Best End of Lease Cleaning in Melbourne

How we ranked Melbourne's end of lease cleaners

Bond cleaning is a crowded trade in Melbourne, with plenty of operators who appear for a season and vanish. We looked at 58 vacate cleaning businesses and kept 24: those with at least 50 public Google reviews and a live website of their own. Those survivors average 4.37 stars, a more mixed set of ratings than most home services show. The 10 listed here are the ones that stayed on top after scoring.

Each score starts from the cleaner's Google Maps rating and is then held back a little, and held back more when the review count is small. Volume therefore shows: of two bond cleaners on identical stars, the one with the longer record scores higher. Chains appear once, under whichever Melbourne branch has the strongest reviews. The list runs from 4.93 down to 4.59, a wide gap, and no cleaner can pay for a higher spot.

How the score works →

How much does an end of lease clean cost in Melbourne?

Vacate cleans are sold as a fixed price set by bedrooms and bathrooms, not by the hour. Published Melbourne rates for 2026 put a flat with one bedroom at $230 to $400, two bedrooms at $260 to $525, a house with three bedrooms at $370 to $735 and one with four at $525 to $890. Extra bathrooms, a second living area, a garage or a very dirty oven push a quote up the range.

Carpet steam cleaning is normally a separate line. Budget $32 to $63 a room, or $145 to $420 for the carpets of a whole rental, depending on size and staining. Balcony glass, blinds, wall washing and outside windows above ground level are other common extras. Ask for one written total that lists every room and extra, because a cheap headline price often leaves out the oven or the carpets.

Book as soon as you know the date you are moving out, since good teams fill up when many leases end in the same week. Be honest about the condition of the place when you ask for a quote. A fixed price assumes a home in average order, so ask what happens to the figure if the team arrives to heavy grease, mould or rubbish left behind, and get that answer in writing.

Do you have to pay for professional cleaning when you move out in Victoria?

Not automatically. Under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 a renter must leave the home reasonably clean and in the same condition as when they moved in, allowing for fair wear and tear. Consumer Affairs Victoria's guideline says that standard is measured by average community standards: it does not mean spotless or pristine. You are free to do the clean yourself if you can reach that level.

For rental agreements entered into after 29 March 2021, the rental provider can require professional cleaning in only two cases. The first is where the property was professionally cleaned immediately before you moved in and you were told so, for example in the condition report. The second is where professional cleaning is needed to return the place to its starting condition, such as pet odours, wine stains in carpet or grease on walls.

A lease clause that demands a professional clean or carpet steam clean in every case is inconsistent with that prescribed term. In practice most renters still hire a bond cleaner because moving week leaves no time, and a receipt helps if the agent argues. Just know it is a choice in many tenancies, and a renter cannot be expected to hand the property back cleaner than they received it.

What do property managers check at the final inspection?

The agent compares the property with the condition report from the start of your tenancy, and has 10 days after the agreement ends to complete the exit section. You must be given a reasonable opportunity to attend. Go if you can, and bring your own copy of the entry report and photos, because VCAT relies on that report and any photos or video when cleanliness is disputed.

Consumer Affairs Victoria's cleanliness guideline lists what a reasonably clean home looks like. The oven, stove and rangehood are free of grease and food stains. Showers, baths and toilets are free of soap scum and mould caused by lack of care. Floors are washed, carpets are free of stains, pet hair and strong odours, cupboards are emptied and wiped, and windowsills and windows on the ground floor are free of dust and smears.

Some marks are not yours to fix. Fair wear and tear covers ordinary use and ageing, so faded curtains or a worn benchtop are the owner's cost, while burns and pet urine stains are generally treated as damage. The guideline also says cleaning at heights is often the owner's maintenance job, renters need not reach ceiling fans where access is dangerous, and mould caused by the building itself is not a cleaning failure on your part.

What should you ask a bond cleaner before booking?

Start with the return visit. A guarantee that the bond comes back should mean the same team comes back at no charge if the agent flags something at inspection, so get the terms in writing: how many days you have to report it, whether the agent's email is enough, and what is excluded. Ask too whether the guarantee still stands if you or the removalist go back into the property after the clean.

Timing matters as much as price. Book the clean for after the removalist has emptied the place and before you hand back keys, with the power and hot water still connected. Send the cleaner your agent's checklist and the entry condition report in advance so they quote for the actual standard required. Keep the tax invoice, since it is the evidence you would show in any bond dispute.

• Is carpet steam cleaning in the price, and will the invoice show it as a separate line the agent can see?
• Are the oven, rangehood filters, window tracks, blinds and balcony included, or priced as extras?
• How many days after the clean can a return visit be requested, and who has to be on site for it?
• Do you hold public liability insurance, and can you send a certificate of currency?
• Will you take dated photos of each room when you finish and send them to me?

What happens if the agent wants to keep bond money for cleaning?

Your bond is held by the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority, not the agent. A rental provider can claim on it for cleaning only where the property was not left reasonably clean, and never for fair wear and tear. They must tell you at least 3 business days before lodging a claim and hand over supporting evidence such as invoices, quotes or photographs, which must not contradict the condition report.

You do not have to agree. Only accept a claim on RTBA Online if the amount coming back to you is right. If the agent stalls, any renter named on the bond can start a claim after the agreement ends, and the other side then has 14 days to respond or take the matter further. Once everyone accepts, the RTBA usually pays within one business day.

When you cannot agree, Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria is the free first stop for bond disputes; it reviews the evidence and can send unresolved cases on to VCAT. If the agent's complaint is about the clean itself, go back to your cleaner first. Under the Australian Consumer Law a service must be carried out with due care and skill, and a business has to fix shortfalls at no charge.