Final Inspection Checklist for WA Rentals: What Perth Property Managers Actually Check

Short answer: at the final inspection, your property manager compares the home with the ingoing property condition report (PCR) from when you moved in. In WA you need to hand the property back reasonably clean, given the condition you received it in, and fair wear and tear isn't your cost. In our experience, carpets, glass and tracks, shower grout and outdoor hard surfaces are where specialist equipment makes the biggest difference. The kitchen and oven matter just as much, and you'll handle those yourself or with a general cleaner.

We're a family-owned Byford team handling the specialist parts of end of lease cleaning across Perth. We don't do general kitchen cleaning or ovens (we can still clean kitchen floor tile grout), so the final inspection checklist below is upfront about which jobs you can do yourself.

Start with your ingoing property condition report

Under the Commissioner's Guidelines on bond disputes, your landlord gives you two copies of the ingoing PCR at the start and you return one with your comments within seven days. If you didn't return it, you're taken to have accepted it as accurate.

When the tenancy ends, the landlord has 14 days to do the final inspection and give you an outgoing PCR, and must give you a reasonable opportunity to be there. The two reports are compared, allowing for fair wear and tear: carpet worn from normal use or minor wall scuffs are fair wear and tear, while stained or burned carpet, large holes or pen marks are not.

Before cleaning, walk through with your PCR and move-in photos. If a mark was recorded on day one, don't spend a weekend on it.

General information, not legal advice. Checked against Consumer Protection WA guidance on 5 October 2026. For your situation, call Consumer Protection on 1300 30 40 54.

Room-by-room final inspection checklist

(DIY) means most tenants or a general cleaner can do it. (Specialist) means it usually needs commercial equipment, and it's work we do.

Kitchen

• Oven, racks, stovetop and rangehood filters (DIY or general cleaner)
• Cupboards and drawers inside and out, benchtops and splashback (DIY)
• Sink, taps and dishwasher filter (DIY)
• Stained floor tile grout (Specialist)

Bathrooms and laundry

• Shower screen, taps, mirrors, vanity, toilet and exhaust fan cover (DIY)
• Discoloured shower and floor grout (Specialist)
• Small mould spots (DIY, see safety steps below); widespread or returning mould (report to landlord; Specialist clean)
• Laundry trough, lint filter and behind the washing machine (DIY)

Bedrooms and living areas

• Carpets vacuumed, including pet hair (DIY)
• Carpet stains and traffic lanes (Specialist; see below on when it's required)
• Wardrobe shelves and robe door tracks (DIY)
• Skirting boards, doors, light switches and wall marks (DIY)
• Ceiling fans, light fittings, split system filters, blinds (DIY)

Windows and doors

• Inside glass, sills, frames, tracks and sliding doors (Specialist or DIY)
• Fly screens brushed or rinsed and refitted (DIY)
• Upstairs exterior glass (Specialist)

Outdoors

• Oil drips on the driveway, carport and garage floor (DIY if fresh) (Specialist if set in)
• Patio, alfresco and paths swept and hosed (DIY); stained or grimy surfaces (Specialist)
• Lawn mowed, garden beds weeded, hedges trimmed (DIY)
• Bins washed, rubbish removed, cobwebs off eaves (DIY)

Before you hand over

• All keys, remotes and opening devices returned
• Dated photos of every room, inside and out
• Invoices for any professional cleaning

Four areas that trip tenants up

In our experience, these four are the hardest to get back to move-in condition without commercial equipment. Keep the kitchen high on your list too: the Commissioner's Guidelines use an unclean oven or bathroom as their example of the photos a landlord might provide to support a cleaning claim.

1. Carpets. Traffic lanes, spills and pet odour show up straight away. Under the Commissioner's Guidelines, a professional clean can be required if the carpets were professionally cleaned at or just before your tenancy started, or if a professional carpet-cleaning condition was set when your pet (or a modification) was approved, whether the landlord set it on the Form 25 pet approval, it was agreed, or the Commissioner ordered it. Otherwise, return them as close as possible to their move-in condition; our guide to steam cleaning carpets when you move out explains more.
2. Glass, frames and tracks. Property managers run a finger along them.
3. Shower and floor grout. Grey grout looks dirty even after a mop. Tile and grout cleaning lifts the built-up grime that mopping leaves behind.
4. Outdoor hard surfaces. Oil drips and a grimy alfresco are easy to spot on the way in.

Windows, tracks and sliding doors: what's expected

Consumer Protection's Leaving a rental home guide for tenants says to clean windows inside and outside if accessible, compared with how they were at move-in. That usually means inside glass, sills, frames, tracks and sliding doors, plus exterior glass you can reasonably reach. Unsure about upstairs exterior glass? Ask your property manager in writing.

Don't take risks on a ladder. Consumer Protection's ladder safety advice includes not standing above the second step from the top of a step ladder, avoiding wet or windy days, and leaving it to a professional when that's safer. Our team is Working at Heights certified and cleans two-storey windows inside and out.

DIY steps for sand-packed tracks

1. Vacuum dry sand first with a crevice tool; water turns it to mud.
2. Loosen packed corners with a stiff brush or old toothbrush, then vacuum again.
3. Wipe with warm soapy water, clear the small drainage slots, then dry.
4. Clean the glass last, top to bottom.

With any stronger product, read the label, wear gloves and never mix cleaning products, as some combinations release dangerous gases.

Perth trouble spots worth checking twice

• Scarp dust and red dirt. In Byford, Armadale and the hills, fine dust settles in tracks, sills and carpet. Our Byford team deals with it regularly; our red dirt carpet guide covers removal.
• Bore water staining. Orange iron marks on walls, glass and paving are common wherever bore water feeds the reticulation. Check your PCR: if it was recorded at move-in, it was there before you. Our bore water stain guide explains removal.
• Winter mould. Consumer Protection notes a tenant may be responsible for mould caused by not using exhaust fans or opening windows, while structural causes such as a roof leak or faulty pipe are generally the landlord's responsibility.

Cleaning small patches of mould safely

HealthyWA advises rubber gloves, a face mask and safety goggles, and a ventilated room without strong airflow that spreads spores. Scrub hard surfaces with soapy water up to 50cm past the visible edge, wipe up residue with a damp cloth or HEPA-filter vacuum, and dry the area. Don't use outdoor fungicides indoors. Large, recurring or hidden mould usually has a moisture source that needs fixing, so report it to your landlord in writing as soon as possible; for cleaning it up, we offer professional mould treatment.

Outdoor areas: driveways, patios and gardens

For fresh oil drips, soak up what you can with kitty litter, then scrub with a driveway degreaser. Follow the label, wear gloves and eye protection, test a hidden spot first, and don't mix it with other products. Too much pressure can loosen exposed aggregate; see our aggregate driveway guide. We pressure clean driveways, patios and alfrescos with pressure matched to the surface.

The Commissioner's Guidelines say tenants should return the garden as close as possible to its original condition, less fair wear and tear, including lawns, shrubs, garden beds and a clean yard. Landlords should consider seasonal changes, for example a lawn that was greener because you moved in during winter and out in February. Hedge trimming is generally the tenant's job; tree lopping is the landlord's.

When to book the specialist cleans

Book after the furniture is out and a day or two before you hand back the keys: Consumer Protection notes there's no automatic right to get back in once the tenancy has ended. Do outdoor pressure cleaning first, then windows, then carpets last so nobody walks dirt back in, with windows open while they dry. Call as soon as you know your key handback and inspection dates, and leave a buffer before key handover in case something needs a touch-up. We cover Byford, Armadale, Piara Waters, Harrisdale, Canning Vale, Cockburn and other south-of-river suburbs.

Keep the paperwork: invoices, PCR and photos

Since 28 March 2026, anyone on the lease can apply to release the bond. If someone disputes the application or doesn't respond within 14 days, it goes to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection for a decision (where all parties live in WA), with an appeal to the Magistrates Court available within seven days.

The Commissioner's Guidelines list evidence a tenant can provide, including the ingoing PCR, dated photos and an invoice showing required cleaning was done. Label photos clearly, for example "carpets in living room, 1 of 3". We're GST registered, so you'll get a tax invoice to keep with those.

What we cover on a vacate, and what we don't

On a vacate we clean carpets, windows and tracks, tiles and grout, and outdoor areas, plus couches and mattresses in furnished rentals and mould treatment. We also do commercial vacates for offices, shops and warehouses.

We don't do general kitchen cleaning or ovens (we can still clean kitchen floor tile grout), and we don't offer a bond-back guarantee, because no cleaner controls the whole inspection. We do walk through the result with you before we leave. Every job is quoted, and we'll confirm what's included up front.