Moving out of a rental
Fair wear and tear, damage or just dirty? A cleaner's guide
Quick answer: Fair wear and tear is the decline that comes from normal living and time, like sun-faded curtains or carpet worn flat along a hallway, and it isn't your cost. Damage, like a burn, a tear or a hole you made, is. Dirt is neither: every state expects the home back clean, and grease, grime and dust come off with cleaning before the final inspection.
The regulators' own examples, sorted the way a cleaner sees them: what wipes off, what doesn't, and what to do before you hand back the keys.
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Three different things: wear, damage and dirt
Fair wear and tear is the landlord's cost, damage is yours, and dirt is a cleaning job. Sort every mark into one of the three before you decide what to do about it.
- Fair wear and tear is the decline that comes from reasonable use and time. Victoria's Act defines it as deterioration caused by reasonable use and natural forces. The ACT's Renting Book says there's no fixed rule: ask how it happened and how severe it is, a scuff or a hole. The landlord can't charge you for it.
- Damage goes beyond normal use: broken, burnt, torn, gouged or stained by carelessness or accident, by you, your guests or your pet. NSW Fair Trading's advice is to repair it, or pay for the repair, before you go.
- Dirt is neither. Every state asks for the home back clean compared with the start, and Queensland's RTA says dirt, grime and grease are not fair wear and tear. It's also the only one of the three you can still fix the day before the inspection.
This explains the physical limits of cleaning, not who is legally responsible for a mark. Cause, starting condition, age and local tenancy rules matter.
Read the illustration as text
- Surface dirt
- Dust, grease and removable marks need a suitable cleaning method.
- Worn materials
- Cleaning cannot rebuild worn pile or reverse sun fading.
- Physical damage
- Burns, tears and missing material need a repair assessment.
Use the entry record when discussing the difference.
Wear, damage or dirt: the official examples, item by item
The first two columns are the regulators' own examples from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA and the ACT. The last column is the cleaner's view: what comes off with cleaning.
| Item | Usually fair wear and tear (landlord's cost) | Usually damage (your cost) | Dirt (a cleaning job) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpet | Traffic marks, pile flattened by furniture or foot traffic, fading from sunlight | Stains or burns from things dropped or spilt; stains from pets or overwatered pot plants | Dust, hair, grit and surface soiling |
| Water marks on carpet | From a leaking roof or bad plumbing | From an overflowing bath or indoor pot plants | Depends on the cause, not the clean |
| Walls and paint | Minor marks and scuffs, paint worn near a light switch, faded, chipped or cracked paint, cracks as the building settles | Holes from hooks, nails or shelves you put up; paint pulled off by Blu-Tack or tape; discolouring from candle smoke | Fingerprints, splashes, dust and cobwebs |
| Curtains and blinds | Faded by sunlight; frayed cords | Torn, ripped, missing or stained | Dust on slats and fabric |
| Kitchen benchtop | A worn or faded surface | Burns or cuts; in Queensland, scratches from cutting food straight on it | Grease, food marks and water marks |
| Oven, cooktop and rangehood | No official example found | No official example found | Oil, grease and food stains |
| Windows and doors | Loose hinges or handles, worn sliding tracks, a pane cracked by an old warped frame | Broken glass; a pane cracked by slamming the window | Dirt in the tracks, marks on the glass |
| Mould | Mould because the home has no adequate way to ventilate, or from a building fault | Mould because the home wasn't aired, or windows were never opened and the bathroom fan never used | Light surface spots, where they come off (mould removal isn't part of our cleans) |
| Shower, grout and silicone | No official example found | No official example found | Soap scum, scale and surface grime |
From NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria (Guidelines 2 and 3), Queensland's RTA, WA Consumer Protection and the ACT Renting Book. Each case turns on its facts, the item's age and your entry condition report. General information, not legal advice. Sources are listed at the end of this guide. Checked 12 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Carpet: traffic wear or stains?
A worn path down the hallway is fair wear and tear. A stain, a burn or a pet mark is usually damage. Dust, hair and soiling are dirt, and a thorough vacuum is the minimum before you hand back the keys.
Every regulator that gives carpet examples draws the same line: traffic marks and flattened pile are wear (NSW, Queensland and WA, plus sun-fading in the ACT), while stains and burns from things dropped or spilt, and pet stains, are damage. Water marks turn on the cause. NSW Fair Trading lists a stain from a leaking roof or bad plumbing as wear and tear, and one from an overflowing bath or indoor pot plants as damage, so make sure any leak is on record with the agent in writing.
What cleaning can and can't do. Vacuuming removes dust, hair and grit, and steam cleaning lifts soiling and many spills. Neither restores pile that has worn flat, and a burn or a set stain may not come out.
Age counts. Consumer Affairs Victoria's Guideline 3 gives carpet an 8-year life, from the ATO depreciation guide: a renter of 8 years can't be expected to pay to replace it.
Whether you need a professional carpet clean depends on your state and lease, not on wear (see the state table). Carpet steam cleaning can be added to an end of lease clean.
Walls, curtains and blinds: scuffs, marks and fading
Minor scuffs and paint worn around a light switch are fair wear and tear. Holes from hooks or nails you put in, and paint pulled off with Blu-Tack or tape, are damage. Fingerprints, splashes and dust are dirt, so wipe them off.
Consumer Affairs Victoria's guidelines say both that minor scuffs are fair wear and tear and that walls and skirting boards should be reasonably free of scuff marks, fingerprints and dust. Read together: wipe off whatever comes off, and what's left in the paint is wear.
- Comes off: fingerprints around switches and door edges, kitchen splashes, dust and cobwebs.
- Doesn't: scuffs worn into the paint, faded, chipped or cracked paint, and holes.
- Damage in the official examples: holes from hooks, nails or shelves the renter put up (Victoria), plaster chipped by nails (Queensland), paint pulled off by Blu-Tack or tape (NSW) and paint discoloured by candle smoke (Queensland). Rules on fixing picture hooks differ by state, so check your state guide before you patch or fill anything.
- Curtains and blinds: faded is wear and tear in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA; torn, ripped or missing is damage, and Victoria lists stained as damage too. Try washing a stain first: if it comes out, it was dirt. See how to clean blinds.
Wipe walls gently with a damp cloth and a little detergent, and test a hidden spot first: hard scrubbing on flat paint can leave a shiny patch that shows more than the mark.
Kitchen and bathroom: grease, soap scum and grout
Grease in the oven, cooktop and rangehood, and soap scum in the shower, are dirt. Victoria's cleanliness guideline expects them gone, and WA's landlord's guide says the same of cooking appliances. Chipped enamel, cracked grout and etched glass aren't cleaning problems.
- Oven and cooktop. Grease comes off with time and the right method, racks, trays and door glass included: allow a few hours for an oven that hasn't been cleaned in a while (how to clean an oven). Chipped enamel, a perished seal, rust or marks burnt into the cooktop won't clean off; they're wear-or-damage questions for your entry report and the appliance's age.
- Benchtop. NSW and Victoria list a worn surface as wear and tear, and burns or cuts as damage. Queensland's RTA also puts scratches from cutting food straight on the bench on the tenant.
- Shower, grout and silicone. We found no official example. Scrubbing lifts soap scum and scale (how to clean grout), but not grout that is cracked, missing or stained through, mould under silicone, or etched shower glass. Regrouting and resealing are repairs.
Mould: ventilation or neglect?
It depends on the cause. Mould from a building fault, or in a home that can't be properly ventilated, is the landlord's to fix. Mould that grew because the windows stayed shut and the bathroom fan was never used can be put on you.
- NSW Fair Trading: the landlord is responsible for mould from a defective window left unrepaired or a lack of adequate ventilation; the tenant may be, if windows were never opened or the bathroom fan wasn't used.
- WA's landlord's guide: mould where there's no adequate way to ventilate is fair wear and tear; mould because the home wasn't aired is the tenant's.
- Victoria: rooms must be free from mould and damp caused by or related to the building structure, a rental minimum standard.
Report mould in writing when you first see it, as NSW Fair Trading says tenants must, and keep a copy: it shows the mould wasn't left to grow. Light surface spots can often be cleaned (how to remove mould from walls and ceilings); mould that stains through or keeps returning needs its cause fixed. Mould removal isn't part of our cleans.
What "reasonably clean" means
Clean to an ordinary household standard, measured against your entry condition report. Victoria's official guideline says it doesn't mean spotless or pristine, and it doesn't mean cleaner than the home was when you moved in.
NSW and South Australia say a reasonable state of cleanliness, Victoria and WA reasonably clean, Queensland the same condition as at the start, and the ACT substantially the same state of cleanliness. Only Victoria has published detailed guidance, in the Director's Guideline 2 on cleanliness, which VCAT must consider:
- Cleanliness is judged by average community standards: not spotless or pristine, and not terribly messy.
- A surface is reasonably clean when it is free of marks, dirt, cobwebs, stains and dust, and wiping it again wouldn't make it cleaner.
- VCAT has held that reasonably clean doesn't mean better than the condition report recorded at the start.
- Cleaning at heights can be the landlord's maintenance, and renters aren't expected to reach ceiling fans where that would be dangerous.
We found no equivalent from another state. The room-by-room version is our end of lease cleaning checklist.
The standard, and where to dispute a claim, state by state
Every state asks for the home back clean and in its starting condition, allowing for fair wear and tear, in slightly different words. Only Victoria defines fair wear and tear in its Act. A disputed claim ends at a tribunal, or in WA with the Commissioner for Consumer Protection.
Each state guide has the detail: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT. Dispute deadlines are short, so read anything about your bond the day it arrives.
| State | The standard at the end | Where a bond dispute goes | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | A reasonable state of cleanliness; as near as possible to the entry report, fair wear and tear excepted | NCAT, within 14 days of the notice of claim | Residential Tenancies Act 2010 s 51(3); NSW Fair Trading |
| Victoria | Reasonably clean and the same condition as at the start, allowing for fair wear and tear | Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (free), then VCAT | Residential Tenancies Act 1997 s 63; Consumer Affairs Victoria |
| Queensland | As far as possible the same condition as at the start, fair wear and tear excepted | RTA dispute resolution (free), then QCAT | RTRA Act 2008 s 188; RTA |
| Western Australia | Reasonably clean compared with the start; the lessor can claim cleaning for any part that isn't | Commissioner for Consumer Protection (free); appeal to the Magistrates Court within 7 days | Residential Tenancies Act 1987 ss 13C, 38, 81E |
| South Australia | Reasonable condition and cleanliness, allowing for reasonable wear and tear | Counter-offers through CBS, then SACAT | Residential Tenancies Act 1995 s 69; CBS |
| ACT | Substantially the same state of cleanliness and condition, fair wear and tear excepted | ACAT, if disputed within 14 days | Residential Tenancies Act 1997 Sch 1 cl 64; Renting Book |
Checked on Monday 12 October 2026. In the ACT, cleaning isn't on the Act's list of bond deductions (s 31). General information, not legal advice. Sources are listed at the end of this guide. Checked 12 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Evidence: how a bond claim is decided
By comparing the home at the end with the record from the start. Your entry condition report and move-in photos settle most wear-or-damage arguments, and dated photos after the clean answer most cleaning ones.
- At the start: the entry condition report is the benchmark. NSW Fair Trading says detail and time-stamped photos make disputes less likely.
- At the end: after the clean, photograph every room as the entry photos did, wide then close-up: hallway carpet, wall marks that wouldn't shift, inside the oven, grout, blinds and any mould you reported.
- The other side's evidence: in NSW a landlord claiming without your agreement must give you the exit report and any quotes, invoices or receipts within 7 days; in Queensland, evidence is due within 14 days. WA's Consumer Protection treats a quote as weaker evidence than an invoice. From Tuesday 13 October 2026, a Victorian rental provider must tell you of a bond claim in advance, with evidence.
- Age: Victoria's Guideline 3 lists claims VCAT reduced or disallowed as wear and tear, including minor marks on walls and scratches on floorboards last polished 12 years earlier.
Before the final inspection: sort, clean, record
Walk through with your entry report, sort each mark into wear, damage or dirt, then clean the dirt, deal with the damage and photograph the result.
Find your entry condition report and photos
They're what you'll be measured against.
Sort every mark
Wear: note it. Damage you caused: agree with the agent how it's repaired or paid for. Dirt: add it to the cleaning list. Landlord's items, like a leak: put them in writing.
Clean the dirt
Yourself, room by room, or book the clean for after the removalists.
Photograph every room after the clean
Dated, and matching your entry photos where you can.
Go to the final inspection
Bring the entry report and your photos.
If the clean is questioned
Ask for the items in writing, with photos. Cleaning items can be re-cleaned; wear can be answered with your entry report.
Claim your bond
Each state has its own process and deadlines.
What our end of lease clean covers, and what it can't
The dirt, at a fixed price by home size that you see online before you book. It can't repair damage or reverse wear, and no cleaner can guarantee your bond back: a claim can also cover rent and damage.
- Included: inside the oven, cupboards, drawers, wardrobes and dishwasher; interior window glass, tracks and frames; walls wiped for marks; grout scrubbed and bathrooms descaled. Cleaners bring their own products and equipment.
- Extras: carpet steam cleaning, blinds, and washing whole walls.
- Not included: exterior windows, mould removal, regrouting, repairs and rubbish removal.
It starts from $423 (what's included). If something on the booked checklist isn't right, tell us within 48 hours. Under Care & Cover we arrange a free re-clean of those areas within seven business days of the original clean, and if you're still unhappy we review it and offer a fair credit or refund. Our service terms describe up to $10 million in public liability insurance through Chubb Insurance Australia.
Questions people ask
What is the meaning of fair wear and tear?
The decline that comes from normal, reasonable use and from time and the weather. Victoria's Act defines it as deterioration caused by reasonable use and natural forces; the other states use the same idea without a definition. A landlord can't charge you for it.
What is considered fair wear and tear in Queensland?
The RTA describes it as deterioration from normal use, ageing and exposure to the environment: carpet worn or flattened by everyday use, paint or curtains faded by sunlight, plaster cracks as the building settles. It says dirt, grime, grease and damage, including by an approved pet, are not fair wear and tear.
What is considered fair wear and tear in South Australia?
The Act doesn't define it. Section 69 asks for the home back in reasonable condition and a reasonable state of cleanliness, taking into account its starting condition and reasonable wear and tear. We found no official South Australian examples; a disputed claim goes to SACAT.
In NSW, who is responsible for fair wear and tear in rental properties?
The landlord. NSW Fair Trading says the tenant isn't responsible for fair wear and tear, and landlords must maintain the property to the minimum standards. The tenant is responsible for damage they, their guests or other occupants cause.
Is dirt fair wear and tear?
No. Every state asks for the home to be left clean compared with the start, and Queensland's RTA says dirt, grime and grease are not fair wear and tear. In most states a landlord can claim the reasonable cost of cleaning what wasn't left clean; the ACT's Act doesn't list cleaning among bond deductions.
Where do I dispute a bond claim?
NCAT in NSW, VCAT in Victoria (after Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria), QCAT in Queensland (after RTA dispute resolution), SACAT in South Australia and ACAT in the ACT. In WA, the Commissioner for Consumer Protection decides, with an appeal to the Magistrates Court within 7 days.
When you're ready
Get the dirt sorted before the inspection
Get a fixed price for your home's end of lease clean, then pick a date after your removalists and before the final inspection. If something on the checklist is flagged, tell us within 48 hours. Nothing is booked or paid at this step.
Want the details first? End of lease cleaning
Sources
The laws, regulators and services this guide relies on, with the date we read each one.
- Fair wear and tear versus damage in rental properties, NSW Fair Trading. Read 12 October 2026. Examples of fair wear and tear and damage for curtains, carpet, floors, paint, benchtops, doors and windows, water stains and walls; the tenant isn't responsible for fair wear and tear. Page modified 21 Sep 2026.
- Mould in a rental property, NSW Fair Trading. Read 12 October 2026. Who is responsible depends on how the mould developed; tenants must report mould as soon as possible.
- Moving out of a rental home, NSW Fair Trading. Read 12 October 2026. Repair, or pay the cost of repairing, damage that isn't reasonable wear and tear.
- Rental property condition reports, NSW Fair Trading. Read 12 October 2026. Detail and time-stamped photos make disputes less likely.
- Dealing with bond disputes for tenants, NSW Fair Trading. Read 12 October 2026. Claims for cleaning and for damage beyond fair wear and tear; evidence within 7 days; NCAT within 14 days.
- Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW), NSW Legislation. Read 5 October 2026. Tenant's duties at the end of the tenancy (s 51(3)). Read for the NSW guide on 5 Oct 2026; the site refused our read on 12 Oct.
- Bond claims and refunds, Consumer Affairs Victoria (2026-06-28). Read 12 October 2026. Fair wear and tear defined and illustrated; no bond claims for it; RDRV, then VCAT.
- Guideline 2: Cleanliness (Director's Guidelines under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997), Consumer Affairs Victoria. Read 12 October 2026. What reasonably clean means, VCAT examples, mould and cleaning at heights.
- Guideline 3: Damage and fair wear and tear (Director's Guidelines under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997), Consumer Affairs Victoria. Read 12 October 2026. Examples table, claims VCAT disallowed, and the 8-year carpet life.
- Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic), Victorian Legislation. Read 5 October 2026. Fair wear and tear defined (s 3); the renter's duty to leave the premises reasonably clean (s 63). Read for the Victoria guide on 5 Oct 2026; on 12 Oct we read the sections as quoted in Guidelines 2 and 3.
- Minimum standards for rental properties, Consumer Affairs Victoria (2026-05-14). Read 12 October 2026. Rooms free from mould and damp caused by or related to the building structure.
- New changes to the rental laws, Consumer Affairs Victoria (2026-09-27). Read 12 October 2026. From 13 October 2026, advance notice of a bond claim, with evidence.
- Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld), Queensland Legislation. Read 12 October 2026. Tenant's obligations, s 188(2) and (4).
- Fair wear and tear, Residential Tenancies Authority. Read 12 October 2026. Description, examples table, and dirt, grime and grease not fair wear and tear.
- Cleaning, Residential Tenancies Authority. Read 12 October 2026. Fair wear and tear doesn't include dirt, grime or grease.
- Bond refunds, Residential Tenancies Authority. Read 12 October 2026. Evidence within 14 days; free dispute resolution, then QCAT.
- Disputes, Residential Tenancies Authority. Read 12 October 2026. The RTA's free dispute resolution service and QCAT.
- Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA), WA Legislation. Read 12 October 2026. Appeals s 13C; tenant's cleanliness s 38; bond payments for cleaning and damage s 81E.
- Renting out your property: a landlord's guide, Consumer Protection WA. Read 12 October 2026. Neglectful damage versus wear and tear table, including mould; cleaning expected at the end (pp. 23–24).
- The new bonds process FAQs, Consumer Protection WA (2026-03-30). Read 12 October 2026. Commissioner determinations, appeals, and invoices versus quotes.
- Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA), South Australian Legislation. Read 5 October 2026. Condition and cleanliness, s 69(3)–(4). Read for the South Australia guide on 5 Oct 2026; the site refused our read on 12 Oct.
- Damage and repairs, Legal Services Commission of South Australia (Law Handbook). Read 12 October 2026. A tenant isn't responsible for normal wear and tear (s 69(3a)).
- Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (ACT), ACT Legislation Register. Read 12 October 2026. Bond deductions s 31; leaving the premises Sch 1 cl 64. Republication R84, effective 26 Nov 2025.
- The Renting Book (January 2026), ACT Government. Read 12 October 2026. Final inspection (p. 104); fair wear and tear has no fixed rule (p. 106); disputes to ACAT (p. 107).
- End of lease cleaning, Simply Maid. Read 12 October 2026. What the clean includes, its extras and exclusions.
- Care & Cover, Simply Maid. Read 12 October 2026. Re-clean terms and public liability insurance.
General information, not legal advice. Tenancy law differs by state and changes; check the official source for your state before you act.