When tenants are nearing the end of their lease, they should make sure the property is left in good condition. If you leave dirt, grime or stains, the owner is…
Navigating Your First Vacate Cleaning
The first time you do anything, it can be daunting. The same is true for the first time you hire a professional vacate cleaning company.
In this article, we’ll go through all the things you may not have thought of, to help you navigate your first end of lease clean.
How To Choose The Best Vacate Cleaner?
Documentation
It is important that you always ask for proper documentation from a cleaner before approving the work order.
A professional cleaner must be able to provide:
- a quotation,
- invoice,
- public liability insurance, and
- a national police certificate.
In addition, the documentation could entail proof from the manager of the property in case an issue arises after the clean.
Beware of being tempted by a cleaner who offers a lower “cash job rate” without much paperwork to back it up. These types of cleaners may have only been in the business for a short period, may not stand by their work, or may have other issues with their paperwork.
You are likely not covered by the cleaner’s insurance if anything goes wrong on a “cash job”.
Time Warranty
Ask your cleaner is whether they provide a time warranty. This has become the standard over the years among professional vacate cleaners in Perth.
With a time warranty, your cleaner is obligated to ensure that they work for the whole time booked. This won’t be a concern for reputable cleaning companies, and may provide you some peace of mind that you are getting full value for money.
Referrals
It’s no surprise that online reviews and comments can be faked, both good and bad.
Nothing beats referrals. Make it a point to ask the property manager if they have a preferred cleaner for vacating clean. You can also ask a friend or neighbour who has used the service in the past.
When you do look at online reviews, make sure they seem legit. Even the best companies will have disgruntled customers, where their expectations don’t match the reality of what they paid for. The owner will typically have responded to a number of the reviews.
Carpet and Floor Cleaning
Some of the vacate clean packages on the market are exclusive of carpet or floor cleaning because these require special equipment and training that not all cleaning companies have. It is therefore a great idea to request for it to be detailed into the quote before approving the price. Usually, your cleaner will advise you on the type of equipment to be used.
Multiple Quotations
As it is with every service, it’s a good idea to compare a service provider to others in the market. Therefore, contact at least three vacate cleaning companies to get a feel of how they work, and so that you can compare their prices to one another.
Just remember that price isn’t everything. You want someone who stands by their work, who will do the job right the first time or come back at their own cost to fix things they may have missed. Hey we’re all human, no matter how experienced.
What Items Do House Cleaners Charge Extra For?
The standard for an end of lease house clean is that it includes wiping down the surfaces in the kitchen, bathroom, vacuuming carpets, and furniture. In many cases, it also involves emptying rubbish bins and tidying things up.
Cleaners will sometimes charge extra for cleaning items like fridges, pantries, windows and ovens. They also charge extra for internal/external windows, carpet cleaning, cupboards, and if you live in a multi-level home, some cleaners will have a surcharge.
Generally, though, the best way to find out the cost of the house cleaning job is to get quotes from the local cleaners. This gives you a sense of what the market rates currently are.
When you’re sourcing quotations, make sure you ask what items are included in their standard package, ask about items specific to your situation, and find out how much extra particular services are.
What Are the Common Services Included in a Vacate Cleaning?
Our packages vary depending on budget and requirements, but we generally include the following services in our end of lease cleaning packages:
Carpet cleaning
Rugs and carpets form the major interior design features of a house. If not properly taken care of, they can be stained and the standard vacuum cleaner cannot get the dust and bacteria removed completely. A professional vacate cleaning service includes a deep clean of your carpets, rugs and other flooring to make sure that they are dust and bacteria free.
Bathroom cleaning
Bathrooms contain most of the bacteria in the house. Despite cleaning your bathrooms regularly, a deep clean will still be needed when you vacate the property. And this is why you need help from an expert vacate cleaner to get rid of the germs and bacteria. In addition, it will make your bathroom look clean and refreshing all through. That way, you can satisfy your landlord and take back your bond deposit in full.
Window cleaning
Knowing that you may not have had time to clean the windows properly, a professional cleaner can be hired to ensure that your windows are free from dust and dirt. They know what to do to ensure that your windows appear clean and tidy.
Kitchen cleaning
More often than not, the kitchen is part of the house that needs the most thorough clean. Cleaning the ovens, grills, stovetops and other kitchen appliances is not an easy thing. The grime will be awful over time and difficult to get rid of no matter how hard you scrub.
Living rooms
A single checklist can be used for the living rooms in a house since they are fairly similar in many cases. The standard checklist requires that the hallways and staircases are given necessary attention as well and for a meticulous cleaning, these include: sweeping, vacuuming and mopping the floors, cleaning the shelves, drawers, and cupboards, washing the sills, window and tracks, cleaning the skirting board, door frames and dust blinds, cleaning the light fixtures, frame and tracks, wardrobe mirrors, and removing the cobwebs, among other things.
How to Prepare for a Vacate or Bond Cleaning?
Before you allow the cleaners into your house, it is important that you prepare ahead because you do not want to get confused in the process of cleaning. Nobody likes to waste precious time, right?
Discard any unwanted material before their arrival. If you have a preferred cleaning material or product, you could suggest that they use it instead.
Clear all your stuff and furniture out of the house. You don’t want the cleaners to have to move boxes around while they’re trying to do a deep steam clean of the carpets, or miss areas because the furniture appeared fixed in place.
Do a basic wipe down of counter tops, sweep the hardwood floors, vacuum the carpets.
Yes the cleaners can do all that themselves, but the more time they spend on the basics, the less time they will have to spend deeply cleaning the house. You’re paying for an expert clean, so help them focus on the areas you don’t have the energy, patience or equipment to clean properly.
Any vacate cleaner in Perth is ready with the responsibility of cleaning Perth and the surrounding areas including Fremantle, Midland, Rockingham, Joondalup and Mandurah in Western Australia.
Knowing that it can be difficult to do on your own, you can call on Perth Home Cleaners for reliable and trusted expert cleaning services. With a vacate clean, you get value for money and a full bond clean so that you can get your bond back from the landlord. This service includes a thorough cleaning of the interior and exterior cobweb, patios, balcony and footpaths.
Hiring a reputable and insured house cleaning service is essential, and this is even more beneficial for vacate clean needs. Any cleaner you hire has access to your possessions and this is a great risk you do not want to take. At least, to a large extent, you want to be able to trust them enough to do a thorough cleaning in your home with respect to the contractual agreement you have made with them.
Consider a vacate cleaning service that has the following qualities: excellent reputation, professionalism, use of advanced technology, and flawless customer service. With these considerations, it is guaranteed that you will save time, enjoy quality service and get your bond back. In addition, you will experience less stress, move out with ease, and in the long run, save some money.
Contact us to get a quote today.