Ask any Perth property manager where a vacate inspection goes wrong and you will get the same three answers: the oven, the rangehood and the carpet. Tenants scrub walls, wipe skirting boards and polish taps, then lose part of the bond on the three things that need a professional and rarely get one.
This guide covers what the inspection actually looks for in each, why doing them yourself usually falls short, and how to schedule the professional cleans so they all land on the one day.
The oven
Property managers open the oven door before they look at anything else in the kitchen. What they check:
- The glass. Both panes. Baked-on grease between the inner and outer glass is the most common oven fail, because it cannot be reached without dismantling the door.
- The racks and side rails. Carbon build-up on the rails is a giveaway that the racks were wiped, not cleaned.
- The roof and the fan cover. Nobody cleans these. Property managers know that, so they look there first.
- The smell. A dirty oven smells of old fat the moment the door opens, even when it looks acceptable.
Supermarket oven cleaners are caustic, need the house ventilated for hours, and still leave the glass and the rails. A professional oven clean takes the door apart, soaks the racks and returns everything to a condition the manager can photograph against the entry report without an argument.
The rangehood
Rangehoods are the second most common kitchen fail and the least expected. The filters are checked by pulling them out and holding them up to the light. If light does not pass through, they are considered dirty. The underside of the hood collects a sticky film that ordinary spray smears rather than removes, and in many rentals the filters have never been out since the last tenant.
If the rangehood is being cleaned professionally, it makes sense to have it done in the same visit as the oven and the stovetop. It is one call, one day and one receipt for the property manager.
The carpet
Most WA leases require the carpets to be professionally cleaned at the end of the tenancy, with the receipt handed over at the final inspection. Some also require a flea treatment if there was a pet. The manager checks the traffic lanes from the front door through the hallway, the stains under where furniture sat, and the edges along the skirting.
Book the carpet clean for the same day as the kitchen, after the furniture has gone and after the rest of the house has been cleaned, so nothing drops dust back onto the floor. Our sister company handles this side, and it is the reason we can put the whole job on one day. Magic Dry carpet cleaning uses a dry method that leaves the carpet walk-on dry within about two hours, so the property manager is not standing on damp carpet at the inspection and you are not waiting overnight to hand back the keys.
The order for the day
- Morning: removalists finish and the house is empty.
- Late morning: general clean. Walls, skirting, bathrooms, windows.
- Early afternoon: oven, stovetop and rangehood.
- Mid afternoon: carpet clean, last, once everything else is done.
- Next morning: final inspection, with both receipts already emailed to the property manager.
Book the professional cleans at the same time as the removalists. End of month is the busiest week for all of them, and it is when most leases end.
What it costs to skip
A property manager who has to arrange the oven clean and the carpet clean after you have left charges them against the bond at their contractor’s rates, plus an admin fee in many agencies, and you have no say in who does the work or what it costs. Booking them yourself is cheaper every time, and you get to keep the receipts as proof.
Moving out?
We clean ovens, stovetops, rangehoods and BBQs across Perth, north and south of the river, and we can line the carpet clean up for the same afternoon. Call for a quote and tell us the inspection date. We will work backwards from there.
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