How inspections actually work
A property manager at a final inspection isn't walking through your home hoping it's fine. They're walking through it with a mental list of exactly where rushed cleaning gets hidden. They do this every week. They know the spots.
The inspection is rarely more than 30 minutes. The agent isn't there to deep-clean anything or give the benefit of the doubt — they're comparing the current condition against the entry condition report and noting discrepancies. Their job is to protect the landlord's asset.
This framing matters. The question isn't "is it clean?" It's "is it at the same standard as when I moved in?" A property that was in average condition at move-in only needs to be returned to that average condition — not better. But the details still matter, because agents know exactly which details to check.
The Spots That Give You Away
These aren't obscure. Every experienced property manager checks these in the first pass. They're common because most tenants consistently miss them.
Oven door glass — the inner pane
Most tenants clean the exterior of the door and the oven cavity, but miss the inside of the glass itself. The inner pane is often removable — pull it out and clean it properly. Agents open the door and look directly at the glass. Brown grease on the inner pane is an immediate fail.
Window tracks
Nobody cleans window tracks. They collect years of dead insects, grime, and mould. An agent who runs their finger along a track and comes back black knows the windows weren't properly done. Takes five minutes with a flat screwdriver and a damp cloth — and almost nobody does it.
Ceiling fan blades — the top surface
You can't see the top of fan blades from floor level. Agents can. A thick grey ridge of dust on every blade is one of the clearest signs a property wasn't cleaned properly. A step ladder and a damp cloth is all it takes.
Rangehood filter
Agents will often slide the filter out and look at it directly. A filter clogged with grease is extremely visible and extremely common. Soak it in hot degreaser for 20 minutes, scrub, rinse. It should look close to new.
Top of door frames
You look at doors from eye level. Agents look above them. Dust and grime on the tops of door frames is invisible to a tenant going about their day, and obvious to someone who's been trained to look. A quick wipe across the top of every door frame is one of the highest-value five minutes in a bond clean.
Shower screen frame and rubber seals
The glass is easy. The frame channel and rubber seals aren't. Mould and soap scum that builds up in the frame groove and on the seals is what agents notice in bathrooms. Use a toothbrush and a bleach-based cleaner.
Inside every cupboard and drawer
An agent at final inspection will open every cupboard and every drawer. Crumbs in kitchen drawers, residue on pantry shelves, a forgotten item in a wardrobe — all noted. Empty, wiped clean, no odour.
Skirting boards at floor level
When agents walk a room, they often glance down. Skirting boards with built-up dust, scuffs, and grime at floor level tell them the room was surface-cleaned but not properly done. Low effort to fix, high visibility.
Exhaust fan covers
Especially in bathrooms and laundries. Remove the cover and look at it. Plastic vents clogged with grey lint suggest it was never cleaned in the tenancy. Two minutes. Agents notice.
Light fittings with trapped insects
Bowl-style ceiling fittings collect insects over time. An agent looking up and seeing a collection of dead flies is a common inspection report note. Remove the cover, clean it, replace it.
Where Agents Spend Their Time
Not all rooms are equal. These are the areas that get the most scrutiny and generate the most deductions.
Sets the tone for everything that follows. Marks on walls, dirty switches, and dusty skirtings immediately signal what the rest of the house is going to look like.
Oven, rangehood, stovetop, and every cupboard interior. Agents will open everything. Grease anywhere near the cooking area is noted.
Tiles, grout, shower screen, toilet — including behind and underneath the cistern. Mirrors need to be streak-free. Exhaust fans always checked.
Behind where the bed was. Inside the wardrobe. Carpet under furniture. Marks from picture hooks on walls.
Ceiling fan blades. Walls behind furniture. Sliding door tracks. Window sills and tracks. Carpet edges.
Behind and under the washing machine. The tub itself. Lint in the drain. This room is regularly underdone.
Oil stains on garage floor. Cobwebs in carport ceiling. Yard condition vs entry condition report.
Smell Matters More Than You Think
Property managers walk into a lot of properties. The first thing they notice when they open the front door isn't what they see — it's what they smell. A musty, stale, or pet-heavy property puts an inspector on high alert before they've stepped into a single room.
This catches people out in three specific situations:
- Pet owners. Dander and odour absorb into carpets, walls, and even ceiling materials. Professional steam cleaning alone won't fix it — you need enzymatic treatment applied before the steam clean. Some properties also need wall washing with an odour-neutralising solution.
- Smokers. Cigarette residue penetrates painted surfaces and seals into grout. If you smoked indoors and it wasn't disclosed in the lease, expect this to come up.
- Long tenancies. A property lived in for 3+ years accumulates ambient odour. Thorough cleaning plus ventilation — windows open for a day or two before inspection — makes a real and measurable difference.
Photograph Everything. Twice.
Before you clean: photograph any pre-existing damage or wear documented on your entry condition report. After you clean: photograph every room, every cupboard interior, every surface. Timestamped photos from the day of the clean are your best evidence if there's a dispute.
Make sure your phone's date and location settings are accurate. Photos without reliable timestamps are much less useful. Take more than you think you need — they're free.
Our bond cleaning checklist has before and after photo prompts built into every section for exactly this reason.
The Entry Condition Report
The entry condition report (Form 1a under the QLD RTA) defines the baseline condition of the property when you moved in. Everything you're responsible for at the end of the tenancy is measured against this document.
If something was already damaged at move-in and it's documented in the report, you're not responsible for it at the end. Many tenants don't review their original report before the final inspection, and disputes arise over things that were pre-existing.
Find your copy, read it, and compare the current state of every item. If you disagree with something at inspection, the entry condition report is what you'll reference in any dispute.