End-of-lease moving checklist for Sydney renters
Give notice and confirm dates in writing
Check your lease for the notice period and how notice must be given, then send it in writing and keep a copy. Ask the agent or landlord to confirm your final day, the final inspection and the key handover in writing too. A date agreed only on the phone is easy to misremember when the keys are due.
If you can, overlap the two leases by a few days. Having the new place before the old one ends means you can move across in a calm run, leave the old home empty for cleaning, and avoid squeezing everything into a single day. If an overlap costs rent, weigh it against the cost of a rushed move and a failed inspection.
Book the move to leave time for cleaning and the inspection
Do not book the truck for the last afternoon. The home has to be emptied, cleaned and inspected, and cleaning is much easier in an empty room. Pick a move day with at least a day to spare before the handover, so the cleaning does not happen in a rush with the keys due.
When you request a quote, tell your coordinator your handover date and when the inspection is, so the move can be planned around them. BARI is open 7 days, 7am to 9pm, so ask for a time that leaves room for cleaning. If the building has lift bookings or move-out windows, see the apartment move guide and book those first.
The condition report: compare it with the entry report
Find the condition report you signed when you moved in, along with any photos from then. Walk through each room with it in hand and note what has changed. Fair wear and tear is one thing, and damage is another. If you are unsure which is which, check NSW Fair Trading.
Before the furniture goes, take dated photos of every room, including walls, floors, windows, the oven, bathroom fittings and any marks that were already there. Take them again once the home is empty and clean. Store them somewhere that is not your phone alone.
Cleaning and repairs before handover
Work through the home room by room: oven and rangehood, bathroom, windows and tracks, wardrobes and floors. The cleaner you leave it, the less there is to argue about at the inspection. Do the cleaning after the furniture is out, because that is when you can reach the corners.
Fix what you caused, within reason. Small nail holes, loose handles and burnt-out globes are often easy to sort. Anything bigger, such as damaged flooring, is worth raising with the agent before you attempt a repair, so you agree who does what.
Protect walls and floors on the way out
Most damage at move-out happens during the move: a scuffed corner, a dent in the hallway, a gouge in the floor. Wrap furniture, measure the big pieces against doorways and stairwells, and take doors off their hinges only if you know how to put them back.
BARI's crews protect floors and doorways before anything moves. Choose the right truck for the size of the home: the compact truck at $55 per 30 minutes suits a studio or one-bedroom apartment, the medium truck with movers at $60 suits a 2-3 bedroom home, and the large truck with movers at $80 suits a 3-bedroom home, a large apartment or a townhouse. The guide to how pricing works per 30 minutes explains how the time adds up, and home removals in Sydney covers how the written scope is agreed before the day.
Return keys and remotes, then follow the bond process
Gather every key, remote, fob and access card, including the spares, and hand them back as the agreement says. Get a receipt or written confirmation of what you returned and when. Do a last walk-through to check cupboards, the garage, the letterbox and the balcony.
Bond claims follow set rules, so check NSW Fair Trading for how bond claims work rather than relying on what a friend remembers. Keep your photos, the condition reports and your written confirmations until the bond is sorted. When the dates are settled, request a quote.