Moving to a new house never fails to rank as one of the most stressful experiences in our lives. From cancelling utilities and organising mail redirections, to the dreaded end-of-lease clean, moving house is always time-consuming, stressful and dirty.
No matter if you started the process weeks before your scheduled vacate date, for even the most experienced house-movers, there’s the inevitable rush at the end to complete all the necessary tasks and tie up the loose ends.
And if you’re a renter, the issue of getting all of your rental bond back will be firmly in your mind as well. Landlords and real estate agents are notoriously difficult when it comes to releasing rental bonds, often withholding the bond for the most trivial of reasons (generally, it’s always cleanliness related!)
No matter if you started the process weeks before your scheduled vacate date, for even the most experienced house-movers, there’s the inevitable rush at the end to complete all the necessary tasks and tie up the loose ends.
And if you’re a renter, the issue of getting all of your rental bond back will be firmly in your mind as well. Landlords and real estate agents are notoriously difficult when it comes to releasing rental bonds, often withholding the bond for the most trivial of reasons (generally, it’s always cleanliness related!)
#1 – LACK OF PREPARATION:
Fail to plan, plan to fail as they say. Leaving your to the last minute will almost guarantee a complaint from the landlord. Aim to have your property fully vacated and professionally cleaned first thing in the morning – or ideally, the night before. Wet, streaky floors, missed areas and patchy polishing are sure-fire ways to bring on a battle for the bond.#2 – TRYING TO DIY:
If there’s one time to give your DIY dreams a miss, that’s during your end of lease cleaning! Enlist the professionals. A professional end of lease cleaning company not only own all the equipment and products to ensure a perfect clean, they also know EXACTLY what landlords in Melbourne are looking for. Firms such as Commit2clean Melbourne meticulously run through a checklist that’ll get your bond back 100%.#3 – LETTING THE CLEANLINESS SLIDE FOR TOO LONG BEFORE MOVING:
It’s easy to throw your general upkeep to the curb when you know you’re about to move house. Letting basic cleaning tasks slip through the cracks only makes the big end of lease cleaning task even bigger! Try to keep up with your routine of regular house cleaning as much as you can to avoid higher costs and panic when you move.#4 – FORGETTING TO CLEAN AND TIDY THE OUTSIDE AREAS OF YOUR HOME:
It sounds simple, but the external areas of your property need to be spick and span if you want to get your bond back. Balconies, courtyards, backyards and patios are often overlooked in favour of the internal areas of the home, but these are a target for eagle-eyed landlords.#5 – ATTEMPTING TO SPOT CLEAN THE CARPETS YOURSELF:
You may think a DIY spot-clean using water and household cleaning products will get your landlord’s tick of approval – wrong! Soaking carpets and using the wrong products can often make the problem worse. Have your carpets professionally steam cleaned by qualified end of lease cleaners – the results will speak for themselves.#6 – LEAVING A GRUBBY DISHWASHER AND OVEN:
Out of sight, out of mind… not quite. A hive of germs and bacteria is the humble dishwasher. Clean your dishwasher the day before by thoroughly cleaning the filters and running two hot cycles. Likewise, pay attention to your oven. Start the process at least a few days before, and if it’s too overwhelming, hire a professional oven cleaner.#7 – NOT HAVING A COMPLETELY EMPTY HOME PRIOR TO END OF LEASE CLEANING:
You may be pushed for time but resist the temptation to overlap your cleaners with your removalists. Not only does this make the job easier for the cleaners (and cheaper for you), it prevents dust and debris from recirculating through the home and all over the floors after the job is finished.
