End of lease clean-ups costing tenants nearly $200m
Ensuring a property is clean at the end of a lease is an issue that both landlords and tenants face, but not securing this could hurt the pockets of tenants amounting to millions of dollars, not to mention the time and money landlords will spend cleaning up the mess.
According to the study by home services marketplace UrbanYou, one in five Aussie renters in NSW loses an average of $1,224 of their bond when landlords find the property is dirty upon departure.
Co-founder of UrbanYou Elke Keeley said that with 821,830 rental bonds lodged in NSW currently, this could cost renters as much as $191 million.
She said that based on Q3 2017 data from Fair Trading, Sydney CBD, Liverpool and Bondi are the worst geographies at keeping their bond.
“We realised this was a growing problem among customers when it comes to end of lease,” Ms Keeley said.
“We find many customers are being pulled up for things like a greasy oven or a stain in the carpet. In our experience, the majority of these things are quickly resolved.”
UrbanYou offers these three tips to ensure a proper end-of-lease clean-up:
1. Carpets
When the property is vacant, sprinkle baking soda across the carpet surface and let it sit for a few hours. This tackles light stains, and if you’ve had pets, the hair is loosened from the carpet fibres, making vacuuming much easier.
2. Mould
To get rid of mould from bathroom tiles and in the basin, dip an old toothbrush into a cleaning solution of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water and scrub the area. Let the solution sit for a few minutes to attack stubborn mould, then wipe clean with a damp cloth.
3. Cupboards and drawers
Pantries, cupboards and drawers are easily cleaned in two steps. First, vacuum the surface to remove all loose debris. Then using a cloth and multipurpose cleaner, spray liberally across all surfaces (internal and external) and wipe dry. Surfaces with stains from rusty can bottoms, or spilt products, are tackled with a light rub using a scouring cloth and Bar Keepers Friend or Gumption. Install drawers and shelf liners before unpacking to make the cleaning process easier.
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