Understand the unit
Share the property location, condition, photos if available, and target date. Identify the work and access requirements.
Apartment turnovers · South Sound
A clear plan for
what comes next.
From a move-out clean to painting, repairs, and a cleanout, prepare your vacant unit with a scope built around the work it actually needs.
Agreed scopePractical coordinationClear next steps
Illustrative stock photography
Your next turnoverA plan from start to finish
One unit. A defined scope.Review→Agree→Complete→Hand back
New to apartment turnovers? It’s the work that prepares a unit between residents.See what the work can include ↗
Start with the condition of the unit
What does your next turn need?
Choose a starting point below. These are examples to help define your scope, with the final work and schedule agreed for your property.
A focused refresh
Start with the areas needing attention, then agree on painting, touch-ups, repairs, and cleaning.
- Review wall condition and the paint scope
- Identify agreed patching or minor repair items
- Complete the specified move-out cleaning
- Confirm any remaining items at handback
Pricing and timing depend on unit condition, size, access, materials, and the agreed work. Select only the services your property needs.
How the work moves forward
From the first walkthrough
to the final review.
Putting the work in the right order helps avoid unnecessary repeat visits and cleaning around unfinished work.
Set the scope
Discuss the estimate, services, scheduling, and any separate vendor work before the assignment moves forward.
Sequence the work
Coordinate the approved cleanout, repairs, and painting, with final cleaning after dust-producing work whenever practical.
Hand the unit back
Review the completed scope and communicate any remaining items to the property manager for final approval.
Understand what you are assigning
One turnover.
Several possible scopes.
A make-ready describes the assignment as a whole. Each service still needs its own inclusions, exclusions, and standard for completion.
Move-out cleaning
Describe the surfaces and appliances included rather than relying only on the phrase “deep clean.”
- Specify appliance interiors, cabinet interiors, fixtures, floors, baseboards, glass, and tracks where needed.
- Identify heavy buildup, belongings, or other conditions that change the assignment.
- Separate carpet extraction, exterior windows, and specialist treatments from ordinary surface cleaning.
- Plan final cleaning after messy work and ask who handles any later touch-up cleaning.
Painting & surface preparation
State whether the work is a touch-up, selected walls, a room repaint, or a full interior repaint.
- Record the paint product, color, sheen, and surfaces: walls, ceilings, trim, doors, or cabinets.
- Identify patching and preparation separately from finish coats.
- Agree on the appearance expected from touch-ups; a match should be assessed rather than assumed.
- Include product-specific drying and recoat requirements in the schedule.
Cleanouts & item removal
Define the approved items, removal route, and destination before hauling begins.
- Provide photos and an item list or a clear description of volume.
- Describe stairs, elevators, parking, loading distances, and building access.
- Confirm what is retained, what is removed, and who authorizes changes.
- Ask whether loading, disposal charges, and any restricted items are included in the estimate.
Repairs & other vendor work
Use a specific punch list so a general request to “make it ready” does not leave responsibilities unclear.
- List each repair, its location, and the expected result.
- Decide who supplies replacement parts and approves substitutions.
- Assign flooring, appliances, locks, and specialized trade work to the appropriate provider.
- Distinguish work in the Vacancy Services estimate from work your team or another vendor will complete.
Service availability and the final assignment are confirmed during the estimate. For paint preparation information, see Sherwin-Williams’ property maintenance resources.
Build a more useful punch list
Look at the unit
room by room.
Use these prompts to describe the assignment. They help explain what needs attention without assuming that every task belongs in every turnover.
CleaningPaintingAgreed repairsCleanouts
This is a scope-planning guide. Specialized work and any additional vendors should be identified and agreed separately.
Kitchen
- Identify appliance, cabinet, countertop, and floor cleaning needs.
- Note visible wall damage, paint needs, and repair items.
- Flag anything needing separate assessment or a specialist.
Bathrooms
- Describe cleaning needed for fixtures, surfaces, and floors.
- Note paint, surface damage, and agreed repair needs.
- Identify issues needing additional review before work starts.
Living areas & bedrooms
- List walls, trim, and doors needing paint or preparation.
- Identify approved items to remove and areas to clean.
- Clarify flooring or other work assigned to separate vendors.
Final review & handback
- Compare completed work with the agreed scope.
- Communicate any unfinished or separately assigned items.
- Confirm the status with the property manager before move-in arrangements.
Plan the assignment
The estimate starts
with your property.
A light refresh and a unit needing several stages of work are different assignments. Condition, access, material needs, and coordination with other vendors all affect timing and cost.
Tell us your target date early so the scope and scheduling can be discussed together.
Explore Vacancy Services ↗Budget for the actual assignment
What does a unit turn cost?
A useful budget separates the physical work from the property’s wider turnover expenses. Compare estimates only after checking that they cover the same surfaces, quantities, materials, access conditions, and completion standard.
The work budget
Itemize cleaning, preparation and painting, approved repairs, removal and disposal, materials, and separately assigned vendors. Ask whether tax and any additional charges are included. Identify allowances and exclusions before approval.
The wider turnover budget
Track vacancy-related rent exposure, utilities, leasing expenses, and staff coordination separately. These are property planning costs and should not be confused with a contractor’s service price.
Published outside cost examples
The following figures are examples reported in Dropcurb’s apartment make-ready guide, checked October 15, 2026. They are third-party planning references, not verified South Sound market averages or Vacancy Services prices.
| Example service | Reported range | Check before comparing |
|---|---|---|
| Deep cleaning | $150–$400 | The source describes a standard two-bedroom unit; condition and inclusions matter. |
| Painting | $200–$800 | The source groups touch-ups and repainting; a full repaint needs its own defined scope. |
| Carpet cleaning | $100–$300 | Confirm area, condition, access, and treatment; replacement is a separate assignment. |
Source: Dropcurb — Apartment Make Ready Checklist. These are selected examples, not a complete turnover budget. Do not add the ranges together and assume they describe your unit.
Getting a reliable estimate: Share the unit size, photos, work list, access details, and target date. Ask for written inclusions, exclusions, material assumptions, and a process for approving additional work.
Plan around dependencies
How long does
a make-ready take?
The schedule is built from the work and the gaps between stages. A focused clean is a different assignment from a unit waiting for repairs, replacement materials, and several vendors.
Confirm a completion date after the condition and scope are reviewed. A general website timeline should not be treated as a booking commitment.
Before work starts
Confirm authorized access, utilities needed for the assignment, approved scope, available materials, and the person who can answer questions. Identify work that must be completed by another provider first.
While the work is underway
Track which stage is complete, what can start next, and what is blocked. Sequence dust-producing repairs before final cleaning where practical. Allow time required by product instructions and the specific work.
When something changes
Document the condition, proposed additional work, price and scheduling effect. Obtain approval through the agreed process before treating it as part of the original assignment.
Before the next resident arrives
Allow a final review and time to address remaining items. Keep “vendor work complete,” “manager approved,” and “move-in scheduled” as separate milestones.
A repeatable system
The property manager’s turnover toolkit.
Use these fields as a starting point for your own work order or turn board. Assign every item to a person and update the status as the work progresses.
1. Write a usable scope
- Property: name, city, unit number, size, and contact.
- Condition: dated photos and a room-by-room work list.
- Services: exact surfaces, quantities, tasks, and exclusions.
- Access: entry arrangements, working hours, utilities, parking, and building restrictions.
- Materials: specified products, who supplies them, and who approves substitutions.
- Approval: estimate acceptance, change contact, and final reviewer.
2. Keep a simple turn board
- Unit and assigned coordinator
- Scope status: review / awaiting approval / approved
- Owner and target date for each service
- Current blocker and next action
- Original estimate and approved changes
- Work completion date and final review status
Separate confirmed dates from requested dates. Record what needs a decision instead of marking the entire unit “in progress.”
3. Review the handback
- Compare the finished work with the approved scope.
- Walk the rooms and record remaining items by location.
- Distinguish corrections from newly requested work.
- Confirm the status of other vendors’ assignments.
- Record final photos and the manager’s review.
4. Learn from each turn
- Compare planned and actual work dates.
- Record approved changes separately from the original estimate.
- Note repeat visits, missed items, and their causes.
- Keep paint specifications and common replacement details for future assignments.
- Update your checklist when the same issue appears again.
A shared vocabulary
Unit turn terms, explained.
- Unit turn / turnover
- The transition between residents, including the property’s coordination and physical preparation work.
- Make-ready
- The work assigned to prepare a vacant unit for its next resident.
- Scope of work
- The written description of what is included, the expected result, and what is excluded.
- Punch list
- A specific list of work or remaining items, ideally with a location, owner, and status.
- Touch-up vs. repaint
- Localized paint work versus repainting defined walls, rooms, or other surfaces. The coverage and finish expectations should be explicit.
- Change approval
- Agreement on work added or changed after the original scope, including cost and scheduling effects.
- Handback
- The point when the provider reports the agreed work complete for the property manager’s review.
- Rent-ready / move-in ready
- The property manager’s release standard for the unit. Completing one vendor’s scope is only one part of that decision.
Before you get started
Common turnover questions.
What is an apartment turnover?
It is the work needed to prepare a rental unit for the next resident. The physical make-ready may combine cleaning, painting, repairs, and removal of authorized unwanted items.
Is a make-ready different from cleaning?
Cleaning is one part of the work. A make-ready can also include preparation, painting, and repairs based on the condition of the unit.
Can we request just one service?
Yes. Tell us which parts your team is handling and where you need support so we can discuss a suitable scope.
How long will the work take?
The scope, unit condition, access, materials, and vendor availability determine the schedule. We discuss your desired completion date when reviewing the assignment.
Do you provide a fixed price for every unit?
The estimate is based on the work your property needs. We review the assignment and agree on the scope rather than assuming every unit requires the same package.
Your next turnover
Let’s work out what
the unit needs.
Share the location, services, and target date. We’ll follow up to discuss the scope and next steps.