End of Lease Cleaning Checklist: What Bayside Agents Actually Check

Final inspections are quicker than people expect. An agent walks a two-bedroom unit in about ten minutes, and they aren't looking at everything - they're checking a known list of places where cleaning usually runs out. Work that list and you'll pass. Here it is, room by room, as it's actually inspected across Mentone, Moorabbin, Cheltenham and the bayside suburbs.

The five that fail most often

Before the full list, these five account for the large majority of deductions we see:

1. Oven - racks, trays, and especially between the double glass in the door
2. Rangehood filter - lifted out and looked at, every time
3. Shower grout and silicone - checked dry, not wet
4. Window tracks and flyscreens
5. Marks on walls and skirting boards

Kitchen

• Oven: interior, racks, trays, door glass inside and out, the seal, and the drawer underneath
• Stovetop, knobs, and the drip trays or burner caps removed and cleaned
• Rangehood: exterior, underside, and the filter degreased or replaced
• Splashback and the wall behind the stove - and the ceiling directly above it
• Inside every cupboard and drawer, including runners and the underside of shelves
• Cupboard doors outside, especially around handles where finger grease builds up
• Benchtops, and the join between bench and splashback
• Sink, taps, drain, and the sealant around the sink edge
• Fridge and dishwasher cavities - pulled out, floor and wall behind cleaned
• Dishwasher filter if one is supplied

Bathroom & laundry

• Shower screen, both sides, and the tracks at the base
• Grout and silicone - mould treated, not just wiped
• Shower head and taps descaled
• Toilet: bowl, seat hinges, base, behind the pedestal, and the cistern top
• Vanity inside, underside, and the mirror and cabinet
• Exhaust fan cover removed and washed
• Towel rails, robe hooks, and the wall behind them
• Laundry trough, taps, and behind the washing machine
• Floor waste and drain covers

Bedrooms, living areas & hallways

• Inside wardrobes: shelves, rails, mirrored doors and the tracks
• Skirting boards, door frames, and the tops of doors
• Light switches, power points, and the marks around them
• Light fittings and ceiling fans - dust on the top edge of blades is a giveaway
• Air conditioner filters and vents
• Cobwebs in ceiling corners and cornices
• Carpets vacuumed, then professionally steam cleaned if the condition report calls for it
• Hard floors mopped, and the edges where a mop doesn't reach

Windows, doors & outside

• Windows inside, and outside where they're safely reachable
• Tracks vacuumed then wiped - this is a standard check, not a bonus
• Flyscreens brushed or washed
• Sills and reveals, including any mould in the corners
• Front and back door, doormat area, and the entry light fitting
• Balcony or courtyard swept, drain cleared, and the railing wiped
• Garage floor swept, and the lawn mowed and edges trimmed for a house
• Bins emptied, washed and left clean - a surprisingly common deduction

Timing it properly

Do the vacate clean after the property is completely empty and before the final inspection - with at least a day's buffer. Carpets should be steam cleaned last, once everything else is finished and out, and they need a few hours to dry before anyone walks through. Booking the clean for the morning of the inspection is how good cleans still fail.

Two things worth doing yourself either way

Photograph every room after the clean, dated, in daylight - including inside the oven and the cupboards. And re-read your entry condition report before you decide what you're responsible for: anything already recorded as damaged or marked when you moved in isn't yours to fix, and fair wear and tear never is.