This is the deep clean you do before the final inspection. The goal is simple. Leave the property reasonably clean under Victorian law, and your full bond comes back. This checklist covers every room the way Melbourne agents inspect it. It also covers what a bond clean costs, and your rights if the agent disputes the clean.
Written by Metecan Kalkan, founder of OneDrop FM (ABN 74 499 285 939), a Melbourne cleaning company. We do bond cleans across Reservoir, Brunswick, Port Melbourne and more than 20 other suburbs. Last updated: 6 October 2026.
What Does a Vacate Clean Include?
A vacate clean is a top to bottom clean of the whole property. Every room. Inside the oven and fridge. Inside cupboards. Bathrooms descaled. Carpets professionally steam cleaned with a receipt. Windows and tracks. Skirting boards. Light fittings. Balcony and garage swept.
It is not a regular clean done harder. It is cleaned to match your ingoing condition report. That report is what the agent compares at the final inspection. Clean to beat it.
The Room by Room Bond Cleaning Checklist Melbourne Agents Use
Work top to bottom, room by room. Tick each item off.
Kitchen (where most bonds are lost):
Bathrooms (the mould and grout test):
Bedrooms and living areas:
Carpets and floors:
Note: most Melbourne leases require a professional carpet clean with a receipt. A vacuum alone is not enough.
Windows:
Laundry, balcony and garage:
How Much Does a Bond Clean Cost in Melbourne?
Prices move with size and condition. Here is what Melbourne renters report paying in public discussions:
- One renter on OzBargain was quoted $520 for a bond clean of a 2 bedroom apartment with carpet.
- Another paid $210 for a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom clean including carpet steam cleaning, booked through ServiceSeeking.
- One reviewer paid almost $600 and still lost part of the bond. Price alone does not protect you. What is included matters more.
Carpet steam cleaning is usually an add on. Skipping it can save around $100 to $150. Check your lease first. Many leases require the receipt.
If you are hunting for cheap bond cleaning in Melbourne, ask what is excluded before you compare prices. Underquoting then demanding more on the day is the most common complaint in Melbourne cleaner reviews. Get a fixed quote in writing.
OneDrop FM gives fixed quotes with no on the day extras. Call 0402 160 946.
Do You Have to Use Your Agent’s Cleaner?
No. Victorian law does not require it. The legal standard is “reasonably clean”. It is not “cleaned by our preferred supplier”. What matters is the condition report and the final inspection, not who held the mop.
Renters are right to be wary here. Cleaners recommended by agents will almost always quote above market rates, and many renters suspect a kickback. Get at least three quotes. Compare what is included, not just the number.
What a Bond Back Guarantee Really Means
It does not mean your bond is refunded. A bond back guarantee means a free re-clean within 48 to 72 hours if the agent flags anything after inspection. This is the most misunderstood phrase in Melbourne renting.
Ask any cleaner to state the re-clean window in writing before you book. If they will not put it in writing, walk away.
Our guarantee is simple. If your agent flags anything after our clean, we come back free within 48 hours.
“Reasonably Clean”: Your Legal Standard in Victoria
Under Victorian law you must leave the property “reasonably clean”. Your agent cannot demand a professional standard unless your lease says so. Fair wear and tear cannot be charged to you. Scuffed paint from normal living is wear and tear. A filthy oven is not.
From 13 October 2026, Victorian rental providers must give you advance notice and supply documentary evidence 3 days before lodging a bond claim. Keep your cleaning receipt. Keep before and after photos. They are your evidence.
If the agent withholds money unfairly, you can dispute it through VCAT, Victoria’s civil and administrative tribunal.
Should You Do It Yourself or Hire a Bond Cleaner?
For a small unit with no carpet, DIY can work if you have a full day and the right products. Here is where DIY usually fails: the oven, grout and mould, and carpets. Miss those and the agent will call you back or keep part of the bond.
Add up the real cost of DIY. A full day of your time. Hiring a carpet cleaner. Cleaning products. Then compare it with a fixed professional quote. For most 2 bedroom homes, the gap is smaller than people expect.
| DIY | Hire a Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | A full day of your time | A professional team takes 4 to 7 hours for a 2 bedroom home |
| Equipment and products | Hire a carpet cleaner and buy cleaning products | Everything included in a fixed written quote |
| Re-clean guarantee | None — you go back yourself | Free re-clean within 48 to 72 hours, in writing |
| Best for | A small unit with no carpet | Most 2 bedroom homes |
If you hire, check three things: a fixed written quote, a re-clean guarantee in writing, and an invoice you can give your agent.
Bond Cleaning Across Melbourne: Suburbs We Service
OneDrop FM is based in Taylors Lakes, near Watergardens. These are the areas we are asked about most.
- End of lease cleaning Reservoir: bond cleans from Edwardes Street to Keon Park station, brick homes and new units alike.
- End of lease cleaning Laverton: near Laverton and Aircraft stations, plus the new estates at Williams Landing.
- End of lease cleaning Port Melbourne: Beacon Cove apartments to Bay Street. Sea air means windows need extra attention here.
- End of lease cleaning Preston: around Preston Market and High Street, units and family homes.
- End of lease cleaning Dandenong: from Lonsdale Street to Dandenong Market.
- End of lease cleaning West Melbourne: near Flagstaff Gardens and the warehouse conversions.
How to Get Your Full Bond Back in 7 Steps
- Find your ingoing condition report. This is the document the agent will compare against.
- Photograph every room before you clean. Date stamped photos are evidence.
- Clean top to bottom, room by room, using the checklist above.
- Get carpets professionally steam cleaned and keep the receipt.
- Walk through the property yourself before the agent arrives. Check the tracks, the oven and the grout.
- Be present or reachable for the final inspection.
- Claim your bond promptly. If the agent flags anything, use your re-clean window.
Bond Cleaning FAQs
Yes, but only for cleaning beyond fair wear and tear, and they need evidence. From 13 October 2026 they must also give you notice and documents 3 days before claiming.
A professional team takes 4 to 7 hours for a 2 bedroom home. DIY usually takes a full day.
Usually it is an add on. Most Melbourne leases require it with a receipt, so check your lease before you skip it.
A proper bond back guarantee means the cleaner returns free within 48 to 72 hours to fix flagged items. Get this in writing before you book.
Yes. Behind and under the fridge is one of the most missed items at final inspections.
You claim through the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority. If you and the agent disagree on deductions, VCAT can decide.
Book Your Bond Clean With OneDrop FM
Fixed quotes with no on the day extras. Free 48 hour re-clean guarantee. An invoice for your REA. A police checked, insured local team. Real reviews from Melbourne renters who got their bond back.
We are local. We are based in Taylors Lakes and clean across more than 20 Melbourne suburbs.
Call 0402 160 946.