Most tenants pretty much clean out a rental the way they clean their own place that’s the first problem. The final inspection isn’t a tidy-up check, it’s a line-by-line comparison with the condition report they signed off on the day they moved in. Two different documents with two very different standards, and the gap between them is where the bond disputes come from.
Why Canberra’s Final Inspection Leaves People Who Think They’re Prepared High and Dry?
The condition report is a legal document when a tenant moves out, everything in that report gets checked over again, and the property has to be returned to the same state it was in when they first moved in, minus any fair wear and tear, of course. That phrase fair wear and tear does more damage to tenants than almost anything else because people tend to stretch it to cover things it was never meant to cover and they get burned for it.
Scuff marks on walls near light switches they’re not fair wear and tear. Grease build-up inside a range hood that’s not fair wear and tear either. Window tracks clogged up with dust and dead insects nope, not fair wear and tear. These are just examples of maintenance failures that build up quietly over the tenancy, and only become obvious when someone is ticking things off a checklist.
What the ACT Tenancy Laws Say About Cleaning Standards?
Under the ACT Government rules on tenancies, the property has to be returned to the same state of cleanliness as it was at the start of the lease, minus any fair wear and tear, of course. When there are disputes over bond refunds, they get sent to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which has the power to make a final decision on how the bond money gets split.
The Rooms That Really Matter in a Final Inspection
Some parts of the property get more attention than others when it comes to the final inspection. These are the areas that professional property managers are most likely to focus on first:
- Kitchen: Grease residue on the range hood filters, carbon build-up on the burner grates, food splatter on the oven glass and the gap between the oven and the bench are all pretty common fail points.
- Bathrooms: Soap scum on the shower screens, discoloured or mouldy silicone seals, behind the toilet fitting and inside the exhaust fan are all the sorts of things that reveal a more thorough inspection.
- Carpet and Upholstery: Many lease agreements actually stipulate that carpets need to be professionally steam cleaned at the end of the tenancy, even if they look okay. A receipt is usually required as proof.
- Windows and Doors: Window tracks, door frames and the edges of sliding doors are the sorts of places that gather dust and grime that gets missed in a standard tidy-up.
The frustrating reality is that a property can look presentable and still fail. Visible cleanliness and inspection-standard cleanliness are not the same thing.
An Overview of What a Professional End of Lease Cleaning Canberra Involves
It would appear that there is no great difference between a regular cleaning and an end of lease cleaning Canberra. The latter is more intensive and is aimed at getting maximum score from the inspection. This implies that the room-by-room checklist used by a professional end-of-lease cleaning Canberra is the same list that is used by Canberra property managers.
This means that everything is cleaned as if to ensure bond recovery. This includes degreasing of the range hood filters, chemical cleansing of the oven and cleaning of the bathroom silicone.
Why Timing Is Crucial for an End-of-Lease Clean?
Bookings made the night before the inspection leave absolutely no room for errors. There will be no time to correct any mistakes, if there are any. It is much safer to book 48 hours in advance to give yourself a chance for another clean-up, if needed, and for proper airing of the property. There are also re-cleans after inspection failures, but the problem only gets compounded this way.
Now, the tenant has to deal not only with the inspection failure but also the need to re-arrange the second service in a short time frame along with a handover of keys and pay for it out of a disputed bond.
