What a professional bond clean costs in Brisbane
If you're weighing up whether to tackle this checklist yourself or hand it to a professional, here's what the quotes look like across Brisbane in 2026.
Units and Apartments
CBD and inner-city rentals
Add $100–$250 for carpet steam cleaning if your lease requires it.
Townhouses
Stairs and extra bathrooms push the price up
Townhouse rates are based on equivalent bedroom counts plus a multi-level premium. Each extra bathroom adds thirty to forty-five minutes of work.
Houses
Queenslanders, family homes, larger builds
Older Queenslanders with timber floors and high ceilings run toward the top of the range.
Heads up: These prices cover the bond clean itself. Carpet steam cleaning is almost always quoted as a separate line item. If your entry condition report shows carpets were professionally cleaned before you moved in, budget an extra $100 to $250 on top.
The exit inspection checklist, room by room
- 1
Kitchen. Oven inside and out, cooktop, rangehood and filters, sink and taps, benchtops, splashbacks, cupboards and drawers inside and out, dishwasher if listed on the entry report. The oven and rangehood filter are the two most commonly flagged items across Brisbane exit inspections. If you haven't cleaned the oven in the last year, this is where a professional earns their money.
- 2
Bathrooms. Toilet bowl, seat, and cistern. Shower screen, tiles, and grout. Vanity, mirror, taps, exhaust fan, towel rails. Tile grout is the silent killer here. Brisbane humidity yellows grout fast, and a regular wipe-down doesn't cut it. Agents know the difference between wiped grout and scrubbed grout.
- 3
Bedrooms and living areas. Walls spot-cleaned, ceiling fans and light fittings dusted, power points and switches wiped, floor coverings vacuumed or mopped, window sills and tracks, blinds or curtains. Vertical blinds in older units need hand cleaning slat by slat. Budget extra time for these.
- 4
Windows and screens. Glass cleaned inside and out where accessible, fly screens removed and washed, window tracks cleared of dust and debris. Flyscreens are one of the most forgotten items. If they were clean when you moved in, they need to be clean when you leave.
- 5
Exterior and garage. If your entry condition report lists a garage, carport, shed, patio, or clothesline, they're all fair game at inspection. Cobwebs, floor sweeping, and general tidiness. Pool homes have additional items including fence glass and filter areas.
- 6
General items that cover the whole property. Doors including handles and locks, walls and ceilings, smoke alarms confirmed working, air conditioning filters cleaned, light globes all working, and any marks or scuffs that weren't on the entry report.
Should you tackle this checklist yourself?
You can. There's no law in Queensland that says you have to hire a professional cleaner at the end of a lease. The RTA is clear about this. The only legal requirement is that the property is returned in the same condition as at entry, minus fair wear and tear. How you get it there is up to you.
The question is whether you'll actually hit every item on the list. A proper bond clean on a two-bedroom unit takes one person eight to ten hours. A three-bedroom house, closer to fourteen to eighteen hours. You'll spend $80 to $120 on products and supplies. And the risk is that you miss something small that gets flagged at inspection.
Since September 2024, property managers in QLD must now provide you with evidence within 14 days when making a bond claim. That's a genuine shift in your favour. But it doesn't help if the oven is actually dirty or the grout is actually stained. The best defence is getting the clean right the first time.
The strongest argument for hiring a professional isn't the clean itself. It's the bond-back guarantee. If the agent flags anything, the cleaner returns and fixes it at no extra cost. That's insurance you can't get from a DIY weekend.
Most Brisbane bond cleaners book out two weeks in advance around end of month. One missed flyscreen or grubby oven filter is grounds to hold your bond. If you want it done with a written guarantee, here's who does it in your suburb.
Find a bond cleaner with a guaranteeHow to vet a bond cleaner before you book
Four things to check before you hand over the money. Every cleaner listed on our directory is filtered against these basics, but the same checklist applies anywhere you book.
Valid ABN and public liability insurance
Both should be on their profile or sent to you on request. No legitimate Brisbane cleaning business operates without these. If they can't produce an ABN and a current certificate of insurance within a few minutes of asking, move on.
Written bond-back guarantee
This means the cleaner returns to fix anything the agent flags at exit inspection, at no extra cost. Non-negotiable for bond cleans. Get the guarantee in writing before you book, not after.
Google review volume, not just the average
A cleaner with forty reviews at 4.7 is more reliable than one with six reviews at 5.0. Read a handful of recent reviews, not just the star average. Look for mentions of bond cleans specifically.
Clear scope of work in the quote
The quote should list exactly what rooms and items are included. If carpet steam cleaning, window cleaning, or pest control aren't mentioned, ask. These are often separate line items and you don't want surprises on the day.
Every cleaner in the directory shows their Google review count upfront. Compare two or three before you commit.
Compare bond cleaners near meQLD-specific rules that affect your bond clean
The September 2024 law change is the biggest recent shift. Property managers now have 14 days to provide you with evidence when they make a bond claim or dispute a refund. If they can't produce that evidence, the claim weakens significantly. This applies to all new bonds lodged after 30 September 2024, with a 12-month transition period for older bonds. The maximum penalty for non-compliance is 20 penalty units.
Carpet steam cleaning is not automatically required by QLD law. The RTA's position is clear: you cannot be forced to hire a professional carpet cleaner. The exception is when the entry condition report shows carpets were professionally cleaned before you moved in, and the lease includes a special term about returning them to the same condition. A 2019 QCAT appeal upheld this in a case where the tenant had kept four dogs and a bird. In practice, most Brisbane agents expect a carpet cleaning receipt at exit inspection if the lease mentions it.
Bonds in Queensland are capped at four weeks' rent and held by the RTA, not the landlord or agent. With Brisbane median rents sitting around $550 to $620 per week for houses and $450 to $530 for units, most bonds fall in the $1,800 to $2,500 range. A bond clean that costs $300 to $800 is protecting that full amount.
If you dispute a bond claim and RTA conciliation fails, the RTA issues a Notice of Unresolved Dispute. You then have seven days to apply to QCAT. If nobody applies within that window, the RTA releases the bond according to whatever refund form was lodged. Don't miss that seven-day deadline.
Bond clean checklist FAQs
Do I legally have to get a professional bond clean in QLD?+
No. There is no QLD law requiring you to hire a professional cleaner. The legal standard is that you return the property in the same condition as at the start of the tenancy, fair wear and tear excepted. How you achieve that is your choice. However, most Brisbane property managers expect a professional standard, and a bond-back guarantee from a professional cleaner gives you protection if anything gets flagged.
What happens if the agent flags something at exit inspection?+
If you used a cleaner with a bond-back guarantee, they return and fix it at no extra cost. If you cleaned it yourself, you'll need to fix it before the agent will sign off. If it goes to a bond dispute, the RTA's conciliation process is the first step. If that fails, it goes to QCAT. Since September 2024, the property manager must provide evidence for any bond claim within 14 days.
Is carpet steam cleaning required at end of lease in QLD?+
Not automatically. The RTA says you cannot be forced to hire a professional carpet cleaner unless the entry condition report shows carpets were professionally cleaned before you moved in and the lease includes a corresponding special term. In practice, most Brisbane leases do include this, so check your entry report and lease agreement.
What is the RTA Form 14a?+
It's the exit condition report that the property manager fills out when you vacate. It mirrors the entry condition report (Form 1a) and records the condition of every room, fixture, and appliance in the property. The comparison between these two forms is the primary evidence in any bond dispute.
How far in advance should I book a bond clean in Brisbane?+
Two to three weeks is comfortable. Brisbane bond cleaners book out fast around end of month when most leases turn over. If you're leaving late in the month or near Christmas and New Year, start earlier. Same-week bookings are sometimes possible but you'll pay a premium and lose the ability to compare quotes.
Your bond is worth protecting. Get it done right.
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