A person in a yellow t-shirt, side on, mopping the tiled floor of a kitchen with dark blue cabinets.

Rental bond and end of lease cleaning rules, state by state

Pick your state for the detail, with section numbers and the date we checked.

Every Australian state and territory sets a similar standard for the clean when you leave a rental, but each runs its own rental bond, bond refund and bond claim process.

We find the cleaner. The cleaning business quotes, cleans and invoices you directly.

None of the tenancy laws we read makes a renter hire a professional cleaner for an ordinary end of lease clean. Each sets a standard, reasonably clean or as clean as at the start, and allows for fair wear and tear.

The main exception is pets. Several places let a pet agreement ask for professional carpet cleaning at the finish, and some allow fumigation, which is a pest controller's job and not a clean. Victoria's two reg 12 cases and the ACT's carpet rule are two more narrow exceptions.

So the clean is yours to do or hand over. If you'd rather give the last week to boxes and keys, that's your choice, not a rule.

Who holds your rental bond, and where disputes go

	Bond held by	If you can't agree
Victoria	Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA)	Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) or VCAT
New South Wales	NSW Fair Trading, through Rental Bonds Online	NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT)
Queensland	Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA)	RTA dispute resolution, then QCAT
Western Australia	Bonds Administration, part of Consumer Protection	Commissioner for Consumer Protection, then the Magistrates Court
South Australia	Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, through CBS	CBS conciliation, then SACAT
ACT	ACT Revenue Office	ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT)
Tasmania	Rental Deposit Authority	Residential Tenancy Commissioner, then the Magistrates Court on appeal
Northern Territory	The landlord or agent, in trust	NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT)

Your state's rules, from the clean to the bond claim

Moving out and want your state's rules? Pick it below. Each state page covers what the law asks you to clean, when a professional clean can be asked for, pets, condition reports and how a bond claim runs.

For the whole path from the last clean to the refund, read how to get your bond refunded. For the record everything is measured against, read entry and exit condition reports. Not sure if a mark is yours to fix? Try fair wear and tear.

The name changes with the state too: a bond clean in Queensland and the NT, a vacate clean in WA, and an end of lease clean everywhere else.

Guides

Moving out

Rental bond Vic: end of lease cleaning rulesVictoria's end of lease cleaning rules, the two professional clean exceptions and how RTBA bond claims run.Bond rules, Victoria

Bond return NSW: end of lease cleaning rulesNSW rules for the end of lease clean, the indoor pet exception and how Rental Bonds Online claims work.Bond rules, New South Wales

RTA bond and bond cleaning rules in QueenslandWhat Queensland's tenancy law asks at the end, and why the choice of cleaner is yours.Bond rules, Queensland

Bond refund WA: vacate cleaning and bond rulesWA's vacate clean rules, pet conditions, property condition reports and how a disputed bond is decided.Bond rules, Western Australia

Rental bond SA: end of lease cleaning rulesSA's end of lease cleaning rules, carpet clauses and pet conditions, and how CBS handles the bond.Bond rules, South Australia

End of lease cleaning rules in the ACTThe ACT's end of lease rules: no professional clean needed, the carpet exception and how bond refunds work.Bond rules, Australian Capital Territory

End of lease cleaning rules in TasmaniaTasmania's end of lease rules: the section 53 standard, the 2 day condition report and how bond disputes are decided.Bond rules, Tasmania

Bond cleaning rules in the Northern TerritoryThe NT's bond clean rules, why the entry report matters so much and the landlord's 7 business day deadline.Bond rules, Northern Territory

Questions

Questions about rental bond and end of lease cleaning rules, state by state

What's the difference between a bond refund and a bond claim?

A bond claim is a request to pay out the bond held for your tenancy. A bond refund is the money coming to you. If a landlord's claim keeps part of it, you can accept that or dispute it.

Who decides if the bond is disputed?

It depends on where you live. The table above shows who holds the bond in each state and territory, and where a disagreement goes.

When the cleaning business calls

Have the number of bedrooms and bathrooms handy, and anything extra you want done.
Moving out? Have your entry condition report and the date the keys go back.
Think about access: keys, parking, stairs, and pets that will be home.

Cleaner Scout passes your clean to a local cleaning business. The business quotes, does the work and invoices you directly. We don't clean, and we don't employ cleaners.

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