For most people, packing without cracking under the pressure of moving is impossible. Here are a few tips to making this process as stress-free as possible.

1. De-clutter Everything

Before you start packing, work out what you want to take and what you should ditch. If you have enough time for a garage sale or to sell items on eBay or marketplace, then get to work quick smart.

Otherwise, just work out what you want to keep, throw or donate and stick to it!

There’s no sense packing, moving and keeping items you don’t want, so go a little Marie Kondo and only take what you need or what sparks joy.

2. Set a Timeline!

A common mistake most people make when it comes to moving house is underestimating the amount of time it takes to pack and or for the move itself. Instead of procrastinating and waiting until the last few days to pack, give your future self a hand and start packing early. Also, make sure you find a removalist nice and early so you can lock in your preferred moving date and can work towards that date on your timeline.

Scheduling plenty of time gives you enough space to pack at a slow and steady pace, which helps with managing anxiety and stress. For example, if you are a very busy person or you have many things to pack, you should give yourself at least a week or so to pack. Do your best to clear your calendar during this period and see if you can get a little help from your nearest and dearest if you have a lot to pack.

3. To Pack or to Outsource?

If you’ve decided to do the packing yourself, find a way to make it enjoyable. Pop some music on and relax into the process, but try not to stop for too many trips down memory lane if you’re in a hurry.

Make sure you’ve reinforced any boxes with tape that will be carrying heavy items like books or crockery and ensure that you’ve labelled the boxes well so you know which rooms the removalists should put them in to make unpacking a bit easier.

If you really hate packing or don’t have enough time, just remember the option is available to outsource your packing to a professional company or a removalist company who offers that service.

4. Notify Everyone

Make sure you get in contact with anyone or any company who needs to know about your move. This needs to happen prior to the big moving day so you have your utilities and internet connection at your new place, and let them know when to disconnect at your old place.

Make a list of everyone you need to notify and prioritise who you’re going to contact and when as this process can take some time.

Perhaps consider getting a postal redirect too so you get any mail directed to your new place rather than having it accumulate or be thrown out at the old address.

5. Clean Everything or Book an Exit Cleaner!

A clean slate means you should clean your old place and clean your new place. But if you have to prioritise cleaning only one, make sure you clean your old place as soon as you’ve moved your stuff out so you can get your bond back from the real estate agent or landlord.

You don’t want to end up having to fight with them to get your bond back. So organising a thorough end of lease clean will ensure you have the highest chance of getting your full bond back as quickly as possible.

Whether or not you will get your full bond back will depend a lot on the condition you leave the property in. Unfortunately, end of lease cleaning is the least exciting part of moving out as it involves a lot of work to get it done right.

The bigger the property is, the more time and effort you have to put in when cleaning. But there’s already so much to do when you move houses, so don’t wear the burden by yourself. The good news is you can rely on professional exit cleaners to help take the load off you.

An ‘end of lease cleaner’, ‘exit cleaner’, or ‘bond back cleaner’ as they are also known, is a professional who deals with real estate agents all the time and knows what they look for. A Melbourne exit cleaner can take away mountains of stress by getting a full clean done in as quick a timeframe as possible.

Bond back cleaners often guarantee that you will get your bond back and there will be no delays because the property isn’t at the cleanliness standard it’s meant to be at. Obviously, they guarantee a high level of cleaning, but when it comes to repairs, that is something you’ll need to arrange by yourself. If the carpet or blinds are damaged, then you can look for repairers or accept that you may lose a portion of your bond for the cost of the repairs.

6. Unpack as Soon as You Can

If you can, it’s best to start unpacking right away or you might find yourself still with hidden boxes and missing items two years later. Use the momentum from the move to keep you going until you’re free of every last box.

If you’ve done your packing right, every box will be clearly labelled, in the right room and filled only with things you want, so it’s just a matter of taking it out and putting it where it belongs. This will help you settle into your new home and get on with the process of living.

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So if you want to guarantee you get your bond back, make sure to leave the property in the same or a better condition as when you moved in.

Real estate agents can put you in a very uncomfortable ‘hostage situation’ when holding on to your bond if the place is not clean enough or up to their standard. So, how clean does your house need to be when moving out? Let’s find out.

How Clean Should You Leave Your Rented Property?

Rules governing rental issues may differ from Australian state to state but in Melbourne, renters are required to leave the property in a reasonably clean condition when moving houses. That said, many landlords and real estate agents have very high demands or expectations when it comes to leaving the property clean.

Melbourne tenants are also expected to complete a condition report prior to moving in. It should be taken seriously and completed properly with both the tenant and the real estate agent in attendance. This helps both parties to establish what is or isn’t reasonable at a later date.

By the time you move out, you may not have the same real estate agent, so everything should have been correctly marked on the report, and photos should ideally have been taken of any pre-existing damage. This helps the tenant when moving out to show the state of things prior, so they can only be expected to return things to how they were before.

For tenants who don’t want to spend every spare second cleaning their old place after they’ve moved on to greener pastures, they can outsource the cleaning to a professional cleaning company that specialises in exit cleaning or end of lease cleaning. These companies know what landlords and real estate agents are looking for and will work very hard and thoroughly to restore the property and make sure you get your bond back.

Melbourne exit cleaners will focus on every aspect of cleaning, from the kitchen and bathrooms to the bedrooms, living areas, laundry and can even help with professional carpet steam cleaning. No stone will be left unturned in their pursuit of cleanliness, which means they will take the stress off your shoulders and ensure a complete end of lease clean that helps you get your bond back as quickly as possible.

The Legal Requirements

If you want to know your legal requirements for exiting a property and getting your bond back, you should check your lease. But sometimes leases may be overly cautious or even outdated as laws may have recently changed, so it’s best to check your residential tenancy rights at the Consumer Affairs Victoria website.

The term found in most lease agreements is “reasonably clean” though it may be considered subjective. A tenant can also request special conditions to be included in the agreement, indicating the cleaning required when leaving the premises. Doing this helps to get rid of any form of subjectivity regarding reasonableness.

Until recently, the law backed landlords and property managers to hold on to bonds and settlements. If, after a final inspection, the property was not in a similar condition as when the lease was signed, the landlord could delay refunding the bond. However new changes to the law mean that renters will be able to apply to the Residential Tenancy Bond Authority (RTBA) to have all or part of their bond released without their landlord’s consent.

Damage and Fair Wear and Tear

Depending on your lease contract, you may be liable for the damages you, your pets or your children cause to the building during your stay. However, you will be protected from ‘fair’ wear and tear, a natural process that occurs when a property is used over time.

For example, using a floor or carpet every day will come with some natural wear and tear, even after carpet steam cleaning has been completed. Unfortunately, landlords may have different opinions about what constitutes fair wear and tear, leading to disputes that need to be settled through The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

What About Bond Refunds?

As mentioned earlier, real estate agents can put you in a very uncomfortable hostage situation when holding on to your bond because the place is not clean enough. That gives a huge advantage to the landlord, as they decide whether a property is clean enough to meet their standards.

Though the laws about getting your bond back are changing in Victoria, you can still do a few things to protect yourself and ensure a hassle-free handover. Make sure the property is put back to the condition it was leased to you in.

This includes fixing anything that you broke or that was damaged during your stay (within reason), and making sure you clean the premises thoroughly or hire an end of lease cleaner to get the property to the standard the real estate agent would expect it to be returned to.

The cleanliness of your property plays a huge role in whether you will receive your full bond back so don’t hesitate to hire our exit cleaning services and bond back cleaning service in Melbourne.

The post How Clean Does Your House Need to Be When Moving Out? appeared first on Looyin Cleaning Services.

Before you move into your new home, it’s important to cover your basics. So what should you do at your new place before moving day comes around?

1. Get Connected

Make a list and check it twice. You’re going to need to get connected and you don’t want to forget an essential service that you can’t live without.

Ensure you’ve arranged for all your utilities to be connected from the day you move in: electricity, water, gas, internet, phone line. Arrange a mail redirect, contact your insurers, your bank, change your license address, etc.

2. Get the Carpets and Windows Cleaned

This is your new place, so if you are repulsed by the thought of someone else’s grime or dog smell being built into the carpets, then arrange to get them steam cleaned before you move in. Using a professional carpet cleaning company is going to put your mind at rest and set you up for a good, clean start.

Also, you really don’t know the extent of the cleaning the previous tenants or owners went to. Ideally, they would have used a professional Melbourne vacate cleaning company to spruce the place up, but in case they didn’t, it’s a good idea to ensure all those nasty germs and grime are gone and the place smells fresh.

Before leaving your old place, book in an exit cleaner (AKA a vacate cleaner, end of lease cleaner or a bond back cleaner) to clean your new place properly, and then once you move, get them to clean your old place too. You already have enough on your plate to worry about. Leave the cleaning to a professional crew who can get the cleaning done to a high standard and in a quick turnaround time.

A bond back cleaning service will help you to secure the return of your original deposit by getting the property cleaned to the standard required by a real estate agent or landlord. This will free up some money that you could probably use after all the moving costs have left you out of cash. It’s also a nice idea to get all the windows cleaned at the same time so that you can move into a pristine space and have a whole new fresh start.

3. Change the Locks

No matter who previously lived in your new home, you need to change the locks as soon as you take possession, or as soon as you get access to the property. There’s simply no way of knowing how many copies of keys the previous residents handed out or may have lost somewhere, so for peace of mind and security, book in a locksmith post haste! And you don’t want the former owners or their adult children ‘popping back’ for anything down the track!

The post The Top 3 Things to Tackle Before You Move House appeared first on Looyin Cleaning Services.

A checklist for moving houses will help you get organised, making the process more efficient and manageable by breaking down the huge task into smaller parts that you can tick off your list. Here’s where to start:

Let People/Companies Know

Once you decide to move from your current place and you’ve found a new one, you should notify all the key people about your decision. We’re not talking about your friends and family, although out of courtesy, you might want to let them know you’re moving.

We’re talking anyone who should know your new address to communicate with you or to continue a service to your new property.

Key people/companies to let know you’re moving:

• Real estate agent/landlord
• Utility companies (electricity, gas, water)
• Communication companies (internet, phone, mobile, TV subscriptions)
• Financial institutions (banks or loan companies, student debt, tax office, insurance companies)
• Drivers licence update
• Your employer / super fund
• Education (School, childcare etc.)

Your time may be limited, so work out which of these people or companies need to be notified immediately (to continue service in your new property) and which of these can wait until after you move.

Packing

This process can take a while, depending on how long you’ve lived at your property, so start by going and getting some moving boxes.

There are some removalist companies that offer a packing service, but if the thought of having strangers looking through your stuff is unappealing, then you need to organise some packing boxes and get to work, allowing up to several weeks.

Start in one room – whichever room seems easiest and make sure you label the box with the room it came from so you know where to put it back when unpacking.

Find a Good Removalist / Storage Company

Whether you’ve decided to hire and truck and move your furniture with some help from friends, or are hiring a removalist company to help you move, do your research first.

Hidden prices and terms can ruin moving day, so make sure you don’t get sprung at the last minute.

Does the removalist have:

• Availabilities when you need them
• Free quotes
• Lots of genuine good reviews or references
• Insurance
• Competitive prices (charged by hourly increments or 15 mins)
• Depot fees
• Experienced movers
• Are they a member of the Australian Furniture Removers Association (AFRA)
• Storage facilities in case you need it
• A physical location
• Big enough truck size, so you don’t have to make multiple trips

If you’re hiring a truck, make sure you do a complete check and a condition report, noting any small damage or scratches, so the company can’t pin them on you after the move and always take out insurance. We recommend choosing the option that minimises the excess too.

Exit Cleaning

It is vital to ensure that you leave behind a clean space when you’re moving, particularly if you really need to make sure you get your bond back. It is advisable to put in a lot of effort with your end of lease cleaning, as the landlord or property manager will judge this.

Areas to focus your cleaning attention on:

• Kitchen (oven, stove, range hood, sink, benches, cupboards)
• Flooring (carpets, floorboards or tiles)
• Walls
• Bedrooms
• Family/lounge rooms
• Laundry
• Bathrooms (toilet, shower, bathtub, sinks, cupboards, drawers, ceiling fans)
• Yard (back and front – lawns, weeding, rubbish)
• Damage (repair any damage to floors, doors, walls, fly screens, windows, etc.)

Your lease will usually allow for reasonable wear and tear based on how many years you’ve lived at the property, but this can be open to interpretation, so best not to take too much risk and just leave the property as clean as possible.

If you hate cleaning, or you have way too much to do, then hire a professional exit cleaning company who can offer a guaranteed bond back cleaning service. An end of lease clean is a deep clean once all your furniture and belongings have been removed.

An exit cleaner will ensure every detail is taken care of to the standard expected by a real estate agent or landlord, though they won’t make repairs to damage. That is something you’ll need to organise yourself.

Depending on the end of lease cleaner, they may also offer professional carpet steam cleaning services too, which may be required as part of your lease. This service is worth every cent!

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With so much going on, you don’t need the added stress of wondering if you’ll be able to get your bond back.

It can take weeks to get your full bond back and in that time you might be worrying about whether the real estate agent will have an issue with something and try to withhold some of your bond.

You can only hope their decision will be fair so you don’t have to take further action to get it back. On top of all this worry, you could really do with that money in your pocket because moving is costly and you already forked out another whole month of rent for the bond at your new place.

So as soon as you know you’ll be moving out, you need a game plan. You will ideally have a few weeks to make preparations for your end of lease handover and will know how to restore the home to its former glory.

So what do you need to do to ensure you get your bond back? Here are our top 5 tips to ensure you have a faster handover and get your full bond returned to you.

1. Read Your Lease

Take the time to read your lease and see what was required of you throughout your tenancy. You probably haven’t familiarised yourself with it in a long time. You need to know if the agent or landlord expects you to have hired a professional cleaner, what is considered reasonable wear and tear, do you need to have the carpets professionally steam cleaned, and any other small details you might have not considered.

2. Refer to Your Property Report

When you moved into the property, you would have had to complete a property report, outlining any issues the property had, from scuff marks on the walls, to paint on the floors, scratches on the door, small tears in the fly wire, dents, leaks, cracks etc.

Any issues that were noted at the time you completed the report are ok to still be there, but any new issues need to be taken care of and repaired by you, or they will come out of your bond.
Ideally, you will have taken photos at the time that documented any issues. This record is legal proof of the state of things and would have been kept by your real estate. Hopefully, you would have had a copy too, so find it and use it.

If you didn’t have these reports, you may not be able to get your full bond back as you need proof of the state of the property before. If not, make sure you learn from it and complete all the necessary checks on the new place you’re moving into.

3. Make Any Repairs

This is a big one. Did your cat scratch at the carpet? Did you dog scratch at the door? Did your child draw on the walls? Make sure you get any little issues fixed before the real estate agent comes in for their final inspection. Otherwise, the money to fix these will come out of your bond and the agents may not bother to look around and get the best price, so it’s up to you to do your research and get them fixed as cheaply as possible.

4. Return Your Keys

Losing your keys could mean a deduction from your bond. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that you return all the keys you received when moving in. If you end up losing your keys, be sure to replace them as soon as you can.

5. End of Lease Cleaning / Exit Cleaning

Although this may sound pretty obvious, you should take time to clean your home during and after your stay. Waiting until the last moment to undertake general cleaning may require a lot of hard work and frustration. Although cleaning may not be fun, the place needs to be spotless to get your bond back in full.

But if things got a little out of control, or if you don’t have the time or energy left after arranging the rest of the move, then you can always hire a professional exit cleaning company to conduct a full end of lease clean.

End of lease cleaners will make sure the place is absolutely shining. From floors to walls, bathrooms, kitchens and everything in between, they can come in after you’ve moved all your stuff out and go through each room, ensuring everything meets the standard outlined in your lease.

Also, many end-of-lease cleaners work with real estate agents regularly so they know exactly what’s expected for a proper exit clean. It’s for this reason that you may just want to hand over the hard work to an expert; so you can get on with the big job of unpacking at the other end.

If you do decide to hire an end of lease cleaner, consider that some of them even offer a bond-back guarantee. This is because they work tirelessly to restore the property to how it should be and they know you’ll get your bond back if you get them on the case.

The post Moving House? Here’s How to Make Sure You Get Your Bond Back. appeared first on Looyin Cleaning Services.

Though one might indulge in regular dusting and cleaning of their space, it is important to have a professional service engaged to execute this in a thorough manner. Looyin Cleaning Services is at the forefront of all house cleaning services in Melbourne. At Looyin, we understand the need for deep cleaning at your homes and personal spaces. Keeping in mind the potential areas which attract dust and mite accumulation at your homes, we offer a plethora of services including carpet steam cleaning, house detail cleaning, move out cleaning, spring cleaning services, end of tenancy cleaning and more.

We understand that your homes and articles need a deep cleaning to eradicate all minute dust and other unfavourable elements. Equipped with a team of experts who have garnered exceptional skills over the years and facilitated by modern equipment and technology, we ensure that our services are spotless, literally! Also provides customised vacate cleaning packages, which cover everything that your Landlord would expect, in order to return your bond back in full. Keeping in mind the diverse range of materials and their subjective sensitivity, the cleaning products we use comply with global standards, without the worry of damage or colour loss.

Besides the regular cleaning that you may require, we also specialize in moving in, moving out, and lease-end cleanings. Depending on the demands of the season, we offer apt packages during spring and winters. Understanding the diverse needs of our customer base, we are more than happy to customize our packages. Our process commences with the team visiting your home or property to assess the space and determine the extent of services that will be required. Based on this, we give an approximate quote to the customer. On approval, the team starts the work. For larger possessions such as carpets and mattresses, they are often shifted to our worksites to complete the specified services. Alongside rendering quality services, we ensure that we are light on the pocket.

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