End of Lease Painting in Melbourne: What Renters and Landlords Need to Know

End of lease painting sits in the awkward space between tenants, landlords and property managers, and everyone involved wants the same thing: the walls sorted quickly, at a fair price, with no bond drama. Here is how it actually works in Victoria and what it costs.

When is painting needed at the end of a lease?

Victorian law separates fair wear and tear from damage. Faded paint, minor scuffs and small picture-hook marks in sensible places are generally wear and tear, and the landlord wears them. Crayon murals, large holes, smoke staining, unapproved feature walls and damage beyond normal use are the tenant's problem.

One point matters more than any other: tenants in Victoria cannot make permanent alterations without the landlord's consent. If you painted a wall yourself without asking, you may need to return it to the original colour, even if your colour looks better. Check your lease and talk to the property manager before touching anything.

What it costs

Published Melbourne pricing for end of lease painting starts from around $400 per room for patches and full-room repaints, with most exit jobs landing between $250 and $1,500 depending on how much needs doing. A few patches and one feature wall returned to neutral sits at the low end. A full repaint of a unit after smokers or heavy damage sits well above it.

Speed costs nothing extra with us but everything with the calendar: the gap between tenants is short, and every day the property sits unpainted is a day it cannot be shown or occupied.

For tenants: protect your bond

Ask first. If you want to change a colour mid-lease, get written consent. It is much cheaper than repainting twice.

Document the starting point. Your entry condition report is the reference for what counts as damage. If it says the wall was already marked, keep that page.

Fix damage before the inspection. Having a painter patch and match the damaged walls before the final inspection is almost always cheaper than a bond deduction at whatever rate the process lands on, and it keeps the reference clean.

Do not DIY the night before. A bad patch with the wrong sheen reads worse than the original mark. Colour matching and sheen matching are the whole job.

For landlords and property managers

Between tenants is the cheapest time a rental ever gets painted: the property is empty, access is easy, and the work runs fast. A rental repainted on a sensible cycle between tenancies rents faster, photographs better and avoids the slow decline that ends in a full renovation.

We work directly with property managers across the south-east on tight turnaround windows: inspect, quote in writing, paint, and hand back a clean property ready for photos and new tenants. Colour matching to the existing scheme is standard, so partial repaints blend in.

What an end of lease painting job usually covers

Patch and spot paint: holes filled, sanded, primed and painted with matched colour and sheen. Best for localised damage.

Full room repaints: when damage or marking is spread across a room, repainting the whole room is usually cheaper and always looks better than a dozen patches.

Feature wall returns: bold walls put back to the original neutral.

Full interior repaints: for properties coming up for sale or after long tenancies. This is the landlords' reset button.

Turnaround times

A patch and paint job on a unit is often a single day. A full unit repaint runs two to four days depending on size and condition. We prioritise end of lease work because the calendar is the whole point, so tell us your key handover date upfront.

Who pays for what

As a working guide in Victoria: the tenant pays to fix damage they caused beyond fair wear and tear, the landlord pays for wear and tear and for any upgrades they choose to make. When it is grey, the condition report and photos decide, and the tribunal decides when people cannot. Painters do not adjudicate any of that; we just make the walls right and document what we did with before and after photos, which helps everyone's paperwork.

Getting it booked

Send the address, the handover date and a few photos of the walls through the quote form, or call 0426 179 466. For property managers with repeat work, we keep it simple: one call, one written quote, one invoice.