Pricing
Vacate Cleaning Prices in Melbourne
What does a vacate clean cost in Melbourne in 2026? This page shows typical vacate cleaning prices by property size, what should be included for that money, which extras are charged separately, and why the cheapest quote is often the most expensive once the inspection is done. It is for tenants, landlords and property managers comparing quotes. For how the clean itself works, see our vacate cleaning service in Melbourne.
Typical prices
What is the typical vacate clean cost in Melbourne?
A vacate clean cost in Melbourne in 2026 typically starts around $250 for a studio, sits near $400 to $450 for a two-bedroom unit and around $500 for a three-bedroom house, with larger homes from about $700. Condition, bathrooms and extras move the final figure either way.
These figures summarise what Melbourne cleaning companies were publishing as their 2026 vacate prices, rounded to make them easier to read. Use them to judge whether a quote is in the normal range; they are not our price list. Your price is fixed in writing once we have the property details and photos.
Why such a spread for the same size home? Because size only sets the starting point. A two-bedroom apartment left in good order and one with a heavily used oven, a soap-scummed shower and marked walls can be hours apart in work. Bathrooms add more than bedrooms, because wet areas take the longest to get right. Inner-city apartments add time for parking, lifts and loading bays.
Commercial vacate cleaning prices are worked out differently. Offices and shops are priced by floor area and by the items in the make-good clause, such as floors, internal glass and kitchens, rather than by room count. A small shop might cost less than a large family home; a whole office floor with kitchens and meeting rooms will cost more.
Vacate cleaning Melbourne prices also move with timing. A clean booked a week ahead on a weekday is easier to staff than one booked for tomorrow or a Sunday, so short-notice and weekend jobs often carry a surcharge. Asking early is the simplest way to keep the price down.
Apartments and houses of the same bedroom count also differ. Houses usually have more windows, outdoor areas, a laundry and often a garage, while apartments bring lifts, loading bays and building rules. Neither is automatically cheaper; it depends on what the property actually has.
Common extras to ask about
- Heavily soiled oven or rangehood
- External windows and screens
- Wall washing throughout
- Blinds, balconies and garages
- Upholstery in furnished rentals
- Carpet steam cleaning, by a specialist
Cost drivers
What makes a vacate clean cost more or less?
Bathrooms, the oven and the overall condition move the price most, followed by windows, walls and access. A property that has been cleaned regularly during the lease costs noticeably less to vacate than one that hasn't, even when the size is identical.
| Factor | Pushes it up | Keeps it down |
|---|---|---|
| Bathrooms | Several bathrooms, heavy soap scum, mould on silicone | One bathroom kept wiped during the lease |
| Kitchen | Baked-on oven grease, greasy rangehood and walls | Oven cleaned in the last few months |
| Windows | Lots of glass, external windows, dirty tracks | Internal glass only, tracks vacuumed |
| Walls | Marks throughout needing full washing | Spot cleaning only |
| Access | High-rise, no parking, lift bookings, stairs | Street parking, ground floor or easy lift |
| Timing | Tomorrow, weekends, public holidays | A weekday booked a week ahead |
| Contents | Furniture or rubbish left behind | Completely empty when the crew arrives |
A few things are in your hands. Emptying the property completely before the clean, throwing out anything left in cupboards, and giving the oven a basic clean yourself a few weeks earlier all reduce the hours on the day. So does sending good photos, because they let us quote the property as it really is rather than allowing extra time for surprises.
What doesn't reduce the price safely is cutting the scope. Leaving out the oven, the tracks or the inside of cupboards to save money usually means the agent lists them, and a separate return visit or a deduction from the bond costs more than including them in the first place.
What you get
What should vacate cleaning prices include?
A fair vacate price should cover every room top to bottom: inside cupboards and wardrobes, the kitchen including the oven and rangehood, bathrooms including screens and grout, internal windows and tracks, light switches, skirting boards and floors. Anything else should be listed as an extra, not left vague.
Normally included
- Kitchen benches, splashback, cupboards inside and out
- Oven, cooktop and rangehood filters
- Bathrooms: shower screen, tiles, toilet, vanity, mirrors
- Internal windows, sills and tracks
- Wardrobes, doors, frames, switches, skirting boards
- Hard floors mopped, carpets vacuumed
- Laundry tub and cabinets
Usually charged separately
- Carpet steam cleaning
- External windows above ground level
- Full wall washing
- Rubbish removal and furniture left behind
- Garden, pest treatment and repairs
- Heavy mould, grease or extreme soiling
Compare quotes line by line against that list. Two quotes for the same two-bedroom unit might differ by $100 because one includes the oven and window tracks and the other quietly doesn't. The cheaper one looks better until the agent's inspection report arrives. Our vacate clean checklist is a useful yardstick; a good quote should cover everything on it that applies to your property.
Ask about the re-clean too. A quote that includes a return visit for any cleaning item the agent raises is worth more than one that doesn't, because it takes the risk off you. Check how long the window is and what it covers before you compare prices.
Two last checks on any quote: whether GST is included, and when payment is due. Most residential vacate cleans are paid on completion, once you have seen the result or the photos. Be wary of anyone asking for full payment days before the job, and make sure the quote names the date and the address so there is no confusion about what was agreed.
Book
How do you get an accurate vacate cleaning price?
Send the address, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms or the floor area, the condition report if you have it, photos of the kitchen, bathrooms and any problem spots, and your inspection date. With those we can give a fixed price that won't change on the day.
- A price given without photos or a single question about condition
- No written list of what is included and what isn't
- A "from" price that grows once the crew arrives
- No return visit if the agent raises a cleaning item
A realistic price protects you as much as it pays the cleaner. Victorian renters must leave a property reasonably clean and as they found it, with fair wear and tear allowed, and the condition report is the evidence in any bond dispute (Consumer Affairs Victoria explains this on its condition reports page). Saving $80 on the clean and losing part of the bond to a cleaning claim is a bad trade, and it usually costs time as well as money to sort out.
When you are ready, request a fixed vacate cleaning price with your photos and inspection date. We reply with a written scope and one figure, and the price you accept is the price you pay.
Questions
What else do people ask about vacate clean prices?
The two pricing questions that come up most when people are comparing quotes, answered plainly. Anything else can go in the notes when you ask for a price.
Why do vacate clean prices vary so much?
Is carpet cleaning extra?
Want a price you can rely on?
Send the size, a few photos and your inspection date. You will get one fixed figure and a list of exactly what it covers.