How Much Does End of Lease Carpet Cleaning Cost on the Gold Coast?

Why there is no flat rate

Every tenant getting ready to hand back the keys wants a number straight away. The honest answer is that we cannot give one over the phone, because a fixed price before anyone has seen the carpet is a guess, not a price. A two bedroom unit with light everyday wear is a completely different job to a family home with pet stains and a flea treatment that the lease requires before the final inspection.

That is why we give an estimate, not a quote. A minimum call-out of $145 plus GST applies to every job. This covers the technician's time to properly assess the property and what is actually involved before any cleaning starts, so the figure you get reflects your carpet, not an average.

What actually drives the price

• Size. The number of rooms, hallways and other areas being cleaned.
• Carpet condition. Everyday wear cleans differently to carpet that has not been touched in years or has pet stains worked into it.
• Pets and flea treatment. If pets lived at the property, a flea treatment is commonly required by the lease alongside the carpet clean, and pet stains need antibacterial enzyme treatment rather than a standard clean.
• Furniture removal. Furniture is usually cleared out before an end of lease clean, which actually helps access, though it can reveal marks nobody realised were there.
• Timing. How much buffer there is before your final inspection date, since the carpet needs to be fully dry beforehand.

None of these make a job good or bad, they just change what is involved, and an accurate estimate accounts for all of them before we start.

A real Gold Coast job: no stains, but the smell told a different story

On a recent bond carpet clean and flea treatment, the carpet itself looked completely fine, no visible stains or marks anywhere. But the tenant flagged something we hear often at end of lease: a strong pet odour they could still smell themselves, even with nothing visibly wrong with the carpet. Pet owners live with the smell every day and tend to become immune to it, so it usually takes a fresh nose, ours, a new tenant's, or an agent's at inspection, to notice it straight away.

The tenant agreed to an antibacterial enzyme treatment through the carpet, even though there was no staining to point to, because the smell alone was the problem worth solving. It made a genuine difference to how the whole house smelled afterwards. The lease for this property specified an internal flea treatment only, so that is what we carried out. Scope varies from lease to lease: some tenancy agreements require flea treatment inside the property only, others require both internal and external depending on what pets lived there and what the specific agreement states, so we always work from the actual lease clause rather than assume. The tenant called us afterwards just to say thanks for going the extra distance to help get the bond back, and they did.

Does a flea treatment add to the cost?

Yes, if pets lived at the property and your lease requires it. Many Queensland leases include a condition requiring a professional flea treatment at vacate if a pet lived there during the tenancy, regardless of whether the pet actually had fleas. Some leases require internal treatment only, others require internal and external, depending on the pets and the specific agreement. This is priced as its own part of the job since it is a separate, licensed treatment to the carpet clean. The advantage is that the same technician who is licensed for the flea treatment also handles the carpet clean, so both happen in one visit rather than two separate bookings and two separate call-out fees before your inspection date.

What about the receipt my agent asks for?

Often the lease or the entry condition report requires proof that the carpet was professionally cleaned, particularly if it was professionally cleaned before you moved in. A professional receipt showing the date, the property address and the treatment carried out is the easiest way to show the job was done properly if the agent asks for evidence at final inspection. It costs nothing extra to have on hand and can save an argument over the bond.

Why the cheapest option is not always the cheapest

An end of lease clean usually only gets one shot, there is no second visit before the final inspection if something is missed. A low price sometimes means a shortcut, and the shortcut usually shows up on inspection day. Hot water used on a pet stain sets the mark instead of lifting it, so the same spot is still visible when the agent walks through. A rushed clean that leaves the carpet still damp risks the exact problem you were trying to avoid. Paying once for truck mounted extraction and the right treatment for the actual stain protects your bond far better than paying twice, or arguing over a stain, after the fact.

Frequently asked questions