Move-In Cleaning: What to Ask Your Cleaner Before You Unpack
Move-in cleans protect you from inheriting the previous tenant's condition report. Here is the scope, timing, and what to photograph.
Pablo Agusto, Founder, ProsperClean 5 min read
Property managers sign the outgoing tenant's condition report off without deep cleaning being mandatory. Too often the next tenant inherits a "clean" kitchen that still has grease behind the stove and mould under the shower seal. A move-in clean resets the baseline and protects your future bond.
Why a move-in clean is different from a regular clean
- Focus is on hidden and rarely-cleaned surfaces: inside cabinets, under appliances, behind toilet bases, range hood filter
- Sanitisation of all touch points — handles, switches, remotes, taps
- Any mould or pest signs photographed and emailed to you for agent escalation
- Carpets steam-cleaned before your furniture goes in (far cheaper than cleaning around it later)
Timing — when to book
- Day you get keys, before any furniture is delivered — ideal
- Day before your move truck — acceptable
- After move-in with partial unpack — possible but adds 20–30% labour
What to photograph during the clean
- Any mould found (bathrooms, window seals, under sinks) — email to agent the same day
- Any damage: cracked tiles, chipped benches, scratched floors
- State of oven, cabinets and carpet before we start
- All condition markers the outgoing report claimed were "clean"
We can often slot a move-in clean within 48 hours of booking in Canberra and Brisbane.
Book a move-in clean