You don't have to take a business's word for any of this. Each check below uses something you can see for yourself.
Four checks before you book
Look up the ABN
Search the name or the number on ABN Lookup, the Australian Business Register's public search. A status of active means the registration is current. Cancelled means the ABN has been deactivated and is no longer current. The name on the quote should match an entity name or a business name on the record, and the record also shows GST registration, which is worth a look if the quote adds GST.
Read the public liability certificate
Public liability insurance covers a business if someone is injured or their property is damaged because of its negligence. Ask for the certificate and read two things: the business name on it, and the date it runs to. That date should fall after the day of your clean.
Get the clean and the re-clean terms in writing
Ask what the clean covers, room by room, and which extras are on top, such as the oven, inside windows, carpets and walls. Plenty of businesses will come back for items on the agent's list, but the conditions differ, so get those terms in writing as well.
Ask about the people who'll turn up
Ask who will be in your home, whether they work for the business or for a subcontractor, and what checks the business does on its own staff. That's the business's answer to give, and yours to weigh up.
What the regulators tell tenants
The WA Government tells tenants hiring an end of tenancy cleaner to check the ABN and references, and never to pay upfront. It also says to get a receipt, especially for carpet cleaning. Queensland's Residential Tenancies Authority says to make sure anyone you engage for cleaning or repairs is reputable. Both were written for tenants, and they hold up for any clean.
When to slow down
- The name on the quote doesn't match the ABN record, or the ABN shows as cancelled.
- The certificate is in another name, or its date has passed.
- The business wants the full amount upfront.
- Nothing in writing about what's included.
- A promise that you'll pass the inspection or have your bond refunded. No cleaner decides either of those.
What these checks can't tell you
An active ABN shows a current registration. It says nothing about how well a business cleans, and ABN Lookup is only as accurate as the details businesses keep up to date. A certificate shows insurance, and a written quote shows what was agreed. For the rest, ask for references and listen to how the business talks through your job.
Who answers for the clean
The cleaning business does. It quotes, cleans and invoices you directly, and it's responsible for its own work and its own staff. If something goes wrong, complaints and disputes sets out who to go to, and how it works explains what we do and don't do.