What Is a Bond Back Guarantee and Does It Actually Protect You?

One of the most stressful things you can do is move. The extra stress of worrying about losing your bond is huge. After days of packing boxes, moving furniture up and down hallways, you now stand looking at your dirt-covered floor, thinking “Is my floor clean enough for my landlord?” There are many cleaning companies out there offering a Bond Back Guarantee; however, what does a “Bond Back Guarantee” mean? Is it a legal protection, or something to count on, or just clever marketing? If you find yourself in a sea of bubble wrap and cleaning supplies, let us break down the meaning of “Bond Back Guarantees,” so you can move out with your sanity and your cash, in one piece.

Decoding the “Bond Back Guarantee”

A bond back guarantee (or “Release Guarantee”) is an agreement to provide you with the ability to return to your property and clean any areas that were not in good enough condition for you to receive your original deposit back. The professional cleaners will fix the areas specified by the landlord or property manager at no additional charge to you.

A bond back guarantee does not pay you your bond; it simply commits you to allow the professional cleaners to return to your home and complete any outstanding cleaning tasks.

“A Bond Back Guarantee Is Not An Enchantment Or Spell That Forces A Landlord To Return Your Money; It Is A Professional Promise Made By A Cleaning Service To Achieve The Minimum Standard Of Care And Condition For The Rental Property As Specified Under The Highest Requirements Of The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) As Well As Under The Specific Lease Accordingly To The Specific Leasing Agreement (Lease).”

Does It Actually Protect You?

To keep your bonds protected from cleaning disputes, having a bond guarantee may provide some level of protection. However, it doesn’t provide any protection from another situation unlikely to occur, such as physical damage to the house. If a large hole exists in a wall or a large carpet stain requires professionally cleaning instead of just steam cleaning, the cleaning guarantee doesn’t cover that repair cost.

How the Protection Works in Practice:

• Exit Report: Once your home has been cleaned, the property manager will conduct an inspection of your cleaned home.
• Dispute: During the inspection, they found dust on top of ceiling fans and streaks on the glass in the balcony.
• Resolution: You will call your cleaning company, give them the Exit Report, and they will come back within 24 -48 hours to fix those specific areas.

Without the guarantee of repairs, you would either need to clean those areas yourself (which is difficult considering you are moving into another home) or hire a new cleaner to redo it.

The Fine Print: What Most People Miss

• Various guarantees can provide different types of protection when you are searching for the professional aspect of a cleaning service as well as having protection through the cleaning service you choose.
• One of the most important things people forget to check out before having a cleaning service do a cleaning is the 3-7 day limit the cleaning service puts on its clients for notifying the cleaning service of any disputes concerning their guaranteed work. If a property owner/manager takes more than 3-7 days to do an inspection of the property cleaned by the cleaning service, their guarantee has likely been voided.
• Most cleaning services will only guarantee the services provided by them according to a client’s service contract. For example, if you were not contracted for Window Cleaning and the property owner/manager complains about how the windows are cleaned, you are not obligated to return and do the window cleaning for the tenant or property owner/manager.
• Cleaning Services typically provide Bond Back Guarantees only for properties that are totally vacant by the tenant. If a cleaning service does not clean a room or area because the tenant has not completely removed all of their belongings before the cleaning service arrives to do the cleaning, then the cleaning service typically voids the guarantee unless they can remove any dust that has built up since the last time the cleaning service did a cleaning.

“To ensure that you have a covered life, check with your cleaning service’s checklist every now and then. Remember that a cover is only as good as its checklist!”

Why Professional Cleaning Trumps DIY

Although a large number of tenants will attempt to clean their rental apartment via Do It Yourself (DIY) cleaning in order to save money; this can often result in what is referred to as a ‘false economy’. Many bond cleaners use commercial strength chemicals and cleaning tools/equipment that your regular household vacuum cleaner would simply not be able to replicate.

Professional bond cleaning companies also understand where the Property Managers look for those difficult places to find dust – such as the sliding door tracks, inside the dishwasher filter and on the top of the kitchen cupboards.

The Stress-Free Move-Out Strategy

To make sure you’re protected by the guarantee, when applicable, you should complete the following three steps:

• Make Sure You Have a Complete Inventory: Be sure that your quotation for cleaning work is in accordance with your property (say for example; number of bedrooms, if there are any blinds, size of the balcony).
• Communication is Very Important: Ensure your cleaners have the property manager’s phone number so they can collaborate on any minor touch ups that might need doing.
• Document Everything: Retain the signed cleaning checklist and/or receipt for your records. If your bond is claimed because of cleaning or lack of cleanness by the landlord, you have proof of having had professional cleaning, so you can dispute the claim with the RTA.

Conclusion: Your Partner in a Clean Transition

Ultimately, a bond-back guarantee is more about peace of mind than actual guarantees. A bond-back guarantee removes the risk of having to meet the high standard associated with your rental property; you transfer that risk to the professional team as their responsibility. A bond-back guarantee will not cover a broken window or floorboard damage, but it does eliminate the most frequent reason for bond deductions, cleanliness.

If you are relocating to Brisbane, you need a cleaning service that is familiar with the current standard for rental properties in this area and provides a guarantee for its services. All Bond Clean Brisbane is not just about “wiping down surfaces” we are a complete cleaning service that is accountable for providing a quality cleaning service that will meet the strictest standards of any property management company in Brisbane. We implement our internal cleaning procedures so that we clean every part of the rental property (both inside and outside), so you will feel comfortable handing over your key and leaving knowing there is nothing to worry about in your new home.

FAQs

Does a “Bond Back Guarantee” mean I get my money back instantly? 

That’s not exactly true; it’s more of a “Safety Net Service”. The cleaning company does not actually hold your bond money; instead, the Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) holds your bond money. The Cleaning Company provides a guarantee for their work, which means if there are any cleaning issues found by your property manager at the time of the inspection, the cleaners will come back to clean only those cleaned areas at no cost to you. Because the service provides a guarantee for their workmanship, it gives you peace of mind when requesting a bond refund from RTA.

What happens if the property manager isn’t happy with the cleaning? 

There is no need to panic because this is exactly what the guarantee is intended to cover. If you receive your exit report from your agent listing things like “dust on skirting boards” or “marks on the oven”, then simply send that report (along with pictures) to your cleaners. Reputable cleaning companies in Brisbane will send their team out to fix these issues at no cost to you within 24 – 48 hours.

If the cleaner breaks something, does the guarantee cover the repair? 

No, a Bond Back Guarantee only covers the cleanliness of the property. A chipped tile or cracked window is considered “Property Damage” and has nothing to do with the cleaning process. However, premier cleaning professionals, such as All Bond Clean Brisbane, offer you Public Liability Insurance, which will be your true protection from any accidental damage that may occur during the cleaning process.

Why is there a time limit (like 72 hours or 7 days) on the guarantee? 

Dust travels easily! After cleaning, if a property remains unoccupied for two weeks, dust is already building up on surfaces, right? Therefore, when a cleaner does a post-clean inspection there is usually a time limit on the inspection period in order to ensure any issues that the homeowner reports are actually related to missed spots from the original cleaning and not just normal dust or insects that have made their way into the home since the cleaning. It is strongly recommended that you have your inspection completed as soon as possible after the clean.