Resources · Builders clean vs bond clean
Builders clean vs bond clean — what’s the difference?
They both end with an empty, clean property and someone inspecting it, so the two get confused. But one follows a tenancy and the other follows a build — different dirt, a different standard, and a different person signing off. Here’s how to tell which one your job needs.
The short version
One follows a tenancy. The other follows a build.
Bond clean
Also called an end-of-lease, exit or vacate clean. It returns a lived-in rental to the condition it was in when the tenancy started, so the bond can be refunded. The dirt is ordinary — grease, soap scum, marks, dust — and the yardstick is the entry condition report.
Builders clean
Also called a post-construction or handover clean. It takes a new build or renovation from “trades finished” to handover-ready. The dirt is construction residue on brand-new surfaces, and the yardstick is an inspection — the client walkthrough or practical completion.
Side by side
Where the two jobs differ
| Bond clean | Builders clean | |
|---|---|---|
| What it follows | A tenancy ending | Construction or renovation work finishing |
| What's being removed | Lived-in dirt — oven and rangehood grease, soap scum, marks, dust in tracks and cupboards | Construction residue — render and plaster dust, paint spots, silicone, grout haze, sticker and adhesive residue, protective film |
| The surfaces | Used surfaces, returned to how they were at the start of the tenancy | Brand-new surfaces that have never been cleaned, some still curing |
| Judged against | The entry condition report, less fair wear and tear | Inspection standard at the client walkthrough or practical completion |
| Who signs off | The tenant completes the exit condition report; the property manager or owner reviews it at the vacate inspection and signs | The client, or the builder and project manager at handover |
| Where it happens | An emptied home | A site — often still under the builder's control, with site rules and access windows |
| Paperwork usually asked for | The exit condition report (Form 14a) — the tenant's form, not the cleaner's | Certificate of currency, White Card, and an induction where the site or building requires one |
Why they don’t swap
Why a bond clean isn’t scoped for a handover
This isn’t about one trade being better than the other — it’s that the job is a different job. Construction residue doesn’t behave like household dirt. Render and cement dust carries crystalline silica, so it’s a respiratory hazard and dry-sweeping just puts it back in the air (more in our silica dust guide). Uncured silicone wipes off; cured silicone has to be cut. Grout haze bonds to the tile face if it sits, and the acidic remover that shifts it can’t be used on natural stone at all.
The surfaces are unforgiving too, because they’re new. The wrong solvent on brushed or matt-black tapware strips the finish. Low-sheen paint burnishes if it’s scrubbed, leaving a shiny patch that reads as damage. On a handover, a cleaning mistake isn’t a mark on a used surface — it’s a damage claim on a finish nobody has used yet. The full scope is in our room-by-room builders clean checklist.
Then there’s the site itself. A handover clean often happens on a site still under the builder’s control, or in a tower with booked lifts and loading-dock windows. Builders and building managers usually want a certificate of currency on file, White Card holders on the job, and inductions done before anyone starts. And the finish line is practical completion, where a photo-backed defect report can separate a cleaning item from a trade defect.
…and why a builders cleaner isn’t the call for your bond
A bond clean is measured against a document. The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) says tenants are responsible for leaving the premises in the same condition it was in at the start of the tenancy, less fair wear and tear, and that the exit condition report is compared to the entry condition report to decide whether that’s been met. The RTA is also clear that dirt, grime and grease are not fair wear and tear.
So the scope is set by how the home was lived in and what the entry report recorded: the oven, inside every cupboard, window tracks, skirtings, light fittings and air-conditioning filters, and outside — balconies, lawns and gardens — all appear on the RTA’s own reminder list. The RTA also says a tenant may engage a professional company or do the cleaning themselves. It’s a job built around a tenancy, and it isn’t work we take on. If you contact us about one, we’ll refer you on.
In short
Which one does your job need?
You're moving out of a rental and want your bond back
A bond clean. It isn't work we take on — get in touch and we'll refer you on to a bond cleaner.
You've just finished a kitchen, bathroom or whole-house renovation
A post-renovation clean: the dust, overspray and residue the trades left, off every surface. Post-renovation clean
You're a builder or PM heading into practical completion
A handover and final clean, staged to your program date — single dwellings to multi-unit programs. Handover & final clean
You've renovated a rental between tenants
If there's construction dust and residue, that's a post-renovation clean — a bond-style clean isn't scoped for it. If the work was minor and the dirt is just lived-in, it's a bond cleaner's job. Post-renovation clean
Not sure which stage of builders clean you’re after? See rough, builders, sparkle and final cleans explained, and what moves the price in the builders clean cost guide.
FAQ
Common questions
Is a builders clean the same as a bond clean?
No. A bond clean follows a tenancy and returns a lived-in home to the condition recorded on the entry condition report. A builders clean follows construction or renovation work and removes building residue — render dust, paint, silicone, grout haze, adhesive — from brand-new surfaces, to the standard of a handover inspection. Different dirt, a different standard and a different person signing off.
Do you do bond cleans?
No — bond and end-of-lease cleans aren't work we take on. Our work is post-renovation and builders cleans. If you contact us about a bond clean we'll refer you on to a bond cleaner.
Can I use a bond cleaner for my post-renovation clean?
It's a different scope, so check what's included before you book. A bond clean is scoped around lived-in dirt and an exit condition report. A post-renovation clean is scoped around construction residue on new finishes — some of which, like matt-black tapware, low-sheen paint and natural stone, can be damaged by the wrong product or too much scrubbing. Ask any cleaner how they handle silica-bearing dust, cured silicone and grout haze before they start.
Do I have to use a professional cleaner to get my bond back in Queensland?
The Residential Tenancies Authority says a tenant may engage a professional company or do the cleaning themselves. What matters is the result: the RTA's standard is the property left in the same condition it was in at the start of the tenancy, less fair wear and tear. The RTA's guidance is linked in the sources on this page — for anything about your own tenancy, check with the RTA directly.
I've renovated a rental — which clean do I need before the next tenant?
If the work left construction dust, paint or adhesive residue, that's a post-renovation clean. Once it's done, the property's condition is what goes on the next entry condition report.
Sources
Everything on this page about a tenant’s obligations at the end of a Queensland tenancy comes from the Residential Tenancies Authority, accessed 21 September 2026. It’s general information, not advice about your tenancy — the RTA is the place to check.
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