The Ultimate Checklist for Turning Over a Rental Unit in 24 Hours

By PropsManager Team · Property Management · Aug 12, 2024

Every day a unit sits empty, you're bleeding money. On a $1,200/month apartment, that's $40 a day. On a $2,400/month unit, it's $80 gone — poof — while you're waiting on painters or chasing down a carpet cleaner who ghosted you.

I learned this the hard way back when I turned over my first duplex. The previous tenant moved out on a Friday. I figured I'd "get to it next week." That casual attitude cost me $560 in lost rent and almost lost me a qualified applicant who couldn't wait around. Never again.

The truth is, a 24-hour unit turnover isn't just possible — it's standard practice for experienced landlords managing multiple properties. It takes planning, reliable vendors, and a system you can repeat every single time. That's exactly what this guide gives you.

Why Speed Matters: The Real Cost of Vacancy

Let's talk numbers, because this is where most new landlords underestimate the damage.

The national average vacancy rate for rental properties hovers around 6-7%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But here's the thing — a huge chunk of that vacancy time isn't from lack of demand. It's from slow turnovers.

Consider the math on a modest 10-unit portfolio averaging $1,500/month per unit:

• 1 day vacancy per turn: $50 lost per unit, roughly $500/year across 10 units
• 7 days vacancy per turn: $350 lost per unit, roughly $3,500/year
• 14 days vacancy per turn: $700 lost per unit, roughly $7,000/year

And that's just the rent you're not collecting. Add in the continued utility costs, lawn care, and the risk of vandalism on an empty unit, and the real number climbs fast.

The landlords I know who consistently run tight ships — zero or one day between tenants — are making thousands more per year than their peers. Not because they charge more rent, but because they never have a unit sitting idle.

The Pre-Move-Out Phase: Where 24-Hour Turnovers Are Actually Won

Here's the secret nobody tells you: a 24-hour turnover doesn't start on turnover day. It starts two to three weeks before your tenant moves out. If you wait until move-out day to start planning, you're already behind.

3 Weeks Before Move-Out

Walk the unit. Seriously, get in there. Your tenant gave notice, and most leases allow a pre-move-out inspection with proper notice (usually 24-48 hours). Do it.

During this walkthrough, you're looking for:

• Wall damage beyond normal wear — are there anchor holes the size of quarters? Patches of missing paint? Crayon murals in the kids' room?
• Flooring condition — stains, burns, pet damage, tears in vinyl
• Appliance function — run the dishwasher, turn on every burner, check the fridge seals
• Fixture condition — loose faucets, cracked light covers, missing outlet plates
• Smoke and CO detector status — pop the covers, check the batteries and expiration dates

This walkthrough is your parts order list. If you see the blinds in the bedroom are mangled, order replacements now. If the drip pans on the stove are charred beyond cleaning, grab new ones. A $4 drip pan that's on backorder can hold up your entire turnover if you wait.

2 Weeks Before Move-Out

Now it's vendor time.

• Schedule your cleaning crew for the morning after move-out. Not "sometime that week." The morning after. 8 AM sharp.
• Book carpet cleaning for the afternoon of turnover day. They come after the painters, always.
• Line up your maintenance person or handyman for the same morning. If you use an in-house guy, block his calendar now.
• Confirm paint availability. You should be keeping your standard wall color in stock — I buy five-gallon buckets of the same eggshell white for every unit. No decisions to make, no trips to the hardware store.

If you're managing this through spreadsheets and text messages, you're going to miss something eventually. PropsManager's maintenance tracking features let you schedule vendors, assign tasks, and track completion in one place — which is a lifesaver when you're coordinating four different crews in a single day.

1 Week Before Move-Out

• Send the tenant a move-out reminder with clear expectations: unit must be broom-clean, all personal items removed, all keys returned by the agreed time. Be specific. "Broom-clean" means swept, mopped, counters wiped, appliances emptied. Put it in writing.
• Confirm all vendor appointments. Text or call every single one. Don't assume they remember.
• Prepare your turnover supply kit (more on this below).
• Pre-stage any replacement parts and materials — blinds, outlet covers, switch plates, air filters, light bulbs, drip pans, touch-up paint, caulk.

The Turnover Supply Kit: Don't Start Without It

After doing this dozens of times, I've built a standard kit that goes with me to every turnover. Having this stuff in a tote in my truck eliminates 90% of the "quick run to Home Depot" trips that destroy your timeline.

Here's what's in it:

That $159 investment pays for itself literally overnight by keeping you on schedule.

The 24-Hour Turnover Timeline: Hour by Hour

Alright, here's the meat of it. This is the actual schedule I follow, refined over years and dozens of turnovers.

Move-Out Day (Evening Before)

6:00 PM — Tenant hands over keys. Confirm all keys, garage remotes, mailbox keys, and access fobs are returned. Do a quick 10-minute walk to confirm the unit is empty of personal belongings. If there's abandoned property, photograph everything and follow your state's abandoned property laws — don't just toss it.

Turnover Day

7:30 AM — You arrive for the full inspection.

Get there before anyone else. Walk every room with your move-out inspection checklist and a camera. Document everything — ceiling to floor, every wall, inside every cabinet. This inspection determines the security deposit disposition, so be thorough.

Compare the condition against your move-in inspection report. Note legitimate damage vs. normal wear and tear. A few small nail holes in drywall? That's wear and tear. A fist-sized hole behind the bedroom door? That's a deduction.

8:00 AM — Maintenance crew arrives.

Your handyman or maintenance tech tackles the critical items first:

1. Change the locks. This is non-negotiable, every single turnover. Either rekey or replace. I prefer rekeying — it's $15-20 per lock vs. $40-60 for a full replacement, and it takes about five minutes per lock.
2. Replace air filters. Pull every HVAC filter and swap it. Takes two minutes, costs $5-15, and the new tenant gets clean air from day one.
3. Check all smoke and CO detectors. Replace batteries regardless of condition. If any unit is older than 10 years, replace the whole detector. This isn't optional — it's the law in most states, and it's life-safety stuff.
4. Patch nail holes and small wall damage. Spackle, let it set for 30 minutes, sand smooth. The painter handles the rest.
5. Fix anything flagged during inspection — leaky faucets, loose door handles, running toilets, stuck windows, broken blinds.
6. Test every appliance. Turn on the stove, run the dishwasher for a quick cycle, check the fridge temperature, confirm the garbage disposal works.

A competent handyman knocks all of this out in 2-3 hours for a standard 2-bedroom apartment.

11:00 AM — Painters arrive.

Here's a pro tip that saves me hours: don't repaint the entire unit every time. If your previous tenant was reasonably clean and you're using a good semi-gloss or eggshell finish, you usually just need targeted touch-ups.

What usually needs paint:

• Walls around light switches and door frames (hand grime)
• Behind doors (doorknob impact marks)
• Patched nail hole areas
• Any scuffed hallways or stairwells
• Walls in kids' rooms (almost always)

For a typical touch-up job, two experienced painters can finish a 2-bed apartment by 1:00 PM. If you need a full repaint — which you should plan for roughly every 3-4 tenant cycles — budget an extra half day and adjust your schedule accordingly.

Pro tip: Use box fans in every room to accelerate paint drying. Open windows if weather allows. The goal is dry-to-touch by the time cleaners arrive.

1:30 PM — Professional cleaning crew arrives.

This is where the unit transforms. Your cleaning crew should follow a standardized checklist — and I mean a written checklist they check off, not "clean everything." Here's what mine covers:

• Kitchen: Degrease stovetop and oven interior, clean inside fridge and freezer, wipe all cabinet faces and interiors, sanitize countertops, clean sink and fixtures, clean/degrease range hood and filter
• Bathrooms: Scrub toilet inside and out, clean tub/shower including grout, clean vanity and mirror, wipe down all fixtures, clean exhaust fan cover
• All rooms: Dust ceiling fans and light fixtures, clean window sills and tracks, clean interior of all windows, wipe down all baseboards, clean interior doors and frames, wipe all outlet and switch covers
• Floors: Sweep and mop all hard surfaces, vacuum all carpeted areas (pre-carpet cleaning)

A good two-person crew handles a standard apartment in about 2.5 hours. I pay my cleaning crew $200-250 for a standard 2-bed turnover clean. It's worth every penny.

4:00 PM — Carpet cleaners arrive.

Carpet cleaning goes last. Always. I don't care if the schedule is tight — if someone walks across freshly cleaned carpet with drywall dust on their boots, you're paying for it twice.

For a standard apartment, hot water extraction takes about an hour. Cost runs $125-175 for a 2-bed unit. Make sure they hit the closets too — tenants notice dirty closet carpet.

Open windows and run fans to speed drying overnight. In humid climates, crank the AC to pull moisture out of the air.

5:30 PM — You do a preliminary walk-through.

Before you leave for the night, walk the unit one more time. Check that:

• All work is completed
• No tools, supplies, or debris were left behind
• Lights all work
• Toilets flush properly
• Paint looks clean and consistent
• Unit smells fresh (not like paint fumes — air it out)

The Next Morning

8:00 AM — Final inspection and photo documentation.

Walk every room again in daylight. Photograph everything — this becomes your new baseline move-in inspection. Check that carpets are dry and look clean. Make sure the unit has that "move-in ready" feel.

9:00 AM — Stage the welcome. A small touch that sets the tone: I leave a welcome packet on the kitchen counter with the tenant's name, emergency contacts, Wi-Fi info for common areas (if applicable), and a $5 gift card to a local coffee shop. Total cost: about $7 with printing. It tells the tenant "this landlord cares about details." That mindset transfers to how they treat your property.

10:00 AM — New tenant move-in and key handover.

Done. Twenty-four hours, zero lost rent.

What Trips Up Most Landlords: Common Turnover Delays

Even with a solid plan, things go sideways. Here are the most common disasters and how to prevent them.

Abandoned Tenant Property

Your tenant left a couch, three bags of clothes, and a broken TV. You can't just dump them. Most states require you to store abandoned property for 15-30 days and make reasonable efforts to notify the former tenant. This can delay your turnover by weeks if you're not prepared.

Prevention: Your move-out letter should explicitly state the deadline for removing all personal property and the consequences of leaving items behind. Reference your lease terms and state law.

Undisclosed Damage

You walk in and discover the tenant's "small dog" apparently chewed through three door frames and the carpet in the master bedroom needs full replacement, not cleaning.

Prevention: That pre-move-out inspection three weeks before is your insurance policy. If you spot major damage early, you can order materials and schedule specialty work in advance.

No-Show Vendors

Your cleaning crew texts you at 7:45 AM: "Sorry, can't make it today."

Prevention: Always have a backup vendor for every trade. I keep a primary and secondary for cleaning, painting, carpet cleaning, and general maintenance. Also, confirming appointments 48 hours and 24 hours before move-out isn't overkill — it's essential.

Permit or Code Issues

You discover the bathroom exhaust fan doesn't work, or there's a GFCI outlet that trips constantly. These aren't things you can skip.

Prevention: Regular property inspections throughout the tenancy catch these issues before they become turnover emergencies.

The Cost Breakdown: What a Full 24-Hour Turnover Runs

Let's be transparent about the money. Here's what a typical 24-hour turnover costs for a standard 2-bedroom apartment:

Compare that to the cost of a 14-day vacancy on a $1,500/month unit: $700 in lost rent alone. The turnover pays for itself if it saves you even one week of vacancy.

Technology That Makes Turnovers Faster

Look, I managed turnovers with a clipboard and a Nokia phone for years. It worked. But it was stressful, things fell through the cracks, and I couldn't scale past about six units without losing my mind.

Here's where property management software actually earns its keep. With PropsManager, you can:

• Track move-out timelines with automated reminders to tenants
• Schedule and assign maintenance tasks to specific vendors with due dates
• Store your turnover checklist as a reusable template
• Document inspections with photos linked directly to the unit record
• Generate security deposit dispositions based on your inspection notes
• Communicate with your whole vendor team from one dashboard

When you're coordinating four different crews in a single day, having everything centralized isn't a luxury — it's how you keep the train on the rails. Check out PropsManager's pricing to see what plan fits your portfolio.

Scaling the System: Multiple Units at Once

Once you get this process dialed in for one unit, the real magic happens when you're turning multiple units simultaneously. I've turned three units in the same complex in a single day by staggering the crews:

• Unit A: Maintenance at 7:30 AM, painters at 10:30 AM, cleaners at 1:00 PM, carpet at 3:30 PM
• Unit B: Maintenance at 8:30 AM, painters at 11:30 AM, cleaners at 2:30 PM, carpet at 5:00 PM
• Unit C: Maintenance at 9:30 AM, painters at 12:30 PM, cleaners at 4:00 PM, carpet at 6:30 PM

Same crews, staggered start times, three units turned in one day. That's the power of a repeatable system.

Explore More PropsManager Resources

Looking for the right property management software? Check out our in-depth guides:

• Compare Property Management Software — See how PropsManager stacks up against Buildium, AppFolio, Rent Manager, and Propertyware.
• Software for Small Landlords — Built for landlords managing 1–50 units without the enterprise price tag.
• AI-Powered Property Management — Discover how automation can save you 5–10 hours per week.
• Solutions for Property Managers — Scale from 50 to 500+ units without scaling your costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to turn over a rental unit?

A standard 24-hour turnover for a typical 2-bedroom apartment runs between $578 and $842, covering lock changes, cleaning, paint touch-ups, carpet cleaning, and basic maintenance. Units requiring full repaints, carpet replacement, or appliance swaps will run higher — budget $1,500-3,000 for a heavy turnover. These costs are almost always less than the lost rent from extended vacancies.

Can you really turn over a unit in 24 hours?

Yes — but only if you plan ahead. The 24-hour clock starts when the tenant hands over keys, but the real work begins 2-3 weeks earlier with your pre-move-out inspection, parts ordering, and vendor scheduling. Units with major damage (full repaints, flooring replacement, appliance issues) realistically need 3-5 days even with a fast crew.

Should I always replace the carpet between tenants?

Not always. Professional hot water extraction (steam cleaning) extends carpet life significantly and costs $125-175 vs. $800-1,500+ for new carpet in a 2-bedroom. Plan on replacing carpet every 5-7 years or after heavy pet damage and major stains that won't clean out. If the carpet is past its useful life, consider switching to luxury vinyl plank — it's more durable, easier to clean, and many landlords prefer it for rentals.

What's the most common reason for turnover delays?

Vendor no-shows and undisclosed damage are the top two culprits. You can mitigate both by keeping backup vendors for every trade and conducting a thorough pre-move-out inspection 2-3 weeks before the tenant leaves. The third biggest delay? Abandoned property — make sure your lease and move-out communications are crystal clear about the deadline for removing belongings.

Is it worth hiring a turnover crew vs. doing it yourself?

If you own 1-2 units and you're handy, DIY turnovers can save money — but they'll eat your entire day (or weekend). Once you're past 3-4 units, the math favors professionals. A $250 cleaning crew that finishes in 2.5 hours produces better results than most landlords achieve in 6 hours of their own labor. Your time has value. Spend it on finding quality tenants and growing your portfolio, not scrubbing toilets.

Stop Losing Money to Slow Turnovers

Every day a unit sits empty is money you'll never get back. The difference between a 1-day turnover and a 14-day turnover on a $1,500/month unit is $650 in lost rent — more than enough to cover the cost of doing it right and doing it fast.

The system works. Plan ahead, build your vendor bench, keep your supply kit stocked, and follow the timeline. Do it enough times, and it becomes second nature.

If you're ready to streamline your turnover process with automated scheduling, maintenance tracking, and inspection documentation, request a demo of PropsManager and see how landlords are cutting their vacancy time to near zero.