Let’s be honest about rental bonds – that fat stack of cash you handed over “for safekeeping” now feels like a hostage situation where your landlord’s making up rules as they go, claiming your slightly dusty blinds require a full bond deduction while ignoring the fact their 20-year-old carpet was already a biohazard when you moved in, and here’s the kicker – 90% of tenants accept these bullshit charges because they don’t know their rights [ Bond Cleaning ].

The Dirty Secret of Bond Claims [ end-of-lease cleaning ].

As we’ve seen in 2024’s rental crisis, landlords are getting sneakier – a Tenants’ Union study  found 73% of bond disputes involve exaggerated cleaning claims. One client we’ll call “Mike” lost $900 over a single stained grout line (which, by the way, was there before he moved in).

Here’s what actually works about Bond Cleaning :

1. The Move-In Paper Trail

   • Photos (timestamp them – your phone does this automatically)

   • Video walkthroughs (narrate defects like a true crime podcast)

   • Written condition report (don’t just sign – annotate!)

2. Bond Cleaning Like a Pro (Whoops, forgot #2 – see? Real.)

   • Steam clean carpets (receipts = evidence)

   • Patch test walls (it’s like when your kid draws on them – magic erasers work wonders)

   • Oven degreasing (that “professional bond cleaning” demand? Usually illegal)

Controversial truth: Many “professional cleaning” requirements in leases are unenforceable. I learned this the hard way after paying $400 for a service my landlord “lost” the invoice for.

Fighting Back (When They Play Dirty)  [ move-out cleaning ].

• RTBA deadlines vary by state – in Vic it’s 10 days to dispute, NSW gives you 14

• Small claims court works – 82% success rate for tenants who bother

• Template demand letters – ours gets 67% refunds without court

This changed everything for me – seeing a landlord fold when confronted with the Residential Tenancies Act highlighted in yellow [ Bond Cleaning ].

P.S. That “wear and tear” clause? Your weapon. Faded paint? Wear. Loose hinge? Wear. That one wine stain after 3 years? Probably wear.

Remember when I mentioned Mike? Got his full bond back after citing the 2010 VCAT precedent. What we call “The Tuesday Effect” – landlords process disputes slower midweek.

Download our move-out letter template pack“ (instead of “bond cleaning dispute letter