Do you need bond cleaning in Brisbane at all?
Not by law. The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) says a tenant may choose to engage a professional company to do the cleaning or do it themselves. A bond clean, or end of lease clean as other states call it, is simply the job of getting the empty home back to the way it was at the start.
The honest reason to book one is time. If you'd rather spend the last week on boxes, keys and the new place, tell us the clean.
What Queensland law says about Brisbane bond cleaning
The standard
You leave the place, as far as possible, in the same condition it was in at the start, fair wear and tear excepted (s 188(4)). The RTA says dirt, grime and grease don't count as fair wear and tear.
The choice of cleaner
A lessor or agent must not require you to buy services from them or from a person they nominate (s 171(2)). If you're handed a business card, you can use it or ignore it.
Pets and carpets
If a pet was allowed inside, a pet approval condition can require the carpets to be professionally cleaned at the end. It still can't tie you to a particular business. Fumigation is pest control, so that's for a licensed pest controller, never a cleaner.
Why cleaning gets attention
Cleaning was the most common reason Queensland property managers or owners claimed against a bond refund in 2024 to 25, at 21.5% of claims. A second look at the list below is time well spent.
Getting the big stuff out
Brisbane City Council's kerbside collection comes to each suburb for one week of the financial year. If that week doesn't line up with your move, the big items need another way out, because the clean starts once the place is empty.
The RTA's commonly missed list for a Brisbane bond clean
- Windows and window tracks
- Skirting boards
- Light fittings
- Ceiling fans
- Air conditioning vents and filters
- The inside of every cupboard
- The oven
Leaving a Brisbane Queenslander: verandas and underneath
A high-set house can hide a lot of extra floor. If the rental came with a veranda, closed-in rooms underneath or a storage area under the house, tell the business which of those you used and what your entry condition report (the record of the home's condition the day you moved in) says about them.
Questions for Brisbane bond cleaners before you book
- What's on your list, room by room, and what counts as an extra?
- Are the oven, inside windows and carpet steam cleaning included, or add-ons?
- Will you work from my entry condition report?
- If the property manager flags something, will you come back, and can I see those terms in writing?
- Do you need the power and water left on?
- What's your ABN, and can I see your public liability certificate?
How we'd brief Brisbane bond cleaners
Sit down with your entry condition report, plus any photos or video, and go room by room before anyone quotes. Mark up the RTA's missed items that apply to your place and send that list with the job, then add the oven if it needs it. On your last day, photograph every empty room.