End of lease guide: Steps to finish your lease successfully

Ending a lease in Australia can be just as challenging as getting one. It’s not just about handing over the keys and leaving the property; there are several logistical and legal aspects that need to be considered to avoid complications and possible additional charges. In this article, we explore the essential steps you should follow to ensure a successful lease conclusion, making sure you meet all the requirements and leave the property in the best condition.

Check the lease agreement

You should review the lease agreement to know how much notice you must give to notify that you won’t renew the contract (usually is one month in advance).

Check if the contract mentions when you must vacate the property once the lease ends. Based on that, you can decide if you have enough time to pack your belongings.

Notify Your Decision Formally

As your lease comes to an end, the agency usually contacts you to ask if you want to renew the lease.

If your decision is definitely not to renew and you plan to leave the property, the agency will send a list of things they expect you to do before leaving the property, particularly regarding cleaning. Obviously, you should leave the property in the same condition as it was when you moved in.

If you’re unsure about committing to another year or simply haven’t decided what comes next for you, you can ask the agent if they allow you to stay month-to-month. If they agree, this means you don’t have a fixed-term lease, but instead, you're renting month by month. Sometimes, when this happens, the rent may increase sightly.

If you're looking to transfer the lease, that's a different story. You can check our post on how to transfer a lease in Australia.

Prepare for Inspections

In Australia, it's legal for the real estate agency to organize inspections. This means that people who are interested in the property can visit with all your belongings inside. Yes, that’s right—strangers walk through your home to see if they like the place and want to take it once you leave.
I know, it’s not ideal, but it can’t be avoided.

It’s optional to be in the house during the inspection, but I personally recommend being there to keep an eye on your belongings. We always put our valuable items in a suitcase and lock it. While people in Australia are generally honest, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.

Some agents are very considerate and ask visitors to take off their shoes. Others may simply go in, look around, and leave without touching anything, while some open closets "to check the space" and even bring children to the inspection.

There are specific times for inspections, usually one hour on a designated day. The agent will ask if that time works for you, and you can either accept or decline. In my experience, most agents respect this time and don’t allow anyone to enter even a minute after the inspection time has ended.

Watch Out for Damages

If there is any damage to the property caused by you, try to fix it yourself or send someone, like a handyman, to fix it immediately. Even though a handyman can be expensive in Australia, it’s better to fix the damage yourself than leave it for the agency to repair, as they may charge you up to three times the cost.

Cleaning

Many real estate agencies recommend hiring a professional cleaning company and then showing the agency the receipt to prove the property was cleaned by "professional cleaners."

Other agencies may not require professional cleaning, but you still need to leave the property spotless. For example, you can use a steam cleaner for carpets, which is a device that cleans carpets with steam.

If you have a dog or cat, the agency may require a "flea certificate," which is a certificate stating that the property is flea-free. This document is generally required when a tenant has had a pet in the property and must demonstrate that the property is free of fleas before vacating the property.

Return the Keys

Once you’ve vacated and cleaned the property and are satisfied with how everything looks, the next step is to return the keys to the real estate agency.

Sometimes, agencies have specific conditions for returning the keys. For example, you may need to leave them in an envelope marked with the name and address of the property. Or, if your last day falls on a holiday, they may ask you to leave the keys in the mailbox.

If that’s the case, take photos of you dropping off the keys to have evidence that you did it.

Final Inspection

After handing in your keys, there will be a final inspection by the agency, where they will tell you how everything turned out.

If everything is in good condition, clean, and there are no damages, they will return your full bond.

If something needs to be addressed that the agency believes you should fix, they will give you a set period to resolve it. If you don’t fix it within that time frame, the cost will be deducted from your bond.

If something is dirty, they will ask you to clean it, but they will give you a deadline to do so. I know of one case where the tenant left the garage dirty, filled with leaves (he did not cleaned it since he moved in). The agency asked him to clean it and remove the leaves, but he thought it wasn’t important and didn’t do the work. The agency then deducted a large part of the bond for it.

My Experience

I’ve had two experiences renting a house and an apartment in two different states in Australia and i have learnt some details.

One important thing is to fix any damages before the real estate agency deducts them from your bond. However, if it's a major damage, such as a structural issue, and it occurs while you are living in the property, it's best to report it immediately to the real estate agency

Apartment in Melbourne
We hired a cleaning company as recommended by the real estate agency. We even booked the company they suggested. However, the cleaning wasn’t done to my satisfaction, and the agency wasn’t happy with it either.

Since it was the same agency that recommended the company, they didn’t withhold any money for that reason.

However, they did withhold $400 AUD from the bond for painting. After four years living in the property, the paint had chipped in certain areas. I was convinced that this was the normal use of the house, and we didn’t need to paint anything ourselves. To my surprise, the house had to be returned with freshly painted walls.

Since we couldn’t go back to Melbourne to fix it, we had to accept the deduction from our bond. If I had known about this detail, I would have had the walls painted, and maybe we would have paid half the amount.

House in Perth
We did the cleaning ourselves. It took us 18 hours to clean such a large house, and we left it in better condition than we received it. In Western Australia, it doesn’t seem to be mandatory to hire a cleaning company.

We had to leave the keys in the agency’s mailbox because our lease expired on a public holiday (Australia Day), which fell on a weekday. We were a bit worried about leaving the keys there since the envelope was marked with the address, and we were concerned someone might open the mailbox, take the keys, and enter the house (yes, I know, too much TV). The next day, the agency did the inspection, and we didn’t need to make any touch-ups or repairs to the house. The landlord was satisfied with the way we left the property and received the full bond back.

In conclusion

Ending a lease properly in Australia is important not only to avoid legal issues but also to ensure your rental history remains clean. Be sure to carefully review your lease agreement, give proper notice, leave the property in good condition, and meet all agreed-upon dates. Keep open communication with your agent and ask any questions you may have. This way, you can avoid penalties and recover your full bond, leaving a positive rental history for future experiences.