Wellington house cleaning, decided in one page.
Book a regular clean to keep a maintained home tidy. Book a one-off deep clean to reset a tired one. Book a fixed-price bond clean when you are moving out, and know the legal standard before paying for what a lease clause claims is mandatory.
Regular clean, weekly or fortnightly
Same cleaner each visit, maintenance scope: dusting, vacuum, mop, bathrooms, kitchen. Cheapest per visit, and regulars get priority scheduling. A maintained home costs far less to keep clean than a tired one costs to reset.
One-off spring or deep clean
Priced higher per hour than regular work, because it covers what routine cleans skip: skirtings, appliances, grout, wall spot-cleaning. The right first step before going regular, or for a seasonal refresh.
End-of-lease bond clean
Fixed-price package scoped to the legal standard: “reasonably clean and tidy”, not spotless. Usually excludes carpet steam and exterior windows unless added. Book to the move-out date.
What it costs in Wellington
Regular work is hourly; bond cleans are fixed packages by property size. Wellington rates run slightly above the NZ average, and the solo-vs-company gap is mostly about recourse.
Regular cleaning (hourly)
Published Wellington signals: TopRated $35–$55/hr, Premium Clean $40–$60/hr, ServiceTasker’s NZ average $35–$55/hr. Housecleaners Wellington publishes a full rate card: $55/hr regular, $65/hr for one-off, spring and moving cleans, both with a two-hour minimum.
Per-visit ranges
ServiceTasker puts regular weekly/fortnightly cleans at about $80–$150 per visit for a small property, and one-off or deep cleans at $150–$350. A standard 2-bedroom house runs $180–$300. Rural or outer-suburb visits can carry a $10–$30 travel surcharge.
End-of-lease packages
Published flat-rate benchmarks by property size: 1-bed $180–$300, 2-bed $250–$400, 3-bed house $300–$500 (one bathroom) to $400–$700 (two), 4-bed+ $500–$1,000+. Entry offers: Jim’s Cleaning from $149, Nexdo move-out from $249, Premium Clean from $200+GST.
Choose by job type
Maid2Match for the same vetted cleaner every visit, Housecleaners Wellington for a transparent published rate card, or Smart Cleaning for Hutt Valley regulars. Regulars get priority scheduling.
One-off deep clean: Busy Bees for spring packages and mould removal, All Star for same-day urgent work, or Home and Beyond for eco products and post-construction cleans. Do this before starting a regular schedule.
Fixed-price bond clean: Nexdo from $249, Jim’s from $149, Premium Clean from $200+GST, NortonBridge for itemised scope. Check what is excluded: carpet steam and exterior windows usually are.
Post the job on ServiceTasker and collect quotes from local independents. Solo cleaners run $35–$45/hr, cheaper, but without the insurance, vetting and guarantees a company carries.
Wellington provider shortlist
Start here. Local companies for residential depth, franchises for standardised coverage and vetting, marketplaces for comparing solo rates.
Housecleaners Wellington
Transparent published rate card ($55 regular / $65 one-off); regular and one-off. Best for knowing the hourly rate before you book.
Nexdo
Fixed-price online booking, no hidden fees; move-out specialist from $249. Best for budget certainty on end-of-lease.
NortonBridge
Itemised end-of-tenancy and move-in/out deep cleans with priced add-ons. Best for a scope you can see line by line.
Busy Bees
Lower Hutt (Epuni); spring-clean packages plus mould removal. Best for Hutt Valley and mould-prone homes.
All Star Cleaning
Same-day and urgent house, carpet and end-of-tenancy cleans; insured. Best when you need someone today.
Home and Beyond
Eco-friendly residential plus post-construction and builders cleans. Best for new builds and product-sensitive households.
Smart Cleaning
Hutt Valley regular and tenancy cleans; weekday 9–3; matches a verified cleaner. Best for Lower and Upper Hutt regulars.
Jim’s Cleaning NZ
National franchise, insured and police-checked; $149 fixed-price fast-clean special for an average 3-bed home. Best for a known-price entry.
Maid2Match
Flat-rate checklist clean or hourly; same cleaner each visit; supplies equipment. Best for consistency and vetting.
Premium Clean
ISO-certified national company; insured; move-out from $200+GST. Best for larger homes and documented standards.
ServiceTasker
Post the job, collect quotes from local independent cleaners; publishes NZ cost guides. Best for comparing solo-cleaner rates on a defined scope.
Wellington realities that change the job
The bond standard is “reasonably clean and tidy”. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, tenants must leave the premises reasonably clean and tidy, remove rubbish and return keys. The Tenancy Tribunal holds that means the standard an average reasonable person would consider satisfactory, not commercially spotless, and generally not cleaner than the property was at move-in. Know this before paying under pressure from a lease clause.
Hill suburbs add access time. Steep sections, narrow driveways and parking constraints add real time to every visit. Mention access when you quote; operators who already work your suburb have it figured out.
Weather drives mould. Wellington’s damp, windy climate makes mould-prone bathrooms and laundries a recurring issue. Busy Bees explicitly offers mould removal; for persistent problems, ask about it as a scope item, not an afterthought.
Common mistakes Wellington homeowners make
Booking a regular clean on a home that has not been professionally cleaned in months: the first visit runs at one-off rates. Book a deep clean to reset, then start the schedule at the lower ongoing rate.
Paying for an end-of-lease professional clean the lease may not require: the legal standard under the Residential Tenancies Act is “reasonably clean and tidy”, not commercially spotless. The Tribunal has held tenants should not be held to cleaner than the property was at move-in.
Comparing solo and company rates on price alone: companies carry insurance, vetting, substitute cleaners and re-clean guarantees. The hourly gap buys recourse, worth it for rentals and lockbox access.
Forgetting the common EOT extras: carpet steam, oven deep-clean, exterior windows, blinds and garage are usually charged on top of the base package. A $249 quote that excludes carpet is not the final number.
Not stating scope precisely: hourly suits “just the kitchen and bathrooms”; a full-house quote needs bedroom and bathroom counts and condition. Vague briefs get vague quotes, and hourly bills that run over.
Ignoring Wellington’s access reality: hill-suburb parking and narrow access add time. Mention access upfront so it is in the quote, not discovered on the day.
FAQ
How much does house cleaning cost in Wellington?
Published signals put regular cleaning at $35–$60/hr, with Housecleaners Wellington’s rate card at $55/hr regular and $65/hr for one-off and moving cleans. Per-visit, regular cleans run about $80–$150 and one-off deep cleans $150–$350. End-of-lease flat rates run $180–$300 for a 1-bed up to $500–$1,000+ for large homes, with entry offers from $149 (Jim’s) and $249 (Nexdo).
Weekly or fortnightly?
Either works; weekly suits busy households and homes that build up fast, fortnightly suits maintained homes on a budget. Regular bookings get priority scheduling and the same cleaner each visit. A tired home always costs more per visit than a maintained one.
Do I need a professional clean to get my bond back?
Not automatically. The Residential Tenancies Act requires leaving the premises reasonably clean and tidy; the Tribunal interprets that as the standard an average reasonable person would consider satisfactory, not a commercially spotless level, and generally not cleaner than the property was at move-in. If the home genuinely needs it, a fixed-price bond clean is still the practical protection.
Solo cleaner or company?
Solo cleaners run around $35–$45/hr and suit a direct, budget, trust-based relationship. Companies run $40–$65/hr but bring insurance, vetting, substitutes and guarantees. For rentals, lockbox access, end-of-lease work, or anyone wanting recourse, the company premium is worth it.
What should I ask before booking?
State bedrooms, bathrooms, scope and condition. Ask whether supplies are included, whether GST is in the price, what the minimum hours are, and for bond cleans: exactly what is excluded (carpet steam, oven, exterior windows usually are) and whether there is a re-clean guarantee.
For most Wellington homes: regular cleans go to Maid2Match, Housecleaners Wellington or Smart Cleaning; tired homes get a one-off deep clean from Busy Bees, All Star or Home and Beyond before a schedule starts; bond cleans go to Nexdo, Jim’s, Premium Clean or NortonBridge on a fixed price. State bedrooms, bathrooms and access when you quote, and check the legal standard before paying for an end-of-lease clean a clause claims is mandatory.