Most commercial leases in Melbourne carry a make-good clause: hand the premises back in the condition you took them, fair wear and tear excepted. The cleaning half of that obligation is where tenants lose money unnecessarily — not because the work is hard, but because it is done in the wrong order, to the wrong standard, or without evidence.
Start with the lease, not the mop. Make-good clauses vary from "broom clean" to full reinstatement with professional carpet cleaning receipts attached. Read the clause and the condition report before booking anything, because the property manager will be inspecting against those two documents, not against a general sense of tidiness.
Sequence matters more than effort. Cleaning happens last: after the furniture is out, after any defit or repair work, after the trades have finished making dust. A premises cleaned before the defit gets cleaned twice, and the second time is at short notice with the handover date fixed.
What property managers actually inspect is predictable. Kitchens and washrooms first, because grime there reads as neglect. Then carpets — stains, traffic lanes and the smell of a space that has been closed up. Then glass, sills and skirting, light fittings, air-conditioning vents, walls for scuffs and hooks, and finally bin rooms, storage and any external areas on the tenancy.
Carpets are the line item that decides most disputes. Many leases explicitly require professional carpet cleaning at exit, and property managers ask for the receipt. Hot-water extraction with documentation satisfies the clause; a hired machine and an afternoon generally does not, and the difference reappears as a bond deduction priced at retail.
Glass is the other visibility item, literally. Entry glass, partitions and any external windows on the tenancy should be spotless on inspection day — it is the first thing everyone sees and one of the cheapest items to get right. High or external glass may need certified height-access work, which needs booking ahead, not on handover week.
Document as you go. Photograph every area after cleaning, keep the itemised invoice, and hand both to the agent at inspection. A dispute conducted with photographs and receipts is short; one conducted with recollections is not.
On cost: exit cleans are quoted per site after a walkthrough, because floor area, condition and lease requirements vary too much for a flat rate to be honest. The quote should be fixed and itemised against the make-good clause — if a bidder cannot map their line items to your lease obligations, keep looking.
The cheapest path through a make-good is one professional clean, at the right point in the sequence, documented well enough that the bond conversation is over before it starts. If handover is approaching, a 15-minute call and a walkthrough is enough to put a fixed, itemised exit-clean quote in your hands — the same documented, reported model as our regular office cleaning.
Frequently asked questions
What does "broom clean" mean in a commercial lease?
The lightest make-good standard: floors swept or vacuumed, rubbish and belongings removed, surfaces free of obvious dirt. Many Melbourne leases require considerably more, including professional carpet cleaning with receipts — read your clause before booking anything.
Do I really need professional carpet cleaning at end of lease?
If the lease says so, yes — property managers routinely ask for the receipt. Even where it is not explicit, carpets are the item most often disputed at bond, and documented professional cleaning is cheaper than a deduction priced at retail.
When should the exit clean happen?
Last. After furniture removal, defit and repairs, once the trades have stopped making dust — typically in the final days before handover, with height-access glass work booked ahead.
How much does an end of lease commercial clean cost?
It is quoted per site after a walkthrough, against your lease’s make-good clause. Floor area, condition and clause requirements vary too much for an honest flat rate; expect a fixed, itemised quote rather than an hourly estimate.