What a NSW lease says about an exit clean
Two clauses in the standard agreement do the work. Clause 18.2 asks for the home back as nearly as possible the way you found it, fair wear and tear excepted. Clause 18.3 has you leave it reasonably clean, having regard to its condition at the start.
Neither mentions a cleaner. If an ad calls an exit clean compulsory, it isn't quoting your lease. Do it yourself or hand it to a business: that's your call.
Exit cleaning and the NSW carpet rule
A NSW agreement must not require you to have the carpet professionally cleaned at the end, or pay for it, unless the landlord agreed to a pet being kept inside and the cleaning is reasonable for that pet. Fumigation has the same limit, and the pet must also be a mammal. Clauses 57 and 58 of the standard agreement carry those pet conditions.
Carpet that's only worn may not need anything extra. NSW Government gives furniture indentations and traffic marks as fair wear and tear, while stains or burn marks are damage. Fumigation, if your agreement has it, is pest control and needs a licensed pest controller.
Exit cleaning in Sydney apartments
In the 2021 Census, flats and apartments made up 31% of occupied homes in Greater Sydney, so plenty of exit cleans happen several floors up. Strata by-laws apply to every resident and commonly cover parking. Ask your agent or building manager where a cleaner can park and how they get in, then pass that on when the business calls. Our apartment cleaning page has more.
Your last week in a Sydney rental, before the exit clean
- Dig out your condition report: it can be used as evidence if there's a dispute.
- Ask when the final inspection is. You must get a reasonable opportunity to attend.
- Book the clean for after the removalists leave.
- Gather every key, fob and remote for the agent.
- Note your Rental Bonds Online login, ready for the claim.
After the exit clean: claiming your NSW bond
NSW Fair Trading holds the bond, and you can claim it through Rental Bonds Online. Your landlord or agent has up to 14 days to accept. If they don't dispute the claim, Fair Trading pays it after 14 days.
A landlord who disputes it must apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). You can still go to the Tribunal within six months of a payout.
Our take on an exit clean in NSW
Read clauses 18.2 and 18.3 next to your condition report, and clean to that, not to a showroom. Skip carpet steam cleaning if there was no indoor pet and the carpets only show wear, unless you'd like it done anyway. Put the agreed list in writing, and be at the final inspection if you can.