an end of lease clean costs
Condition and size set the price, which is why we quote rather than publish a flat rate. What we can tell you is the shape of it, and what moves it.
Three things move a bond clean quote more than anything else. Whether the property is empty, because cleaning around furniture costs time twice over. Whether carpets are in scope, since steam cleaning is quoted separately and many leases require it. And the condition of the oven, which is the most time-consuming item on the list and the one agents check first.
If you want the full breakdown before you talk to anyone, we have written it up.
The difference, on real jobs
Drag the handle across each photo to see the same spot before and after a bond clean.
After 
Before 
After 
Before Photographed on real TLB cleans, published with the client's permission.
Book it around the handover date
Most bond cleans get booked in the worst week of the move, when the truck is late, the keys are due and nobody has eaten a proper meal in three days. Book it the day the handover date lands instead, and it becomes one fewer thing between you and the end of it.
Book online in a couple of minutes, or send a text, ring us or drop us an email, whichever you would actually do. Tell us the handover date when you book, because that is the date everything works back from.
You get a price up front rather than waiting on a callback. It is based on the property as it actually is, so be honest about the condition when you book. Nothing you tell us will surprise us, and it means we allow the right amount of time instead of running short on the day.
Book the clean for after the removalists and before the final inspection, with a day in between if you can manage it. An empty property cleans faster and better, and that gap is what gives everyone room if something needs a second look.
Where we clean
Northern Rivers, the Tweed and the Southern Gold Coast.
Northern Rivers NSW
- Lismore
- Goonellabah
- Alstonville
- Wollongbar
- Casino
- Kyogle
- Nimbin
- Clunes
- Bexhill
- Dunoon
- Ballina
- East Ballina
- Lennox Head
- Skennars Head
- Wardell
- Evans Head
- Broadwater
- Woodburn
- Coraki
- Bangalow
- Byron Bay
- Suffolk Park
- Mullumbimby
- Brunswick Heads
- Ocean Shores
- New Brighton
- Billinudgel
- Federal
The Tweed
- Murwillumbah
- Tweed Heads
- Tweed Heads South
- Banora Point
- Terranora
- Bilambil
- Bilambil Heights
- Chinderah
- Fingal Head
- Kingscliff
- Casuarina
- Cudgen
- Cabarita Beach
- Bogangar
- Hastings Point
- Pottsville
- Uki
- Burringbar
- Mooball
Southern Gold Coast QLD
- Coolangatta
- Bilinga
- Tugun
- Currumbin
- Palm Beach
- Elanora
- Burleigh Heads
- Burleigh Waters
- Miami
If a town isn't listed, ask us anyway.
Easy to book, fast quoting, cost effective
Managed for you. A date that suits you, a confirmation in writing, a message when we are on the way, and told first if anything changes.
Book online in a couple of minutes, or send a text, ring us or email, whichever you'd actually do.
Condition is what sets the price on this work, and a job like it can't be priced properly sight unseen. So you get a fast quote on the actual property instead of an instant number that has to be revised later. Tell us honestly what state it's in when you book, because nothing you say will surprise us.
You'll know the price before we start, not after. Being straight about the condition is what lets us allow the right amount of time, rather than running short on the day. If it needs more than we've quoted, you'll hear that before we begin rather than on the invoice.
How it works
- Tell us about the job.
- We confirm the price and agree a time and access.
- We do the clean, and you get a message when we're on the way.
- If something needs fixing, you hear it from us first.
Frequently asked questions
1. What happens if the property fails the exit inspection?
If the agent lists something that was on our task list, tell us and we will come back and put it right at no charge. That covers what we quoted for. It does not cover work nobody booked, or damage that cleaning was never going to fix. Let us know quickly, before the keys change hands.
2. Do you guarantee I will get my bond back?
No, and be careful of anyone who does. Your bond depends on the condition report, fair wear and tear and what the agent writes, and a cleaner controls none of those. What we promise is the part we do control: the property cleaned to the standard the inspection is measured against, and a free re-clean if something on our list is picked up.
3. How long does a bond clean take?
Longer than any other clean, because every cupboard, track and oven rack is in scope. It depends on the size of the property and the state it is in, and on whether it is empty, which makes more difference than people expect. We give you a realistic window when we quote.
4. What isn't included in a bond clean?
Carpet steam cleaning, exterior windows, pest control, garages, balconies and outdoor areas, full wall washing and any cleaning at height are quoted separately rather than assumed. Repairs, painting, gardening and rubbish removal are not cleaning and we do not do them. Ask when you book if you are unsure and we will tell you straight.
5. Does the property need to be empty?
It does not have to be, but it should be. An empty property cleans faster, cleans better and costs less, because nothing has to be worked around or moved twice. If furniture has to stay, tell us when you book so we quote for the property as it will actually be on the day.
6. Do I need the carpets professionally cleaned as well?
Check your lease. Many tenancies specifically require professional carpet cleaning at the end of the term, and where that is in writing the receipt is usually what the agent wants to see. We quote carpet cleaning separately rather than folding it in, so ask for it with your quote and it is organised at the same time.
7. Can you clean a property on the Queensland side of the border?
Yes. We work across the Northern Rivers, the Tweed and the Southern Gold Coast, so a tenancy in Coolangatta or Palm Beach is the same booking as one in Kingscliff or Byron. If you are moving across the border, you can book the clean at both ends with the same team.
8. How much does a bond clean cost?
It depends on the size of the property, its condition and whether extras like carpet cleaning are included, which is why we quote instead of publishing a flat rate. The three things that move a quote most are set out above, and we have written a full breakdown of what a bond clean costs if you want it. Tell us the basics and the handover date and you will have a price back quickly, with no obligation attached.
9. Do you bring your own products and equipment?
Yes, everything. On a bond clean that matters more than usual, because the power and the water are sometimes already disconnected. Tell us when you book if the property will have no power on the day, so we come prepared rather than turning up and finding out.
10. How far ahead should I book?
As soon as you have the handover date. End of month and end of quarter are the busiest windows in this region because most leases end there, and those dates fill first. If you are already inside a tight window, ring us rather than booking online and we will tell you honestly what we can do.
Hand back the keys with the cleaning already sorted
Tell us the property and the handover date, and we will quote for what is actually there.