As you know, your Tenant has provided notice and will be moving soon. Now is the time to begin discussing the necessary turnover work that needs to occur on your property. Turnover can be one of the most labor intensive and costly tasks a Property Manager performs. But like everything else in Real Estate, time is of the essence.
It’s absolutely critical to get the home back in tip-top shape in order to attract tip-top Tenants as soon as possible. As a result, we will need you to provide quick answers once we’ve provided the list of required work and associated estimates.
*Important* – If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, please be certain to obtain permission (if needed) from your HOA before we begin marketing the home. Some HOAs require permission every time a new Tenant is placed.
Below is the process we follow and a list of typical costs that a Landlord (Homeowner) is responsible for during the turnover process. Since each home is unique and every turnover is different, this list gives the most common turnover costs that are paid for by a Landlord.
The Turnover Process
First, we will conduct a thorough walk-thru of the property once the Tenant vacates. We produce a detailed report of the home which outlines all the necessary work required. Our job, with the help of the Move-In Checklist and Move-In report, is to determine who is responsible for paying for the various items needed.
In some cases, the cost will fall on the Tenant, while in other cases, the cost will be the responsibility of the Landlord. This is where “normal wear and tear” really comes into play and where we rely on our expertise, outside the influence of both the Owner and Tenant, to make the correct call. Below are some typical Landlord costs involved with turnover work.
Typical Landlord Turnover Costs
- Lock change or re-keying of all exterior door locks
- Maintenance items
- Whole house cleaning
- Painting
- Flooring
Lock Change or Re-Keying
For liability reasons, it is mandatory that we replace or re-key all exterior locks on the property after a Tenant vacates. We will provide the new Tenant with two door keys and we will keep two copies of the key in our Office to perform maintenance work and/or walk-thrus.
Maintenance Items
Obviously, if there are repairs needed, such as a leaky faucet, rotting exterior wood, caulking, etc., now is a good time to complete these items.
Professional Cleaning
Although we do require Tenants to clean the house thoroughly prior to vacating, it may still be necessary to have the house professionally cleaned prior to a new Tenant moving in. Depending on the amount of turnover work completed in the house after the Tenant vacates and/or the amount of showing traffic through the house, it may be necessary to professionally clean the house once all the turnover work has been completed. Remember, Tenants have chosen your house to live because they like it and they are excited about moving. We do not want to get off on the wrong foot with them by moving them into a dirty house.
Painting
In almost every case, some painting will need to be completed between Tenants. We generally expect a paint job to last 4 years under normal conditions. Flat paint, since it cannot be cleaned and shows every smudge, might need painted more often. We cannot charge a Tenant for minor dings and smudges on a wall, unless we consider it to be excessive or above normal wear & tear.
Hopefully, we will have touch-up paint at the property. If not, entire walls and or rooms may need to be re-painted. Extensive damage to walls, such as holes that are greater than 1/4″ will be charged against a Tenant’s security deposit.
Flooring
We require all Tenants to have the all carpets professionally steam cleaned upon move-out. We will not accept Rug Doctors or other do-it-yourself devices. However, if carpets are older than 7 years old and are showing definite signs of wear, it’s time to replace them. If vinyl is curling and shows other signs of normal wear, it’s time to replace it.