How to Keep a Rental Property Clean Between Tenants

The period between tenants — from the moment the outgoing tenant hands back keys to the moment the incoming tenant moves in — is the most important maintenance window in a rental property's lifecycle. What happens during this window determines:

• The standard of presentation for new tenant viewings
• The condition baseline documented in the new ingoing report
• The long-term preservation of the asset
• The quality and rent level of the incoming tenancy

Landlords who invest appropriately in between-tenancy maintenance consistently attract better tenants, achieve higher rents, and spend less on reactive maintenance over time. Landlords who minimise this investment start each tenancy from a lower baseline that compounds over years.

This guide covers the complete between-tenancy process.

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Step 1: The Outgoing Inspection

Before your own maintenance begins, conduct the outgoing inspection thoroughly. This determines:

• What the outgoing tenant is responsible for rectifying (and therefore what bond claims are appropriate)
• What is fair wear and tear (and therefore your cost to address)
• The baseline condition that needs to be restored before the next tenancy

Conduct the inspection with:

• The ingoing condition report from when this tenant moved in
• All photos from the original condition report open on a device
• A fresh condition report template to record the current state
• A camera to document everything

Compare systematically: For each area, compare the current state to the ingoing photos. Note any deterioration beyond fair wear and tear with photos and specific descriptions.

Common areas requiring outgoing bond claims (where tenant responsibility):

• Oven not cleaned to the standard it was provided
• professional carpet cleaning in Adelaideing beyond fair wear and tear
• Mould from inadequate ventilation (tenant responsibility in SA if caused by failure to ventilate)
• Damage to walls, doors, fixtures beyond normal use
• Fly screens damaged or missing
• Garden in worse condition than ingoing

Common fair wear and tear (your cost):

• Carpet pile worn in traffic areas through normal use
• Minor wall scuffs at normal contact heights
• Faded paintwork from sunlight over a long tenancy
• Gradual deterioration of non-maintained fixtures

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Step 2: Lodge Bond Claims Promptly

If the outgoing tenant's cleaning or condition warrants a bond claim, lodge it with CBS (Consumer and Business Services SA) promptly. The bond dispute process has timeframes — don't delay.

Ensure you have clear photo documentation of every deficiency you're claiming for. Bond dispute tribunals look at evidence. Vague claims without photos are much harder to sustain.

If the outgoing tenant has disputes with your claims, CBS provides the dispute resolution process. Maintain records and respond professionally.

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Step 3: Complete Rectification Before Your Clean

Before the cleaning service begins, address any physical maintenance issues that require tradesperson work:

Immediate rectification items:

• Any broken fixtures, damaged taps, faulty light fittings, broken fly screens — these are typically done now whether it's a bond claim or wear and tear
• Any painting required — wall marks, scuffs or damage that require a paint touch-up or full repaint
• Carpet repairs or replacement if damage is beyond what cleaning can address
• Any plumbing issues identified during inspection

The sequence matters: repairs and painting should be completed before the professional clean, so the clean captures everything in a finished state.

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Step 4: Professional Between-Tenancy Clean

This is the comprehensive clean that brings the property to presentation standard for new tenant viewings. It is different from and more thorough than the outgoing bond clean the tenant may have provided.

Why you should conduct your own clean regardless of the tenant's bond clean: bond cleans vary enormously in quality. The tenant's definition of "clean" may not match the standard required for professional presentation. A landlord-commissioned clean between tenancies ensures consistent quality and documented standard.

What a Between-Tenancy Clean Should Include

Kitchen:

• Oven interior — full clean regardless of what the tenant did. This is the most time-consuming task and the most visually impactful.
• Rangehood filter — remove and clean or replace
• Inside all cupboards and drawers — wipe shelves, base and walls
• All appliances (microwave, dishwasher)
• All benchtops, splashback and sink
• Floor

Bathrooms:

• Full shower including grout scrubbing and glass descaling
• Full toilet including behind and at the base
• Basin, taps and vanity
• Any mould treatment in grout or sealant — treat, then determine if sealant replacement is needed
• Exhaust fan cover
• Floor

Bedrooms:

• Wardrobe interiors — shelves, tracks, floor
• Ceiling fans
• Windows — glass, frames, sills, tracks
• Skirting boards
• Carpet vacuum or hard floor mop

Living areas:

• All surfaces and skirting boards
• Windows and blind cleaning
• Sliding door tracks
• Light fittings and switches
• Carpet or floor

Laundry:

• Washing machine (if provided) — interior clean
• Laundry trough
• Shelving

External:

• Garage swept and clear
• All paved areas swept or pressure washed as needed
• Gardens in tidy condition (or engage a gardener)
• External windows if visible from street

Carpet Steam Cleaning

If the lease required professional carpet cleaning in Adelaide at end of tenancy, the tenant should have provided a receipt. Verify this. If carpet cleaning wasn't done or wasn't done adequately, arrange it now — before new tenant viewings.

Clean carpets are one of the most impactful presentation factors in a rental property. New or recently cleaned carpets photograph well, smell fresh, and signal a well-maintained property to prospective tenants.

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Step 5: Condition Report and Photography

Immediately after the cleaning and maintenance is complete — before anyone else enters the property — conduct the new ingoing condition report with comprehensive photography.

Photography standard:

• Every room from multiple angles
• Every appliance (oven interior open, rangehood)
• Every bathroom surface
• Every window, blind and fly screen
• Carpet and floor close-ups
• Garden and external areas
• Date and time stamp on all photos

This documentation is the baseline against which the outgoing inspection at the end of the next tenancy will be compared. The more thorough it is, the more protection you have against disputes.

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Step 6: Maintenance Items Beyond Cleaning

Between tenancies is also the time to address building maintenance that is harder to do with a tenant in residence:

Check and address:

• Smoke alarm battery replacement (legally required — replaced annually)
• All light globes (replace any non-functioning)
• Tap washers (fix any drips)
• Door and window seals
• External painting or roof maintenance if needed
• Hot water system service if due
• Pest inspection (particularly for cockroaches and termites in Adelaide)

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The Presentation Standard for Viewings

A clean, well-maintained property photographs better, attracts better tenants and commands a higher rent than an equivalent property presented poorly. The investment in between-tenancy maintenance has a direct return:

• Properties that smell and look genuinely clean at viewing attract tenants who value that standard
• Tenants who move into a clean property are more likely to maintain it and less likely to cause disputes at end of tenancy
• Photos of a well-presented property perform better in online listings

The goal isn't just to document the condition — it's to present the property as well as possible.

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How Often Between-Tenancy Maintenance Takes Longer

Certain scenarios require more time and investment:

• Long tenancies (3+ years): more accumulated wear requiring repainting, carpet replacement, and more thorough cleaning
• Tenants with pets: embedded pet hair, odour treatment, potential carpet replacement
• Properties that have had maintenance deferred during tenancy: addressing backlog now
• Older properties: periodic significant maintenance items (window recaulking, tile grout replacement, etc.)

Budget for between-tenancy costs in your rental property financial planning. The average cost of a between-tenancy clean for a 3-bedroom Adelaide property is $400–$700 for the professional clean alone, with additional maintenance costs depending on the property condition.

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At PF Cleaning, we do a significant volume of between-tenancy work for Adelaide landlords and property management cleaning in Adelaides. We understand the standard required and work to tight timelines. Contact us to discuss your property.

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Written by Victor Jacon — Master Cleaner & Home Detailing Specialist, Founder of PF Cleaning Adelaide.