End of Lease Clean Up Checklist for Landlords & Property Managers

Every day a rental sits empty costs the owner money. The fastest turnarounds come from having a clear process and one reliable contractor who can handle more than one type of job. Here’s the checklist we work through.

1. Inspect and photograph

Before anything is moved, walk through and photograph every room, the yard, sheds and carport. This protects everyone if there’s a bond dispute about what was left behind.

2. Clear what’s been left

The most common leftovers we remove from vacated rentals:

• Old couches, mattresses and bed bases
• Broken furniture and outdoor settings
• Boxes, bags of rubbish and general junk
• Rubbish piled in carports, courtyards and on balconies

Before you throw anything out

South Australia has rules about goods a tenant leaves behind, and they depend on what the items are and what they’re worth. Rubbish and perishables are one thing; personal documents, photos or anything that looks valuable are another. Check the current guidance from Consumer and Business Services (CBS) before disposing of anything that isn’t clearly rubbish, and set those items aside separately. Your photos from step 1 help here too.

Don’t forget the bins

The council wheelie bins are often left overflowing after a vacate, with more bags stacked beside them. Check them on day one, so they can go out on the next collection rather than sitting at the kerb on photo day. Any rubbish that won’t fit in the bins can be cleared with everything else.

3. Bring the yard back

Overgrown lawns, weeds and piles of prunings drag down a property’s presentation for the next lease photos. Clear green waste, tidy garden beds and consider fresh mulch for an easy, low-maintenance finish.

4. Check sheds, garages and side paths

These are where the forgotten stuff lives. Clear them out completely so the next tenant starts fresh.

5. Fix the small things

Loose fittings, minor damage, tap washers, sticking doors — the small items found at inspection. Fixing them before the next tenant moves in heads off maintenance requests later.

6. Completion photos

Take after photos of every area you’ve cleared or repaired and send them to the owner with the invoice. Clear evidence of the work makes approvals and bond claims straightforward.

Why council hard waste rarely fits a turnover

Councils in our area offer free hard waste collections, but they’re built for households, not rental turnovers. In the City of Tea Tree Gully, for example, at-call collections are capped at 2 cubic metres and waits can stretch to several weeks. Salisbury and Playford run their services through NAWMA with similar volume limits, and Playford’s at-call collection is often a four to six week wait. Every council excludes green waste and building materials, too.

When a new lease starts in a fortnight, that timeline doesn’t work. A private clean up gets the property cleared in one visit, so cleaners, gardeners and photographers can get in on schedule.

A realistic turnaround order

The order matters. Rubbish comes out first, because cleaners and carpet cleaners can’t do their job around a pile of furniture. Yard work and small repairs come next. Internal cleaning comes after that, and listing photos come last, once everything looks right. Booking the rubbish removal first — ideally the day the keys come back — keeps the whole chain moving.

What to send us

To get an upfront price for a vacated rental, send:

• The address and how to get access — office keys, lockbox code or tenant contact
• Your ingoing or outgoing inspection notes, or a few photos of what’s been left
• Anything in the yard, shed or carport
• A list of small repairs, if you want those done at the same visit
• Who the invoice should be addressed to — the owner or the agency

One contact instead of three

Rubbish removal, gardening and repairs often mean three different trades, three quotes and three visits. We handle all three across North East Adelaide, with photos on completion. See our property manager services or send us a property.