Average price of end of lease cleaning

Looking for a cost-effective way to make moving house easier? We’ve creating this end of lease cleaning price guide with everything you need to know about end of lease cleaning costs, so you can easily find a local cleaner and know you’re getting a fair price.

An end of lease clean on a standard 3-bedroom home usually costs between $120-$360, but your cleaner might charge more or less. Also known as bond cleans and vacate cleans, this type of cleaning can vary in price, depending on where you live, what kind of tasks you need done, and how long it’s likely to take. 

In this guide, we’ve included detailed info on end of lease cleaning costs in Australia, based on our data from thousands of end of lease cleaners and completed cleaning tasks. By the time you’re done reading this guide, you’ll have a clear idea of the price you can expect to pay for a range of bond cleaning tasks and you’ll know how to get started with hiring an end of lease cleaner.

Why should I hire an end of lease cleaner?

Moving to a new house is stressful enough, without adding cleaning your previous rental property to the list of things to do before you move. Some of the main reasons to hire an end of lease cleaner are to:

1. Save time - you’re busy enough cleaning your new home and moving everything; plus, an experienced, professional bond cleaner will be able to do the job a lot faster than you
2. Save money - instead of buying all the right equipment and tools, your cleaner will bring their own
3. Get your bond back - a professional bond cleaner will know exactly what to clean to make sure you get all your bond money back
4. Enjoy the convenience - don’t worry about travelling back-and-forth between your old and new house

It all comes down to having one less thing to worry about when moving to a new house. When you’ve got so much on your plate, it’s often worth getting someone to help you clean your rental property at the end of your lease.

What are the standard inclusions for end of lease cleaning?

When you book a bond cleaner, a standard clean will usually take around 4-6 hours (depending on the size of your home and the number of cleaners attending) and include the following services:

• All windows wiped (inside and outside)
• The inside and top of all cupboards wiped 
• All walls cleaned
• Any window furnishings (like blinds and curtains) cleaned
• All light fittings cleaned to remove dirt and insects, then polished
• All floors vacuumed and mopped
• All window tracks cleaned
• Oven cleaned
• All surfaces are wiped down and any stains or marks removed that weren’t pre-existing
• Extractor fans washed
• Skirting boards free from marks and dust
• Bathrooms, laundry, and kitchen cleaned

Extra tasks you can give to your end of lease cleaner

When requesting an end of lease clean, you can also ask your cleaner to take care of additional services and detail cleaning tasks, like: 

• Steam cleaning carpets
• Dishwasher cleaning
• Swimming pool cleaning
• Upholstery cleaning (eg. curtains, couches, and mattresses)

What sort of services won’t an end of lease cleaner do?

While some cleaners are pretty flexible, usually, they won’t do…

• Maintenance tasks - like ceiling fan repair or plaster repair
• Renovation tasks - like painting the walls or plastering
• Jobs outside - like a garden tidy up or weeding
• Professional services - you may need additional services like pest control to get your lease back, especially if you’ve had pets inside

You’ll need to hire a handyperson, painter, gardener, or pest controller for those tasks. But if you’d like one person to take care of it all, you can always specify this when you post your task. You might be lucky enough to get a skilled end of lease cleaner who’s experience in other areas, too.

End of lease cleaning prices 

End of lease cleaning pricing depends a lot on the type of house, the tasks, and how much work is involved. We’ve reviewed recent end of lease cleaning tasks posted in the marketplace to give you an approximate price guide:

And here’s guidelines around some of the extra services you might like to add on or book separately when you move house:

What factors affect the cost of an end of lease clean?

As you can see from our price guides above, the cost of different services can vary by quite a lot. Here are the factors that might increase or decrease the price of your end of lease clean:

• How long the tasks will take 
• The number of cleaners you’ll need
• How much cleaning you’ve already done
• The number of bedrooms
• The number of bathrooms
• How many m2 your home is
• How detailed the clean is (extra detail is why bond cleaning usually costs a lot more than a standard clean)
• Any extras (like oven, cabinets, windows, or carpets)
• Whether you’ll provide the equipment and supplies
• Your location/suburb
• How difficult or easy it is to access and complete the job
• How urgently you need the job done
• Whether you need the cleaning done on a weekend or weekday

Average hourly rates of end of lease cleaners in Australia

The average hourly rate of an end of lease cleaner depends on whether they’re employed (and their employer covers their expenses/tax/super) or they’re self-employed. Fairwork Australia has set the cleaning services award for employed cleaners at the following rates:

But of course, an end of lease clean is usually a once-off clean completed by a contractor, so these rates won’t apply to you. This means they’ll need to charge you higher rates because they’re covering their own expenses, including:

• Their wage
• Tax
• Superannuation
• Insurance
• Travel expenses
• Cleaning supplies
• And more!

A lot of the time, your cleaner will need to charge you double or triple the standard award rate to cover the costs associated with running their own business. This means you can expect to pay around $40-$60 per hour for a house cleaning contractor. So when you’re setting your budget for your end of lease clean, try to keep in mind the approximate number of hours it might take, and then multiply it by at least $40.

How to get end of lease cleaning quotes

Ready to hire your end of lease cleaner and create your first task on Airtasker? It’s easy! Just write out your task, post it, review your offers, choose a cleaner, and they’ll arrange to come and do your end of lease cleaning. If you’re curious, read some more about how it works.

Here’s what you might include in your task:

• Timing and budget
• Location
• Number of rooms/bathrooms and approximate sizes
• Specify that it’s for an end of lease cleaning
• Deep clean or standard clean?
• Any issues with access?
• Is the job likely to be challenging or time-consuming?
• Equipment provided? 
• Any mould or areas that require more time (such as rangehoods, ovens, vents)
• Do you need an invoice for the real estate agents (usually this is required for carpet cleaning)

You might also like to refer to our handy end of lease cleaning checklist to make sure nothing gets missed. The more info you include, the easier it’ll be for your end of lease cleaner to price up the job and make you an offer. Plus, they’ll refer to the info in your task when they arrive to complete the task.

Example end of lease cleaning tasks from Airtasker 

Need some inspiration to help you create your task? Here are some examples of bond cleans our members have successfully hired out through Airtasker.