Before you start
Tenancy Services' guidance on ending a tenancy says tenants should leave the property clean and tidy and take away all their rubbish. Your tenancy agreement and your property manager's move-out checklist set out what is expected, so read both first. Then work from the top of each room down, and finish with the floors so nothing is walked over after it has been cleaned.
- Remove all your belongings and rubbish first
- Keep the power and water on until the clean is finished
- Empty the fridge, freezer and every cupboard
- Take before photos, so you have a record of what you started with
Kitchen checklist
The kitchen is usually the room property managers check first, and the one that takes longest.
- Benchtops, splashbacks, sink and taps, including limescale
- Cooktop degreased; rangehood exterior and accessible filters cleaned
- Oven inside and out, including racks, trays and door glass
- Cabinet and drawer interiors and exteriors, plus handles
- Microwave inside and out; dishwasher exterior
- Fridge and freezer inside and out
- Kickboards, the gaps around appliances and the floor
The oven is the job most often left until last. If you are short of time, a professional oven clean is one of the quickest wins.
Bathroom and toilet checklist
- Toilet bowl, seat, lid, hinges and the floor around the base
- Shower, shower screen water marks, bath and surrounds
- Tiles and accessible grout, with limescale treated
- Basins, taps, vanity units and drawers, mirrors and towel rails
- Exhaust fan covers, doors and handles
- Floors mopped and disinfected
Bedrooms, living areas and hallways
- Wardrobe interiors and shelves, doors and handles
- Skirting boards, light switches and power point surrounds
- Cobwebs from ceilings and corners
- Entrances and hallways
Windows, floors and the final check
- Internal glass, accessible window frames and tracks, sills and mirrors
- Carpets vacuumed, including edges and under where furniture stood
- Hard floors mopped with the right method for the surface
- Bins emptied and all cleaning rubbish removed
- A last walk-through of every room
Check your tenancy agreement for anything about carpets. Carpet steam cleaning is a separate job from vacuuming: PureNest offers it as an add-on from $80.50 per room and confirms what your quote covers at the inspection.
The areas people most often miss
- Rangehood filters and the top of the rangehood
- Window tracks and sills
- The top edges of doors, skirting boards and wardrobes
- Shower screen water marks and grout lines
- Inside drawers and the cutlery tray
At the final inspection
You and your landlord or property manager complete a final inspection report together. Bring your before and after photos so there is a clear record of the condition you left. Remember that the bond refund is agreed between you and your landlord: no cleaner can guarantee it, but a thorough, documented clean covers the areas that are usually checked.
Short on time?
PureNest's end of tenancy cleaning in Auckland covers every item on this list, including the oven, fridge and cabinets, with before-and-after photos sent within 24 hours. A supervisor inspects first and you get a fixed written quote. Moving into a new place as well? See our move-in cleaning checklist.