How to Move House Without Bond Hassles
Most home business operators own their own homes. That’s always the best scenario because usually tenancy agreements for rental properties prohibit or place restrictions on having a home business. Or they only allow a home business in return for payment of a higher rental.
For many younger entrepreneurs, renting may be the only option to start with, but as the business grows and more space is needed, buying a home that has space for both the family and business operations becomes a priority objective.
When the time comes to make the big move, there are a myriad of chores that have to be done in both the old place and the new home. The chore that is the most time-consuming and universally disliked is, of course, the end of lease cleaning.
Use professionals to save time
The obligatory end of lease cleaning is more than a normal spring clean. Most tenancy agreements require that the property be returned in the same condition as when rented, with normal wear and tear excepted. If the landlord or agent deems it not to have been cleaned well enough, they are entitled to make a deduction from the bond money that was paid as a security deposit.
Theoretically they are supposed to use that deduction to have professional cleaners come in and finish the cleaning job. But sometimes unscrupulous landlords will pocket the money and leave the new tenant to finish the cleaning. Fortunately such instances are rare in Australia, but in some other countries it happens a lot.
So it’s always better to use professional cleaners in the first place because they know all the tricks of the trade and exactly what needs to be done to pass the end of tenancy inspection. There are cleaners that specialise in end of lease cleaning, so it’s wise to go for one of those.
Finding one of those specialist cleaners can be a challenge though, because it’s not a service that tenants are using on a regular basis. For some, it may be a service they require only once or twice in their lifetimes.
Fortunately there are agencies like Stellar Home End of Lease Cleaning that work with specialists in this field and can supply cleaners that will bring in the required number of people to complete the job in one day.
This means tenants can move out one day, have the cleaners come in the next day, and have the landlord inspect the property the following day. So instead of spending an exhausting 3-4 days completing all of the cleaning tasks at the rented property, tenants can be unpacking at their new place and getting settled in a much shorter time.
No arguments with landlord
When a tenant uses a professional cleaning company for the end of lease cleaning, often the landlord will accept notification from the company that the job has been completed satisfactorily. This is especially true if the cleaning company is one with which the landlord has previously had good experience. Often in these circumstances the bond money will be released without a physical inspection.
Even if an inspection is carried out, it is rare for landlords to not approve the cleaning if it has been carried out by a professional end of lease cleaner. However, when tenants attempt to do the cleaning themselves, landlords will invariably inspect the property in a lot more detail, because they will be aware that this is a task that the tenant does not normally undertake.
Tenants who believe that end of lease cleaning is an easy task, should go to the website of any end of lease cleaning company and look at the list of tasks that have to be carried out in each room. There are many items that most tenants would not even think of, and there are a host of extras like steam cleaning of carpets or curtains, external window washing or pest control services that may have to be carried out depending on the requirements of the tenancy agreement.
Getting the best quote
Another advantage of using an agency is that they will obtain up to three quotes from different cleaners once the specifications of the job have been finalised. This saves a lot of time in first finding companies that have good reviews, and then chasing up quotes from them.
Agencies will have already done all the vetting to ensure that the cleaners will do a professional job, and many even provide a guarantee that if the landlord is not satisfied with the job done, the cleaner will come back to finish the job to the landlord’s satisfaction at no additional charge.
For someone working from home, the cost of using professional cleaners should not be a big issue given the time saved and the fact that the tenant – or new home owner – can get back to work in the shortest possible time frame.
So there it is – the easy way to move house without any hassles over the bond refund. One less worry about the move and back to business sooner!
About the author
David Astley is a retired journalist working from home and writing for blogs to share his knowledge and life experiences. David has lived in Victoria, SA, NT and Queensland and moved house more than 20 times.