Short Stay Cleaning Melbourne CBD VIC - Get Local Quotes

Cleaning Between Guests in a City Apartment

A turnover clean, also called a changeover, is the reset an apartment gets between one guest checking out and the next guest arriving. In the Melbourne CBD that reset happens inside tall residential buildings, where the cleaner signs in, waits for lifts and follows building rules. Those rules come from the owners corporation, the legal body made up of the owners of each apartment, or lot, that manages shared areas. The work is narrower than a household clean in some ways and wider in others, because it adds linen, restocking, photos and a written report to the dusting, wiping and vacuuming. An owner who lives elsewhere relies on that report, since the cleaner is the only person who sees the apartment between stays. General hiring checks for Melbourne cleaners, such as insurance papers and business registration, are set out in the Melbourne cleaner hiring guide.

Short stay here means a continuous booking of under 28 days, which is the definition Victoria uses for its owners corporation laws and for the state levy. Hosts in this market range from an owner letting one studio near Southern Cross Station to a manager running several apartments in a single Southbank or Docklands tower. Each arrangement needs the same basics, which are a cleaner who can finish within the booking gap, a dependable linen supply and a clear way to report problems. Commercial floors in the same towers are a separate market with contract pricing, described in office cleaning in the Melbourne CBD.

Changeover Prices for CBD Studios and Smaller Apartments

For 2026 we estimate a studio changeover at $85 to $150 and a one or two bedroom changeover at $115 to $230, with linen and guest supplies kept on separate lines of the quote. The bottom of each range suits a tidy stay of one or two nights, where the cleaner strips the bed, wipes the kitchen and bathroom, vacuums and resets the room. The top of each range reflects longer stays, a second bathroom, a balcony left with bottles or food, or a cleaner who also runs the washer and dryer during the visit. Apartments with three bedrooms are better priced after a walkthrough, because the time needed depends on how many beds were used and how the guests left them. These figures match the Melbourne CBD cleaning price guide, which lists city apartment prices for other types of cleaning as well.

Some jobs fall outside a standard changeover and are priced as extras. Cleaning an oven and rangehood after a guest has cooked a big meal adds an estimated $70 to $150, and a balcony adds $70 to $200 depending on its size. Steam cleaning by a carpet cleaner costs $38 to $75 per room with a minimum near $135, so a wine spill in one bedroom can cost more than the changeover itself. When an apartment needs a full reset after a long booking, a one-off deep clean runs $260 to $450 for one bedroom and $340 to $600 for two bedrooms. Booking those deeper visits on a weekday with no arrival keeps them away from the tight gaps between guests.

Per-Turnover Fees, Hourly Billing and Minimum Visits

Changeover cleaners in the city charge in one of two ways, a fixed fee per turnover or an hourly rate with a minimum visit. A fixed fee suits hosts with steady bookings, because the cost of each stay is known before the guest arrives and can be built into the nightly rate. Hourly billing at an estimated $55 to $92 for one cleaner, or $90 to $135 for a pair, suits irregular stays and apartments that vary widely between guests. Minimum visits of two to three hours apply in both models, so a short studio turnover billed by the hour can cost the same as a much longer one. Fixed fees also need a written list of inclusions, so that a dirty oven or a stained couch can be charged as an extra without an argument. Settle which model applies before the first booking, because changing it halfway through a busy month is hard on both sides.

Any cleaning fee shown on your listing becomes part of what the guest pays, and the State Revenue Office says the 7.5 per cent short stay levy applies to total booking fees, including cleaning fees. For a booking made through a short-stay booking platform the platform pays the levy, while for a direct booking the owner or renter offering the stay is responsible. Exemptions and the wider effect of the levy on Melbourne hosts are summarised in the Melbourne cleaning cost guide. Keep each cleaner's invoice with the matching booking record, since your accountant will need both when the tax return is prepared.

Longer bookings bring a different kind of visit, the mid-stay refresh, which suits guests staying a week or more. We estimate $95 to $165 for a studio or one bedroom apartment, covering fresh towels, a bathroom and kitchen wipe, emptied bins and a vacuum. The guest must agree to the visit and its time, so offer it in the booking messages and confirm the day before. Some hosts include one refresh in every stay over seven nights, while others charge only the guests who ask for one. Even on a mid-stay visit the cleaner should send a report and photos, because it is also a chance to spot damage early.

Working Inside the Gap Between Check-Out and Check-In

The time between one guest leaving and the next arriving sets a limit on how much a cleaner can do on a changeover day. If your listing sets check-out at 10 am and check-in at 3 pm, the cleaner has five hours, though lift waits, late departures and laundry drops can use up much of it. Moving check-in later or check-out earlier widens the gap, and some hosts block the night after a long stay so the apartment can get a deeper clean. Offering a late check-out to one guest shortens the window for the next, so check with the cleaner before agreeing to it in the booking messages. Same-day turnovers also leave little time for drying, so carpet steam cleaning and floor treatments belong on a day with no arrival.

In a tower, part of the cleaner's time goes on reaching the apartment door. Contractor sign-in at a concierge desk, the staffed counter in the lobby, can take several minutes at busy times, and some buildings only allow trolleys in a service lift that has to be booked. Cleaners covering several apartments in one building can save time by booking that lift once for the whole run of changeovers. Buildings set their own rules, so check with the building manager, the person the owners corporation employs to run the building, about what applies to contractors. Sign-in routines, permitted noise hours and lift protection are covered in more depth on hiring a cleaner in the Melbourne CBD. Agree in writing what happens when a guest is still inside at check-out time, including whether the cleaner waits, leaves or charges for a return visit.

The order of work inside the apartment also saves time when the gap is short. Starting the washing machine or bagging linen for collection first lets the laundry run while the cleaner does the bathroom and kitchen. Working from the highest surfaces down to the floor stops dust falling onto areas that have already been wiped. Leaving the bed making and final photos until last means the cleaner records each room exactly as the next guest will find it.

Linen Hire, On-Site Laundry or Taking Washing Away

Linen can delay a whole changeover, because a bed cannot be made without a clean set ready. City hosts choose between hiring linen from a commercial laundry that delivers and collects, washing in the apartment's own machine, or paying the cleaner to take dirty linen away and bring it back clean. Linen hire means the laundry owns the sheets and towels, replaces worn items and charges per set, so the host stops buying linen but depends on delivery times. Washing on site keeps control with the host, though a combined washer dryer in a studio may need longer than the gap allows. Take-away washing by the cleaner suits a small number of apartments but needs a clear agreement about lost or damaged items. Get any laundry's per-set price, delivery days and replacement policy in writing before you sign up.

Building rules can affect each of these options. Laundry deliveries may have to use the loading dock, the off-street area where vans unload, and some buildings limit how long bags may sit in corridors or the lobby. Drying towels on a balcony is restricted by some owners corporation rules, so check yours before planning to air anything outside. Using a covered trolley and labelled bags keeps clean and dirty linen apart on the way through the lift.

Keeping three sets of sheets and towels for each bed allows one set on the bed, one at the laundry and one in reserve for a missed delivery. Sheridan and Bambury make bed linen, including plain white sets that are easier to match when a single piece is replaced. For washing on site, Miele and Electrolux make heat pump dryers, and Fisher & Paykel makes washer dryer combinations sized for small laundries. A broken washer or dryer can delay the whole turnover, so keep the contact of someone who handles washing machine installation and dryer installation at short notice. Mattress and pillow protectors keep the core bedding clean and cost far less to wash than a mattress costs to replace.

Restocking Lists and Guest Supplies

A restocking list tells the cleaner exactly what each guest should find on arrival and how many of each item to leave. Items on a city apartment list include toilet paper, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher tablets, coffee pods, tea, sugar and rubbish bags. Write the quantity next to each item, because a note asking for some coffee pods means different things to different cleaners. Store reserve stock in a locked owner's cupboard, and have the cleaner note on each report when any item falls below a set level. Some hosts pay the cleaner to buy supplies, while others have deliveries sent to the building, where front desk staff may need to hold parcels. Label each shelf in the reserve cupboard, so a new cleaner can see which items are running low without counting everything.

Appliances that guests use need small, regular care that a changeover cleaner can provide. Nespresso makes capsule coffee machines that need descaling at the intervals in the maker's instructions, and Breville makes toasters with crumb trays that fill with frequent use. On each visit the cleaner can empty the capsule bin, wipe the drip tray and refill the water tank. Dishwashers left full of dirty plates have to run before the next arrival, which adds time to a short gap. Record any appliance fault on the report, so a repair can be arranged before the next guest finds it. Leave the appliance manuals in a kitchen drawer, so the cleaner can check descaling and filter steps without calling you.

Matching Each Room to Your Listing Photos

Guests compare the apartment they walk into with the photos they saw when booking, so the cleaner needs a clear picture of each finished room. A presentation sheet with one photo per room, showing the bed style, towel placement, cushions and where the remote controls sit, shows every cleaner the same finished result. Update the sheet whenever you change furniture or linen, because an old photo can lead a new cleaner to set up the room the wrong way. Small details show up in reviews, such as straight curtains, a clear bench and a toilet roll with a folded end. Bed making to a hotel standard takes practice, and a cleaner who has worked in hotels may already have that skill.

Cleaning tools matter in a small apartment full of glass and hard surfaces. The company e-cloth makes microfibre cloths designed to clean with water alone, and Unger makes squeegees suited to shower screens and mirrors. Philips and Rowenta make handheld garment steamers that remove creases from curtains and duvet covers without taking them down. For care of stone benches, induction cooktops and frameless screens, see our guide to apartment cleaning in the Melbourne CBD. Outside glass on upper floors needs a window cleaning specialist with safe access equipment, so leave it out of the changeover scope.

Key Safes, Smart Locks and Building Fobs for Guests

Guests and cleaners both need a way into the building and the apartment, and in a CBD tower that means two layers of access. The entrance and lifts are controlled by fobs, the small electronic tags that open doors and send lifts to set floors, while the apartment door has its own key or lock. Replacing a lost fob goes through the building manager and some buildings charge a fee, so a fob taken home by a guest can leave the cleaner unable to reach the floor. Set aside a dedicated fob for the cleaner that never goes into guest hands, and record its number with the building manager. Footpath poles, bike racks and tree guards are street fixtures outside your lot, so questions about them go to the City of Melbourne, not the owners corporation. Any key safe should stay inside the property boundary with the owners corporation's permission, never on a footpath fixture.

Master Lock makes wall-mounted key safes, and Yale makes smart locks that can issue a separate entry code for each guest and for the cleaner. Separate codes let you see in the lock's history when the cleaner arrived and left, which helps when a guest says the apartment was not ready. Apartment entry doors in some buildings are fire doors, and new hardware on them may need owners corporation approval, so check before anyone drills. Remote locks and their apps fall under smart home automation, and the cleaner can report flat lock batteries on each visit. When a key goes missing between stays, a locksmith can rekey the lock cylinder, the part the key turns, so the old key no longer works.

Some buildings let the concierge hold a spare key for contractors, which helps when a smart lock fails or a guest leaves with the fob. The desk will need written authority naming each cleaner allowed to collect the key, and some buildings keep a log of who signs keys out. Desk hours vary between buildings, so a cleaner arriving early or late may find nobody there to release the key. Find out whether the building charges for key holding and what identification the cleaner must show at the desk. Update the authority whenever your cleaner changes, so a former cleaner cannot still collect your key.

Guest Rubbish, Chutes and Bin Room Rules

Guests can leave all kinds of rubbish, from takeaway containers and bottles to shopping packaging and broken items. Apartment buildings handle waste through chutes, bin rooms or both, and each building sets its own rules on what may go down a chute and what must be carried down. Glass dropped down a chute may break or jam it, and flattened boxes may belong in a separate recycling area, so the cleaner needs written directions for each type. Bags left beside a full bin or in a corridor can lead to a breach notice, a formal written warning from the owners corporation that a building rule has been broken. Put the same waste rules in the guest house guide, so guests and the cleaner follow one set of instructions. Check with the building manager whether there is a separate drop-off point for soft plastics, batteries or electronic waste such as old phone chargers.

Large rubbish is a different job from a changeover. Furniture, broken suitcases and boxes of leftover belongings cannot go down a chute and may need a building hard waste booking, a collection arranged for bulky items, or a rubbish removal service. Agree a price for carrying out extra bags before the cleaner starts, because a guest who leaves dozens of bottles after a party adds time to the visit. Food left in the fridge by one guest can upset the next, so the restocking list should say what is cleared and what stays. Cigarette butts on a balcony may break building rules and should be photographed before they are cleared.

Damage Notes, Missing Items and Lost Property

The cleaner is the first person to see the apartment after each guest, so the changeover report is your main record of its condition. Ask for dated photos of any damage, stain or missing item, taken before the cleaner moves or cleans it, with a wide shot of the room and a close-up of the problem. Booking platforms can set their own time limits for damage claims, so find out what applies to you and make sure the report reaches you on the same day. Reports sent through a shared app or by dated email are easier to rely on later than a phone call. List the items checked on every turnover, such as towels, the hair dryer, kitchen knives, remote controls and the guest fob, so gaps are noticed straight away. Keep the reports for each booking with the booking details, because a claim may be raised weeks after the stay.

Lost property turns up on changeovers, and a simple process prevents arguments. The cleaner should photograph the item where it was found, bag it with a note of the date and booking, and store it in a set place or hand it to you. Passports, cash, jewellery and laptops should be reported to you straight away, so you can contact the guest through the booking. Set a holding period and a postage arrangement in your house rules, with the guest paying for any courier. Items should only be posted with a tracking number and a record of the address used.

Cleaners also break things now and then, such as a glass in the dishwasher or a lamp knocked from a bedside table. Public liability insurance held by the cleaner covers damage they cause to your property or to the building, subject to the policy terms. Agree that the cleaner reports any breakage on the same day with a photo, and settle small items by deduction or replacement in writing. Your own landlord or host insurance may have conditions about short-stay letting, so read the policy before relying on it for guest damage.

Bed Bugs, Body Fluids and Unusual Finds Between Stays

Travellers can carry bed bugs in luggage, and an apartment with frequent guests gives the insects more chances to arrive. While stripping the bed, the cleaner can check mattress seams, the bed base and headboard edges for small dark spots, shed skins or live insects. If they find signs, the cleaner should stop, photograph them, bag the linen separately and report before anything else is moved, because carrying linen through the building can spread the insects. Treatment is then carried out by a licensed pest controller, and the way those visits are scheduled is set out under bed bug treatment. Block the calendar until the pest controller confirms the apartment is ready for guests again.

Spills of blood, vomit or other body fluids need more care than ordinary cleaning. Disposable gloves come first, then the cleaner soaks up the material with disposable cloths and cleans the area before disinfecting it with a product suited to the surface. Hazardous cleaning chemicals made for workplace use come with a safety data sheet (SDS), the maker's document on safe use, storage and first aid, and Safe Work Australia publishes guidance on reading one. Mixing bleach with other cleaners can release toxic gas, so the cleaner should use one product at a time with a window open or the exhaust fan running. Stained mattresses or couches may need upholstery cleaning to lift marks that household products leave behind. Syringes and other sharps should never be picked up by hand, and the cleaner should tell you so a proper sharps container can be used.

Colour-coded cloths and gloves stop the toilet, the rest of the bathroom and the kitchen from sharing the same cleaning gear. One example scheme uses red for toilets, yellow for other bathroom surfaces, blue for general areas and green for the kitchen, and any scheme works if the cleaner follows it every time. Used cloths should go home with the cleaner for hot washing, not into the apartment's machine with the guest sheets. Mop heads and vacuum filters carried between apartments need regular cleaning, so dust and smells from one building do not travel to the next. Vileda makes colour-coded microfibre cloths for professional cleaners, and Oates makes mops and mop buckets.

Guest Complaints About Cleanliness and Return Visits

Even a careful cleaner will sometimes receive a guest message about a hair in the shower or crumbs under the couch. Agree in advance how the cleaner responds, such as a free return within a set time for missed items and a paid visit for problems caused by the guest. Photos taken at the end of each changeover show how the apartment was left, which helps you judge whether a complaint is fair. Repeated complaints about the same room point to a missing step in the checklist, so add it and tell every cleaner who works there. Review the checklist with the cleaner every few months and include anything guests keep mentioning. Reply to the guest politely and quickly, and offer the return visit before the complaint turns into a public review.

Some complaints reveal faults that cleaning cannot fix. Black spots in shower grout that return within days may need bathroom mould removal and a check of the exhaust fan. Reports that mention a dripping tap or a dead light globe help you fix the fault before it reaches a review. Send plumbing faults to a Melbourne plumber and wiring faults to a licensed electrician before the next guest arrives.

Cover for Busy Weekends, Sick Days and Event Dates

Relying on one cleaner is a risk when that person is sick, on holiday or booked elsewhere. Find out whether the cleaner has a trained backup who has visited the apartment, knows the building rules and holds their own fob. Two-person teams finish faster on days with tight gaps, though the hourly cost for the pair is higher at an estimated $90 to $135. When a major event such as the Australian Open or the Melbourne Cup falls during your bookings, confirm the cleaner's availability several weeks ahead. Payment terms should be clear, such as weekly invoices listing each turnover, the extras and any supplies bought. Hosts paying a cleaner directly should read the Fair Work Ombudsman guidance on employees and contractors, and the vetting steps are listed in our guide to finding a cleaner in the Melbourne CBD.

A shared calendar keeps the cleaner up to date when bookings change at short notice. Booking platforms and channel managers, the software that links one calendar across several platforms, can export a calendar link showing check-in and check-out dates, which the cleaner can add to their own phone. Cancelling inside the cleaner's notice period may still attract a fee, so agree the notice period and the fee in writing. Pass on the guest's expected arrival time where you know it, since an early flight can change the order of the cleaner's day. Flag long stays in advance as well, because the visit after a fortnight's booking needs more time than a two-night stay.

Hosts with several apartments sometimes hand cleaning, linen and restocking to one business for a monthly fee. That model saves you organising the work yourself, but the contract can include notice periods and minimum volumes, so read the cancellation terms before signing. Ask how the business replaces a cleaner who leaves, and whether the new person will be briefed on your building before their first visit. Starting with a short first term or a trial month shows whether the arrangement works before you commit for longer.

When an Owners Corporation Can Ban Short Stays

Since 1 January 2025, Victorian owners corporations have been able to make a rule banning short-stay accommodation, a power added to the Owners Corporations Act 2006 by the Short Stay Levy Act 2024. The rule needs a special resolution, which Consumer Affairs Victoria defines as 75 per cent of lot owners, or 75 per cent of lot entitlements, each lot's share of common property, by ballot or poll. A ban cannot apply to a lot that is the owner's or occupier's principal place of residence, meaning the home where they live. Owners corporations can also set a future start date for a ban, which gives hosts time to cancel or move bookings. Before you sign a long cleaning or linen contract, read the building's rules and recent meeting minutes for any proposed ban. If the apartment moves to a long lease, cleaning is needed mainly at the start and end of each tenancy, as described in end of lease cleaning in the Melbourne CBD.

Owners corporation rules also cover day-to-day matters that affect cleaners, such as use of common property, the shared corridors, lifts and bin rooms. Leaving a trolley in a corridor or propping open a fire door can bring a complaint against your lot. Give your cleaner a copy of the rules and point out the sections on contractors, waste and noise. Rules can change at a general meeting, so request the current version from the owners corporation manager once a year.

Breach Notices, Party Complaints and VCAT Orders

Separate from the power to ban short stays, Victoria has laws aimed at guests who cause problems in apartment buildings. Owners corporations can issue breach notices when short-stay guests make excessive noise, damage a lot or common property, create a health or safety hazard, obstruct shared areas or interfere with other residents. If an apartment receives three breach notices within 24 months for separate events, VCAT, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, can order that it not be used for short stays for a period. VCAT can also impose fines of up to $1,100 for breaches and order compensation of up to $2,000 to residents for loss of amenity, meaning reduced enjoyment of their homes. Owners and guests are jointly and individually liable for compensation, fines and damage to common property, and the full wording is on the Victorian legislation website. These laws began in February 2019 and were amended in January 2025.

Your cleaner can help you answer a breach notice with facts. Dated photos taken at check-out show whether the apartment had signs of a party, such as extra bedding, piles of bottles or moved furniture. Party damage should be reported before cleaning, because a quick clean can remove the evidence you need. Keep each changeover report with its booking details for at least 24 months, the same period used in the three-notice rule. Damage that needs a specialist, such as a carpet stain or a cracked glass panel, should be photographed and quoted before any work starts.

What to Look Out For Before a Cleaner Takes Over Your Turnovers

Changeover prices well below the bands on this page can mean the cleaner plans to skip steps that guests notice, such as under the beds or inside the microwave. Check that the quote says what happens to linen, who supplies the products and whether photos and a written report come with every turnover. Anyone who cannot show a certificate of currency, the insurer's document confirming public liability cover is active, should not hold a fob to your building. Be wary of anyone who wants keys with no key register, or who will not agree to code changes when the arrangement ends. Businesses that will not say who will clean the apartment, or that rotate staff without briefing them, make consistent presentation hard. Unclear terms on waiting time, late check-outs and return visits are another sign the arrangement will lead to disputes.

Pricing that cannot cover minimum wages is a further warning, because a business that underpays its workers may also cut time on your apartment. The Cleaning Services Award 2020 sets minimum pay for cleaners employed by cleaning businesses, and the Fair Work Ombudsman publishes the current pay guides. Find out whether the business uses employees or contractors, and how it covers them if they are injured in your apartment. Broader advice on choosing cleaners in Victoria is on the Victorian cleaning services hub, including the consumer protections that apply to every clean.

Comparing Turnover Quotes Line by Line

Comparable quotes start with the same brief sent to every cleaner. Give the apartment size, the number of beds and bathrooms, your check-out and check-in times, the expected turnovers each month and the linen system you use. Add the building details, including concierge hours, whether a service lift must be booked and where the bin room is. Ask each cleaner to price a standard turnover, a turnover after a stay of more than a week and a mid-stay refresh as separate items. Request the hourly rate for extra work, the minimum visit and any charge for waiting on a guest who has not left. Quotes that list these items side by side show quickly which cleaner has allowed enough time.

A paid trial changeover is a fair way to test a cleaner before handing over your calendar. Inspect the apartment afterwards against your presentation sheet, and read the report for detail and photos. Check how the cleaner dealt with the building, including sign-in, the lift and the waste rules. When comparing a cleaning business with an independent cleaner, look at the same line items and not only the price per turnover. Post one job description on The Quote Yard so every cleaner who responds is pricing the same apartment and the same tasks.