How to Use This Checklist
Print or save this checklist and work through it systematically after all your furniture is removed. Cleaning a furnished or part-furnished property is much harder and produces worse results. The order matters too — always clean top to bottom (ceilings, walls, then floors) and room by room so you don't re-contaminate areas you've already cleaned.
Compare each item against your original entry condition report. If something was already in poor condition when you moved in and you noted it at the time, you are not responsible for repairing or replacing it now. Photograph everything after cleaning with a timestamp before handing back the keys.
Kitchen
- Oven — clean interior, racks, door glass, and seals thoroughly
- Stovetop — remove all grates, clean burners and surface
- Rangehood — degrease filters and wipe exterior
- All cupboards and drawers — wipe inside and out including handles
- Benchtops — clean and remove all stains
- Splashback tiles — degrease and wipe
- Sink and tapware — remove limescale and polish
- Dishwasher — clean filter, interior, and door seal
- Walls and light switches in kitchen
- Floor — swept, mopped, and skirting boards wiped
Bathrooms and Laundry
- Shower — remove soap scum from screen, tiles, and floor
- Grout lines — scrub throughout shower recess
- Bath — clean and remove all stains and limescale
- Toilet — bowl, under rim, cistern, and base
- Vanity and mirror — clean and streak-free
- Tapware — remove limescale and polish
- Exhaust fan — clean blades and cover
- Cupboards and shelves — inside and out
- Laundry tub — clean and remove stains
- Washing machine area — wipe down accessible surfaces
- Dryer lint filter — clean
- Floor and skirting boards
Bedrooms
- Built-in wardrobes — all shelves, rails, and drawer interiors
- Wardrobe tracks — clean grooves
- Walls — remove all marks and scuffs
- Ceiling — cobwebs removed
- Light fittings and switches
- Windows — clean glass inside and tracks
- Skirting boards
- Carpet — vacuum or arrange steam clean as required
- Hard floors — swept and mopped
Living Areas and Hallways
- All walls — remove marks and scuffs throughout
- Ceiling fans — wipe blades
- Light fittings — remove insects and dust
- Light switches and power points — wipe
- Windows — glass, tracks, sills, and flyscreens
- Skirting boards — all rooms
- Door frames and doors — clean marks and handles
- Air conditioning filters — remove, wash, and refit
- Carpet — vacuum thoroughly
- Hard floors — swept and mopped
Outdoor and Garage
- Balcony or patio — sweep and mop
- Balcony glass and railings — wipe clean
- Garage floor — sweep and spot clean oil stains
- Outdoor bins — clean and deodorise
- Garden — remove rubbish and tidy up obvious debris
- Driveway — sweep
Common Mistakes That Cost Gold Coast Tenants Their Bond
Skipping the oven. The oven is the single most disputed item during bond inspections. A build-up of baked-on grease is not considered fair wear and tear. It must be cleaned to the standard it was in when you moved in.
Forgetting the rangehood filter. Grease-clogged rangehood filters are frequently missed. Remove them, soak in hot soapy water, and scrub before refitting.
Not cleaning window tracks. Window tracks accumulate grit and debris over a tenancy. Use a toothbrush or narrow brush to clean into the grooves before wiping.
Leaving marks on walls. Blue-tack marks, scuffs from furniture, and small handprints are not fair wear and tear. Spot-clean or touch up as needed.
Not arranging carpet cleaning. If carpets were steam-cleaned before you moved in, check your lease about requirements at the end. Many leases require you to have carpets professionally cleaned at vacate.
DIY vs Professional End of Lease Cleaning
If your rental is small and in good condition, cleaning yourself is feasible — but be realistic about time. A thorough end-of-lease clean for a 2-bedroom Gold Coast unit typically takes 6–10 hours when done properly.
Professional end of lease cleaners know exactly what property managers look for and have the commercial-grade products and equipment to achieve results that are genuinely hard to replicate with supermarket products. For most tenants, the combination of time saved and reduced risk of disputes makes the investment worthwhile — especially for larger properties, ovens in poor condition, or heavily used bathrooms.
Need Help With Your End of Lease Clean?
Wave Solution provides detailed end of lease cleaning across the Gold Coast. Tell us your property type, suburb, and vacate date.