Multifamily Unit Turnover: A Property Manager's Playbook

A resident’s notice lands on the leasing desk: the two-bedroom on the third floor will be empty at the end of the month, and leasing already has an applicant who wants it soon after. Between those dates sit a move-out inspection, a security-deposit deadline set by law, paint and flooring decisions, a cleaning crew, and, in an older building, possibly a lead test that must pass before anyone moves in.

Multifamily unit turnover is one of the most repeated jobs in apartment operations, and one where small delays stack up. Each vacant day is rent that never comes back. Each shortcut at the move-out inspection returns as a deposit dispute or a first-week service request. Levaru provides multifamily property management in DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland, and this is the turn process we think any manager should be able to show an owner.

This guide covers the process step by step, an illustrative day-by-day make-ready schedule, a room-by-room checklist, who does which task, cost drivers, the DC, Virginia and Maryland rules that touch a turn, and how photos and work orders build the unit record. It is general information, not legal advice.

What is unit turnover in multifamily property management?

Unit turnover in multifamily property management is the full cycle that starts when a resident gives notice and ends when the next resident gets keys to a verified, lease-ready unit. It includes the move-out inspection, the deposit accounting, the physical make-ready work, a quality check and the handoff back to leasing.

“Turn,” “turnover” and “make-ready” are often used as one word. The difference matters when a unit stalls:

• Turnover (the turn) is the whole workflow, from notice to deposit disposition and the leasing handoff.
• Make-ready is the physical part inside the turn: repairs, paint, flooring, cleaning and touch-ups.
• Inspection is a checkpoint, not a result. An inspected unit is not ready until the findings are fixed and someone has verified the fix.

Set a turn type at the move-out inspection, because each type needs a different plan and should be measured separately:

Turn type	Typical scope	Planning note
Light	Clean, touch-up paint, small repairs	Can start the day keys come back
Standard	Full repaint, some flooring, appliance or fixture work	Order materials during the notice period
Heavy	Flooring throughout, cabinets, water or pest damage	Treat as a small project with its own approvals

Turnover has a second meaning too: the rate at which residents leave, which decides how many turns you run each year. The cheapest turn is the one you avoid, which is why turn planning and a tenant retention program belong together.

What are the steps in the multifamily unit turnover process?

The multifamily unit turnover process has ten steps: log the notice, explain inspection rights, walk the unit before move-out, order materials and book trades, take possession and inspect, approve the scope, run the make-ready in sequence, clear compliance checks, verify and release, and close out the deposit and the record.

1. Log the notice. Record the notice date, move-out date and a forwarding address. DC’s deposit statute requires the housing provider to ask for a forwarding mailing or email address when the tenancy ends. Send move-out instructions covering keys, fobs and access devices.
2. Explain inspection rights. In Virginia, the landlord must tell the tenant in writing of the right to attend the move-out inspection within five days after receiving the tenant’s notice to vacate. Maryland and DC have their own procedures (see the state section).
3. Walk the unit before move-out. With proper notice of entry, check flooring, walls, appliances, cabinets and fixtures, and draft a likely scope.
4. Order long-lead items and book trades against the expected move-out date.
5. Take possession and inspect. Collect every key and access device. Compare the empty unit with the move-in record and photograph each room.
6. Approve the scope. Set the turn type, separate resident damage from wear and tear, move end-of-life items to the capital plan, and open one work order per finding.
7. Run the make-ready in sequence: repairs, drywall, paint, flooring, fixtures and appliances, then the final clean.
8. Clear compliance hold points, such as a lead dust test or clearance report in a pre-1978 unit, and record smoke and carbon monoxide alarm tests.
9. Verify and release. Walk the unit against the scope, clear the punch list, re-key, take lease-ready photos and tell leasing.
10. Close the money and the record. Send the deposit accounting before the legal deadline, and log the cost, the days from key return to ready, and the cause of any delay.

How long does an apartment turnover take?

An apartment turnover takes as long as its slowest dependency, not the sum of its tasks. A light turn can finish within days of key return. A turn that waits on flooring, cabinets, a lead test or an owner approval takes longer. There is no single right number, so set a target for each turn type and measure against it.

The schedule below is an illustrative plan for a standard turn, not a benchmark. Your day count depends on scope, crew size, lead times and cure times.

Day	Work	Hold point before the next step
Notice period	Pre-move-out walk, draft scope, order materials, book trades	Materials confirmed for Day 1
Day 0 (keys back)	Move-out inspection, photos, utilities in owner’s name	Scope approved, turn type set
Day 1	Haul-out, demolition, plumbing, electrical and HVAC repairs	No leaks, walls ready to close
Day 2	Drywall patch, carpentry, caulk	Patches dry and sanded
Day 3	Paint: ceilings, walls, then trim and doors	Paint ready to protect
Day 4	Hard-surface flooring, then carpet	Finished floors covered
Day 5	Appliances, fixtures, blinds, hardware, pest treatment if scoped	All trades out
Day 6	Final clean, quality walk, punch list	Punch items assigned
Day 7	Punch fixes, touch-up clean, re-key, lease-ready photos	Any required lead test or clearance passed

The notice period is the most valuable part of the turn: planning that starts when the keys come back has already lost its best days. Compliance tests go last. In a pre-1978 Maryland unit, the accredited inspector’s dust test comes after the final clean, and a failed test sends the unit back to cleaning. Delays usually come from gaps, not work: materials not ordered, a trade that arrives early, a scope item found late, an approval waiting on an owner, or a resident who holds over.

What should a unit turnover checklist include, room by room?

A unit turnover checklist should cover every room and system the next resident will use, with a pass, repair or replace decision for each item. Check function as well as appearance: water, power, heating and cooling, locks, alarms and appliances. Record each result with a dated photo, and use the same list at move-out and at the final walk.

Entry, living and bedrooms

• Entry door, lock, deadbolt and peephole; interior doors and closet tracks
• Walls and ceilings: holes, water stains, unauthorized paint colors
• Flooring: stains, burns, seams, transitions, damage hidden under rugs
• Windows, locks, screens and blinds; balcony door and lock
• Switches, outlets, cover plates, light fixtures and bulbs

Kitchen

• Range, oven, hood fan, refrigerator seals and temperature, dishwasher cycle, disposal, microwave
• Sink, faucet, supply lines and the cabinet floor under the sink
• Cabinet doors, hinges, drawer glides; countertop burns, chips and seams

Bathrooms

• Toilet: rocking, running, seal and supply line
• Tub or shower caulk, grout, drain speed and diverter
• Vanity, faucet and drain; exhaust fan clears moisture; signs of mold at ceilings and wall bases

Mechanical, safety and access

• New HVAC filter; heating and cooling both work; condensate line clear
• Water heater dry, with its relief valve discharge line in place
• Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms tested in every location your code requires
• Taps run and toilets flushed so traps hold water after the unit sat empty
• Locks re-keyed; fobs, mailbox, storage and parking access reset

A turn is also the easiest time to inspect equipment inside the unit. Record the make, model and age of the water heater, HVAC unit and appliances, feed the findings into your preventive maintenance schedule, and move end-of-life items into the capital plan.

Which make-ready tasks does the maintenance team handle?

The maintenance team usually handles the routine, fast make-ready tasks: filter changes, alarm tests, minor plumbing and hardware repairs, small drywall patches, caulking, appliance checks and bulb replacement. Painting, flooring and deep cleaning often go to vendors. Work that a jurisdiction reserves for licensed trades goes to licensed contractors.

Task	Usually done by	Note
Filters, bulbs, batteries, hardware	Maintenance team	Do on Day 1
Faucets, toilet parts, drain clearing	Maintenance team	Escalate hidden leaks
Small drywall patches, caulk	Maintenance team	Check lead rules in pre-1978 units
Appliance check and minor repair	Maintenance team	Replace by age and repair history
Full repaint	Vendor or in-house paint crew	Standard color and sheen
Carpet and hard flooring	Flooring vendor	Order during notice period
Turn cleaning	Cleaning crew	Last work in the unit
Electrical, plumbing and gas work beyond simple repairs	Licensed contractor	Follow local licensing rules
Refrigerant work on HVAC	Certified HVAC technician	Not general maintenance
Paint disturbance above EPA’s minor-repair limit, pre-1978	EPA lead-safe certified firm	See the lead section

In-house crews are easier to schedule and know the buildings, but they also answer resident service requests, and occupied units wait when crews are pulled to turns. Vendors add capacity in busy move-out months. Whoever does the work, each task needs a named owner, a date and evidence. A vendor’s completion note is a status update; verification happens at the quality walk.

How much does an apartment turnover cost?

The cost of an apartment turnover is the make-ready spend, plus the rent lost while the unit is empty, plus the cost of leasing it again. Published price ranges vary widely by market, unit size and scope, so build your turn budget from your own turn history and current vendor quotes, not a national average.

Vacancy is the cost that grows quietly. An illustrative example: a unit renting for $2,000 a month earns about $66 a day ($2,000 × 12 ÷ 365), so three avoidable vacant days cost about $200 before any make-ready work. Run the same math with your own rents.

Cost driver	Why it moves the cost	How to control it
Length of tenancy	Longer stays mean more wear	Plan paint and flooring by lease length
Flooring decision	Replace vs repair vs clean swings scope and lead time	One durable standard product
Paint scope	Full repaint vs touch-up	One standard color and sheen
Appliance age	Old units may fail soon after move-in	Replace by age and repair history
Late scope	Items found mid-turn need return trips	Pre-move-out walk
Trade sequence	Out-of-order trades cause rework	Make-ready board and hold points
Rush work	Premium rates when materials are late	Order during the notice period
Pre-1978 paint	Lead-safe work and testing add time	Plan certified crews and the test date
Pests or water damage	The turn becomes remediation	Inspect early; have a vendor ready

Two budgeting rules help. Separate turn expense from capital replacement: a carpet replaced at the end of its life is a capital item, not a turn overrun. And do not count on deposits to fund turns. In all three DMV jurisdictions, deductions for damage exclude ordinary (in Virginia, reasonable) wear and tear, and every deduction must be itemized on time.

What do DC, Virginia and Maryland require at move-out and move-in?

DC, Virginia and Maryland each give the landlord 45 days after the tenancy ends to account for the security deposit in writing, but the details differ. DC requires photos or other documentation with any claim. Maryland forfeits the right to withhold for damages if the itemized list is late. Virginia and Maryland let tenants attend the move-out inspection.

The table summarizes the rules as of October 2026. Read the statutes before relying on them: the DC security deposit statute (D.C. Code § 42-3502.17), Va. Code § 55.1-1226 and Md. Real Property § 8-203.

Rule	DC	Virginia	Maryland
Deposit cap	One month’s rent	Two months’ rent	One month’s rent (narrow exception)
Deposit deadline	45 days after tenancy ends	45 days after tenancy ends or unit vacated, whichever is later	45 days after tenancy ends
Notice contents	Amounts claimed, with photos or other documentation	Itemized deductions and any refund	Itemized damages and costs
Move-out inspection	Written notice of date and time	Within 72 hours of possession, if tenant asks to attend	Within 5 days of move date, if tenant gives 15 days’ notice
Move-in record	Pre-lease disclosure of recent code violations and mold history	Damage report within 5 days of occupancy, with mold disclosure	Tenant may request inspection within 15 days of occupancy

What this means in practice:

• The clock starts when the tenancy ends, not when the turn ends. Move-out photos and the damage list should exist on Day 0, because the turn may still be running at the deadline.
• Wear and tear is not chargeable. DC defines ordinary wear and tear as deterioration from intended use, including breakage from age. Faded paint and worn carpet traffic lanes are usually turn costs, not deductions.
• DC adds a dispute window. The tenant has 30 days after the notice to dispute, and the housing provider must respond within 10 days of receiving the tenant’s evidence.
• Virginia allows more time for large damage. If damage exceeds the deposit and needs a third-party contractor, written notice within the 45 days gives the landlord 15 more days to itemize.
• Virginia’s move-in report is a turn deliverable. Under Va. Code § 55.1-1214, the new tenant gets a written report of existing damage within five days of occupancy. Lease-ready photos are the evidence behind it.

What lead-paint rules apply when you turn a pre-1978 unit?

Turning a pre-1978 apartment adds three layers of lead rules: a federal disclosure in the next lease, EPA lead-safe work rules when the make-ready disturbs paint, and local rules that can require a passed lead test or a clearance report before the next resident moves in. Maryland requires that test at every change in occupancy.

• Federal disclosure. Under 24 CFR Part 35, Subpart A, a lease of pre-1978 “target housing” must include the Lead Warning Statement, the lessor’s disclosure of known lead-based paint or hazards and available reports, and an EPA-approved pamphlet. Studios and other 0-bedroom units are excluded, as is housing for the elderly or people with disabilities unless a child under 6 lives there. Keep the signed disclosure for at least three years from the start of the lease.
• Lead-safe work. EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires paid work that disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing to be done by a certified firm, and a management company whose own staff does that work must be certified. The minor repair exception (40 CFR 745.83) covers 6 square feet or less of painted surface per room inside, excludes window replacement and demolition, and counts jobs in the same room within 30 days as one job. Patching and sanding across a room can pass that limit.
• Maryland. Owners of pre-1978 rental units must register them with MDE and renew each year. At each change in occupancy, before the next tenant moves in, the unit must pass a lead-dust test by an MDE-accredited inspector, with chipping, peeling or flaking paint fixed inside the unit and on the building exterior. Units certified lead-free are exempt.
• DC. Before a pre-1978 lease, the owner gives the District’s lead disclosure form. If a child under 6 or a pregnant woman will live in or regularly visit the unit, the owner must also provide a clearance report issued within the previous 12 months (D.C. Code § 8-231.04). DC also requires a lead pipe disclosure form.
• Virginia. The federal disclosure and RRP rules apply. Ask the locality whether it adds anything.

Put the lead test or clearance on the make-ready board as a dated task. It is the last gate before move-in.

How do licensing and rental inspections affect turnover in DC and Montgomery County?

In DC and Montgomery County, a rental unit needs a license before it is rented, and code inspections can surface whatever a turn left unfixed. DC requires a Basic Business License and proactively inspects buildings with three or more rental units. Montgomery County requires a rental housing license before a unit is rented or advertised.

DC. An apartment building of three or more units needs a Basic Business License and a certificate of occupancy, and registers with DHCD. The Department of Buildings automatically enrolls properties with three or more rental units in its Proactive Inspection Program, and properties with poor compliance are inspected more often. A turn also feeds DC’s pre-lease disclosures: the next applicant is told about housing code violations less than a year old or still open, so a cited condition left unfixed at turnover follows the unit into the next lease.

Montgomery County. The county requires a rental housing license from DHCA under Chapter 29, and license renewal requires compliance with Maryland’s lead law for properties built before 1978. Properties in Gaithersburg, Rockville and Takoma Park, and in the towns of Barnesville, Garrett Park and Laytonsville, are outside the county license, so check with the municipality.

Virginia. Under Va. Code § 36-105.1:1, localities may set up rental inspection districts. Ask the building department whether your property is in one. Add each license renewal and inspection to your building compliance calendar.

How should photos and work orders document unit condition?

Turnover photos and work orders should build one dated record per unit: the move-in condition, the move-out condition, every repair in between, and the lease-ready state. That record supports deposit deductions, settles vendor disputes, and shows which parts of the unit fail again and again. DC requires photos or other documentation with any deposit claim.

A photo protocol that holds up:

1. Shoot every room in the same order at move-in, move-out and lease-ready, wide shot first, then details.
2. Photograph damage close up with something for scale, and note the location in the caption.
3. Capture appliance and equipment data plates, alarm labels and meter readings.
4. Store photos against the unit and the work order, not on a technician’s phone.

Then turn each finding into its own work order with the location, the responsible party, before and after photos, the cost, and a flag for resident-caused damage versus wear and tear. The deposit itemization can then be pulled from the flagged work orders, with photos attached, well inside the 45 days. A clear work order process and QR asset tags on water heaters and HVAC units let each turn add to the equipment history instead of starting over.

Levaru’s in-house CMMS, included with management at no separate software fee, records work orders with photos and inspections with pass or fail results. Owners see work orders, inspections and invoices in the client portal and can export the work-order history. The test for any manager, Levaru included, is simple: can you produce the move-out photos and the itemized work orders for a unit before the deposit deadline?

How do you shorten turn time without cutting corners?

The way to shorten turn time is to make decisions earlier: inspect and scope during the notice period, keep standard materials in stock, schedule trades in sequence, and verify each step before the next trade arrives. Skipping inspection, cure time or the quality walk only moves the delay to the punch list or the next resident’s first service request.

• Standardize the spec. One paint color and sheen, one flooring product, standard fixtures and hardware. Keep a small stock on site.
• Run a make-ready board. Every vacant or on-notice unit, its turn type, status, current blocker, owner and target date, reviewed daily.
• Batch similar turns. One crew moving through several units in a building loses less time between jobs.
• Clear the punch list before the final clean. A trade that comes back after cleaning means a second clean. Construction uses the same rule, as our guide to closeout and punch lists explains.
• Measure days from key return to ready by turn type, and log the cause of every delay. The causes repeat, which is what makes them fixable.

Frequently asked questions

What is apartment turnover cleaning?

Apartment turnover cleaning is the detailed clean of a vacant unit after all repairs, paint and flooring are finished and before the final quality walk. It covers appliance interiors, cabinets inside and out, bathrooms, windows and tracks, blinds, vents, fixtures, baseboards and floors last. It should be the last physical work in the unit, because any trade that returns afterward leaves dust behind and creates a second clean.

What is a make-ready punch list?

A make-ready punch list is the list of items still incomplete or defective at the quality walk, written against the approved turn scope. Each item needs a location, a responsible person and a verification step. Clear the punch list before the final clean, not after it. The same discipline applies to a construction closeout punch list, where open items are also tracked to verified completion.

How do you calculate apartment turnover rate?

Apartment turnover rate is the number of move-outs in a period divided by the number of units, shown as a percentage. For example, 30 move-outs in a 100-unit building over twelve months is a 30% annual rate (an illustrative figure). Decide once whether transfers within the community and early lease breaks count, then use the same definition every year so the trend means something.

What is a make-ready board?

A make-ready board is a single view of every vacant or on-notice unit showing its turn type, current status, blocker, responsible person and target ready date. It can be a whiteboard, a spreadsheet or a view in property software. Its job is to make the stuck unit visible early, so a manager can fix a material or scheduling problem before it costs vacant days.

What does a unit turn coordinator do?

A unit turn coordinator schedules and tracks make-ready work across many units. The coordinator books trades in the right order, makes sure materials arrive before the crew, keeps the make-ready board current, walks units at hold points, and tells leasing when a unit is truly ready. On smaller properties, the maintenance supervisor or property manager often carries this role.

Can a landlord charge a departing resident a turnover fee?

A landlord’s ability to charge a departing resident for turnover depends on the lease and the jurisdiction. In DC, Virginia and Maryland, deposit deductions for damage cannot cover ordinary (in Virginia, reasonable) wear and tear, and each deduction must be itemized within the legal deadline. A flat cleaning or turnover charge is a question for counsel before it goes into a lease.

Should turns be done in-house or by a vendor?

The choice between in-house turns and a vendor depends on volume, crew capacity and how much resident service suffers when technicians are pulled to vacant units. A common split keeps routine repairs in-house and sends paint, flooring and cleaning to vendors. Either way, each vendor needs a written scope, a standard spec, a due date and before and after photos.

How far ahead should the pre-move-out inspection happen?

The pre-move-out inspection should happen early enough to order materials and book trades before the keys come back. Long-lead items such as flooring and appliances drive the timing. Give the resident proper notice of entry under the lease and local rules. In Virginia and Maryland, the formal move-out inspection has its own timing rules, covered in the state section above.