ACT Bond Cleaning Deductions: What Landlords Can Claim

The Standard Is "Reasonably Clean," Not "Brand New"

ACT law allows a landlord to deduct cleaning costs from the bond when the property isn't returned in a reasonably clean condition — meaning the state it was in at the start of the tenancy, as documented in the condition report. The key word is "reasonably." You can't demand professional steam cleaning if the carpets were already showing normal use when the tenant moved in.

This is where most cleaning disputes start: the landlord expects the property back in a condition that exceeds how it was handed over, and the tenant (or ACAT) disagrees.

Fair Wear and Tear Is Not Claimable

The Residential Tenancies Act 1997 draws a hard line between fair wear and tear — ordinary deterioration from reasonable daily use — and actual damage or neglect. Fair wear and tear is the landlord's cost to bear.

Not claimable (fair wear and tear):

• Light traffic marks on carpet in hallways
• Minor scuffs behind doors from normal opening
• Fading of paint or curtains from sunlight
• Slight discolouration around light switches
• Small marks on walls from furniture placement

Claimable (tenant damage or neglect):

• Ground-in stains from spills that were never cleaned
• Pet urine damage to carpet or underlay
• Mould in a bathroom that the tenant never ventilated
• Heavy grease buildup on kitchen surfaces beyond what regular cooking produces
• Burn marks on any surface

The distinction often comes down to the condition report. If the entry report notes "light traffic wear on hallway carpet" and the exit inspection shows the same level of wear, there's nothing to claim. If the exit shows deep food stains that weren't there at entry, that's tenant responsibility.

Carpet Cleaning: the Common Flashpoint

Professional carpet cleaning is one of the most contested bond deduction items in the ACT. The standard is to return the property in a reasonably clean state matching its condition at the start of the tenancy. A cleaning deduction should be tied to that comparison and supported by evidence; the bond rules do not make professional steam cleaning automatically payable as a lease condition.

A claimed cleaning cost must be reasonable and proportionate. A $500 invoice for steam cleaning a one-bedroom unit will face scrutiny at ACAT.

Depreciation Applies to Damage Claims

When damage goes beyond cleaning — a ruined carpet, a chipped benchtop, a broken blind — you can't claim the full replacement cost. The deduction must account for depreciation based on the item's age and its expected useful life (using ATO depreciation schedules as a guide).

The formula is straightforward: Deduction = Replacement cost × (1 − Age ÷ Useful life).

A tenant who destroys a 6-year-old carpet with a 10-year useful life that costs $2,000 to replace owes $2,000 × (1 − 6/10) = $800. The remaining $1,200 represents wear the landlord was always going to absorb. Claiming the full $2,000 at ACAT will get your claim reduced, not awarded.

Evidence That Survives ACAT

If a cleaning deduction goes to dispute, you need:

• The entry condition report with specific notes on cleanliness, not just "clean."
• Dated entry photographs showing the actual state of carpets, ovens, bathrooms, and windows at the start.
• Dated exit photographs of the same areas, taken the same way.
• An itemised invoice from the cleaner — not just a total, but a breakdown by room or task.
• Proof that the cost is proportionate — a quote from a second cleaner helps.

Blanket deductions ("$350 for general end-of-lease clean") without specific evidence of what was dirty beyond reasonable standards are dismissed at ACAT regularly.

Get the Deduction Right the First Time

Overclaiming damages your credibility if the dispute reaches a hearing. Underclaiming leaves money on the table. Our ACT Rental Bond Guide includes a Bond Deduction Worksheet that walks through each claim category with depreciation calculations, so the numbers are defensible before you submit them.

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