TL;DR
End of lease cleaning in Sydney is judged against the property's entry condition, not general cleanliness. Real estate agents check every surface — ovens, grout, window tracks, skirting boards, and carpets — and anything listed as clean at move-in must match that standard at move-out. For most Western Sydney rentals, a professional end of lease clean costs $300–$600 and protects bonds of $2,000–$6,000. Mercy Property Care provides end of lease cleaning across Sydney with a bond-back guarantee.
What does an end of lease inspection actually involve in Sydney?
End of lease cleaning in Sydney is assessed against the entry condition report signed when you moved in. If the oven was noted as clean, it must be clean. If the carpets were steam-cleaned, they need to match that standard. It is not about making the property look nice — it is about returning it to documented condition.
Real estate agents in NSW conduct final inspections with a copy of the entry condition report in hand. They move through each room systematically, photographing anything that does not match. Items that get missed in a routine clean almost always get flagged at inspection.
- The most commonly failed areas in Sydney end of lease inspections:
-
- Kitchen: oven racks, grill, rangehood filter, behind/under appliances, splashback
- Bathrooms: grout lines, exhaust fan covers, behind toilets, shower screen tracks
- Living areas: skirting boards, window tracks, window sills, light fittings, ceiling fans
- Bedrooms: built-in wardrobe tracks and shelves, marks on walls
- Floors: carpet steam cleaning (receipt required), hard floor grout lines
- Outdoor areas: balcony or courtyard cleaning, cobwebs on external walls
Booking a professional end of lease cleaning service in Sydney before the inspection removes the risk of missing any of these areas.
What do real estate agents actually check room by room?
The checklist below reflects what agents consistently flag in Western Sydney properties — Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith, Toongabbie, Castle Hill, and Liverpool. It is based on the NSW standard entry condition report format.
Kitchen
Oven interior, racks, and grill — agents open and photograph the oven door open. Grease on racks is the most common fail.
Rangehood filter — a sticky, greasy filter is an automatic flat.
Inside and behind the refrigerator space — marks or spills on the wall behind where the fridge stood.
Cupboard shelves and drawer tracks.
Sink and tap base — soap scum buildup.
Bathrooms and laundry
- Shower screen — hard water stains and soap scum on glass are the most common fail after ovens.
- Grout between tiles — discolouration is checked against the entry report.
- Exhaust fan cover — dust accumulation is almost universally missed by tenants
- Under and behind the toilet.
- Laundry tub and washing machine connection point.
Bedrooms and living areas
- Skirting boards — dust and marks on the top edge.
- Window tracks and sills — dirt accumulation in tracks is a near-universal fail.
- Light fittings — dead insects inside diffusers.
- Ceiling fans — dust on fan blades.
- Wall marks — scuffs and marks above switches and around door handles.
Carpets
- Steam cleaning is almost always required in NSW at end of lease unless the carpets were not professionally cleaned at the start of the tenancy.
- Agents require a professional steam cleaning receipt — DIY carpet cleaning using a hired machine does not satisfy this requirement in most NSW leases.
- Stains that were not present at move-in are a separate bond claim item.
What is the difference between regular cleaning and end of lease cleaning?
Regular cleaning maintains a home. End of lease cleaning restores it to entry condition for a real estate inspection standard.
The difference in scope is significant:
|
Task |
Regular Clean |
End of Lease Clean |
|
Oven interior degreasing |
No |
Yes |
|
Rangehood filter |
No |
Yes |
|
Skirting boards |
No |
Yes |
|
Window tracks |
No |
Yes |
|
Grout scrubbing |
No |
Yes |
|
Exhaust fans |
No |
Yes |
|
Inside cupboards and drawers |
No |
Yes |
|
Carpet steam cleaning |
No |
Yes (+ receipt) |
|
Wall marks |
No |
Yes |
A professional end of lease clean in Western Sydney covers all of these as standard. DIY cleaning typically misses 3–5 items from this list, which is enough to trigger a failed inspection. The properties in Parramatta, Blacktown, and Penrith managed by larger agencies use the same inspection checklist every time — the same items get flagged by the same agents repeatedly.
For office and commercial tenants in Sydney ending a lease, the requirements are similar but scaled — commercial cleaning across Western Sydney applies the same entry condition logic to business premises.
How much does end of lease cleaning cost in Sydney in 2026?
End of lease cleaning in Sydney typically costs between $300 and $700 depending on property size, condition, and whether carpet steam cleaning is included.
Approximate price ranges for Western Sydney properties in 2026:
|
Property size |
Estimated cost (no carpet) |
Estimated cost (with carpet) |
|
1-bedroom unit |
$250–$350 |
$350–$450 |
|
2-bedroom unit or townhouse |
$350–$450 |
$450–$580 |
|
3-bedroom house |
$450–$600 |
$580–$750 |
|
4-bedroom house |
$550–$750 |
$700–$950+ |
Prices vary based on property condition — a home that has had regular professional cleaning throughout the tenancy will cost less to restore at end of lease than one that has not been professionally cleaned in years.
The most important comparison: the average rental bond in NSW for a 3-bedroom house in Western Sydney is $3,000–$5,000. A $500 end of lease clean that protects that bond is a strong return. A DIY clean that misses the oven and shower screen and results in a $700 bond deduction costs more.
When should I book end of lease cleaning in Sydney?
Book end of lease cleaning at least 3–5 business days before your inspection date, or ideally the day before you hand back keys.
Timing notes for Sydney tenants:
- Carpet steam cleaning takes several hours to dry — book it the morning of the clean or the day before inspection
- Do not book your end of lease clean before you have fully vacated the property — furniture removal leaves marks that need to be addressed
- If you are overlapping tenancies (moving to a new property before your old lease ends), book cleaning for the end of the vacated property first
- If you receive a failed inspection notice, NSW tenancy law gives you a reasonable time to rectify cleaning before a bond claim can be lodged. In practice, this is usually 5–7 days.
For tenants near Parramatta, Blacktown, or the Hills District, cleaning services in Parramatta can typically accommodate bookings within 24–48 hours.
Does a bond-back guarantee actually mean anything?
A bond-back guarantee from an end of lease cleaning company means the provider will return and re-clean any areas that fail inspection at no additional charge. It does not mean your bond is automatically returned — that is between you and your landlord.
What a reputable bond-back guarantee covers:
- Re-cleaning of any item that fails inspection within the scope of the original clean
- Return visits within a defined window (usually 48–72 hours after the failed inspection)
- A written scope of work so you know exactly what was included
What it does not cover:
- Damage claimed separately from cleaning
- Carpet stains that are classified as damage rather than cleaning
- Items that were not part of the original service scope
Always ask for the scope of work in writing before booking. A provider who cannot give you a written scope is not offering a meaningful guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does end of lease cleaning in Sydney include? A: A professional end of lease clean in Sydney covers the entire property to real estate inspection standard — oven, rangehood, bathrooms including grout and exhaust fans, skirting boards, window tracks, inside cupboards, light fittings, and wall marks. Carpet steam cleaning is usually a separate quoted service but can be included. Mercy Property Care provides a written scope before every end of lease clean so you know exactly what is covered.
Q: How long does end of lease cleaning take for a Sydney property? A: A 2-bedroom unit in Sydney typically takes 4–6 hours with a professional team. A 3-bedroom house takes 6–9 hours depending on condition. Properties that have not been professionally maintained during the tenancy take longer — grout cleaning, oven degreasing, and shower screen restoration can each add 1–2 hours when the buildup is heavy. Book a full day for larger properties.
Q: Do I need carpet steam cleaning for my Sydney end of lease? A: In most NSW residential leases, yes. If the entry condition report notes carpets as professionally steam-cleaned, you are required to return them in that condition — and agents require a receipt. Hiring a machine from a supermarket does not satisfy this requirement under most leases. A professional steam clean for a standard 3-bedroom Western Sydney home costs $150–$250 and is worth it compared to a bond deduction.
Q: What is the most commonly failed item in Sydney end of lease inspections? A: The oven. Without exception, the oven is the single most commonly flagged item in Western Sydney real estate inspections. Most tenants do not degrease racks, grill trays, or the interior of the oven door glass. Agents open the oven as a matter of course on every inspection. The second most commonly failed item is the shower screen — particularly hard water staining on glass.
Q: Can Mercy Property Care clean my property at short notice? A: Mercy Property Care accepts end of lease bookings across Western Sydney — Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith, the Hills District, Toongabbie, Liverpool, and surrounding suburbs. Availability depends on scheduling, but short-notice bookings within 24–48 hours are often possible. Call 1300 973 856 or 0257 407 688 to check availability and confirm a same-week booking.
Q: What if my property fails inspection after the professional clean? A: Mercy Property Care offers a bond-back guarantee — if any area included in the original scope fails inspection, the team returns and re-cleans at no additional charge. You must notify us within 48 hours of the failed inspection and provide the agent's written report. The re-clean is booked within 48 hours of that notification. For more on what's covered under the guarantee, visit the Mercy Property Care blog or call directly.
Q: Is there a difference between end of lease cleaning and bond cleaning? A: No — they are the same service. "End of lease cleaning," "bond cleaning," "vacate cleaning," and "move-out cleaning" all describe the same thing: a deep clean of a rental property to the standard required by a real estate agent at the end of a tenancy. The terminology varies between agencies and suburbs, but the scope and standard are the same across Western Sydney.
Book Your End of Lease Clean in Sydney
The right time to book is before your inspection is scheduled, not after you fail one. Mercy Property Care covers end of lease cleaning across Western Sydney with a written scope, bond-back guarantee, and same-week availability.
Call: 1300 973 856 Or: 0257 407 688 Book online: End of lease cleaning service in Sydney
Based in Toongabbie. Servicing Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith, Castle Hill, the Hills District, Liverpool, and all of Western Sydney.