Checklist · 11 minute read · Checked October 2026
The End of Lease Cleaning Checklist (Victoria)
This end of lease cleaning checklist for Melbourne and the rest of Victoria goes room by room through everything a renter needs to clean before handing back the keys, then explains what property managers tend to check first, how the bond process works through the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority, and which jobs are worth handing to a professional. It is written for renters, share-house tenants and property managers. Victorian law asks renters to leave a property reasonably clean, taking into account its condition at the start of the tenancy, not showroom-new, so the entry condition report is your most useful document. Keep it beside you as you work. More checklists and how-to guides are on our Golden Star guides page.
Room by room
What goes on an end of lease cleaning checklist in Victoria?
An end of lease cleaning checklist in Victoria should cover every room's surfaces, fixtures, cupboards, windows and floors, with the most time spent on the kitchen and bathrooms. The lists below follow the order most cleaners use: top to bottom in each room, wet areas last, floors at the very end.
Kitchen
- Oven inside, racks, trays and door glass
- Cooktop, knobs and splashback
- Rangehood, filters and the underside
- Cupboards and drawers inside and out
- Sink, taps and drain
- Dishwasher filter and seals, if supplied
- Fridge space, walls and floor beneath
Bathrooms and toilets
- Shower screen, including soap scum
- Tiles and grout, mould treated
- Toilet inside and out, base and cistern
- Vanity, basin, taps and mirror
- Exhaust fan cover
- Drawers and cabinets inside
- Floor, corners and waste grate
Bedrooms and living
- Built-in wardrobes, shelves and tracks
- Light switches and power points
- Skirting boards and door frames
- Marks on walls spot cleaned
- Window sills, tracks and glass inside
- Blinds or curtains dusted
- Floors vacuumed and mopped
Laundry
- Trough, taps and splashback
- Cupboards inside and out
- Behind the washing machine space
- Dryer vent area and lint
- Floor and floor waste
Outside and garage
- Balcony or courtyard swept
- Outdoor light fittings and cobwebs
- Garage or carport swept, oil noted
- Rubbish and green waste removed
- Letterbox cleared
Throughout
- Cobwebs in corners and ceilings
- Air-conditioning vents and filters
- Doors, handles and locks
- Smoke alarm covers dusted, not removed
- Every rubbish bin emptied
Move out first, clean second. Cleaning around furniture and boxes means doing parts of the job twice and missing others. Once the property is empty, open the windows, turn on the lights and start with the kitchen, which always takes longest. Keep the power and water connected until the clean is finished; many renters cut them off on moving day and then cannot run a vacuum or heat water.
Take your own photos once you finish, room by room, from the same angles as the entry condition report if you can. They are useful if anything is disputed later.
In share houses, agree who cleans what well before moving day. Bedrooms are usually each person's own job, while the kitchen, bathroom, living areas and outside are shared. Splitting the shared list by room, with names beside each, avoids the common outcome where everyone assumes someone else did the oven. If one housemate is staying on, decide together whether the whole property is cleaned now or at the end of the lease.
The hard parts
How do you tackle the oven, shower and window tracks properly?
Tackle the hard parts with time and soaking rather than force. Give the oven an overnight or several-hour soak with oven cleaner, treat shower glass and grout with a scum remover or vinegar-based cleaner before scrubbing, and vacuum window tracks before wiping them so you are not smearing grit into mud.
Ovens take the longest because baked-on grease needs chemistry, not elbow grease. Remove the racks and trays and soak them in a bath or laundry trough in hot water with an oven or degreasing product. Apply cleaner inside the oven according to the label, close the door and leave it to work. Wipe out the softened grease with a non-scratch pad, rinse with clean water and dry. Check the door glass, the seal and the grill compartment, which are the spots people forget.
Showers need soap scum and mould dealt with separately. Scum on glass comes off with a dedicated remover or a vinegar solution and a non-scratch pad; a squeegee and a dry cloth leave it streak-free. Mould in grout and silicone needs a mould treatment left to work, then a scrub with a stiff brush. Silicone that is deeply stained may not come clean; note it rather than attacking it with a blade.
Window tracks and sills collect grit, insects and damp. Vacuum them with a crevice tool first, then wipe with a damp cloth wrapped around a flat tool such as a butter knife or an old card, and dry. Doing tracks before glass stops dirty water dripping onto clean windows.
Wear gloves throughout, keep the windows open while using strong cleaners, and never mix products, particularly anything with bleach and anything with ammonia or acid.
What agents check first
What do property managers check first at a final inspection?
Most property managers go straight to the oven, the rangehood, the shower screen and grout, window tracks and walls. These are the places grease, soap scum and marks build up during a tenancy, and they are quick to compare against the entry condition report and photos.
- OvenRacks, trays, door glass and the seal around it.
- RangehoodGrease on the filters and the underside of the hood.
- ShowerScreen scum, grout mould and the drain.
- Window tracksDust, dead insects and grime in the sliding tracks.
- WallsScuffs, fingerprints, and marks around switches.
After those, inspections usually move to cupboard insides, skirting boards, light switches, carpets and the outdoor areas. Inspectors work from the entry condition report, comparing what they see now with what was recorded when you moved in. Something that was already worn, stained or damaged at the start should be noted there, and it is not your job to make it better than it was.
That comparison is why the condition report matters so much. If yours is thin or missing photos, the dispute can come down to memory. If you are about to start a new lease, take detailed photos on day one and add comments to the report before returning it, even for small things.
Consumer Affairs Victoria and the RTBA
How does the bond process work in Victoria?
In Victoria, bonds are held by the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority, not the landlord. At the end of the tenancy, the rental provider or agent and the renter agree how the bond is split, and the claim is made online through the RTBA. If there is a disagreement, it can be taken further.
According to Consumer Affairs Victoria, the bond can be used to cover a renter who has damaged the property, owes rent or charges, made unauthorised changes, or has not left the property reasonably clean. They cannot claim for fair wear and tear. The same page notes that rental providers must start a claim with the RTBA within 14 days of the rental agreement ending, and that renters have 14 days to accept a claim or contest it.
Claims and refunds are handled through the RTBA's online bond system, with the money paid to the nominated bank account. Ideally, you and the property manager agree on the split before you move out, which avoids any dispute at all.
"Reasonably clean" is the key phrase. It does not mean brand new, and it takes the condition at the start of the tenancy into account. A property that was grubby when you moved in does not need to be handed back in better shape than you found it. On the other hand, a clean property left with a greasy oven and a mouldy shower is likely to attract a cleaning claim. Carpet has its own rule: where the carpet was professionally cleaned just before your tenancy and you were informed, a professional clean at the end can be required; our Melbourne end of lease cleaning page explains that rule and the rest of the service in detail.
Book a vacate clean
When is it worth booking a professional vacate clean?
A professional vacate clean is worth booking when you are short on time, the oven and bathrooms need heavy work, the property is large, or the lease or condition report points to professional cleaning. It is also worth it if the clean falls on moving day, when you have enough else to do.
Doing it yourself is perfectly reasonable if the property is small, you have looked after it, and you have a full day after moving out. Use the checklist, allow more time than you think for the oven and shower, and borrow or hire a decent vacuum.
A professional crew brings the right products, the equipment for carpets and heavy grime, and a team that can finish a whole house in hours rather than days. Ask for the checklist in writing, a set price, and a promise to come back at no charge for any listed item the inspector flags. Be wary of anyone who guarantees your bond; the bond depends on things no cleaner controls.
Whichever route you take, slot the clean between the truck leaving and the inspection, ideally with a spare day in between. That gap gives time to fix anything the property manager points out.
Questions
What do renters ask about walls, carpets and ovens?
Walls, carpets and ovens cause more end of lease arguments than anything else. Here is what to do about each.