How long should it take to turn an apartment unit?

Question

Assuming the apartment has been updated prior to the current tenant moving out it should take one week (max less than 2 weeks) to turn an apartment unit. When I say "turn" the degree I am am describing is new paint and clean.

You want a new tenant in there ASAP. If you let a unit go vacant for a month you'll be losing potential income and actual money when you have to pay the mortgage out of pocket for that month.

So 2 months prior to the lease expiring you should reach out to the tenant and confirm if they will be renewing their lease. If the tenant confirms that they will not be renewing their lease you should coordinate with your GC/repairman to start working on the turn the same day the tenant moves out. I would also coordinate with property manager to start screening candidates if possible (I am not sure if that is allowed, but I would check with my PM). Your goal is to get a qualified body in the unit ASAP paying you so you don't have to pay out of pocket.

Lynnette E. · Answer

They were great tenants and well qualified.

The elderly man could not help that he got ill and in the hospital.  He was in the process of moving and had it well under control when he got deathly ill.  And his son was counting on him dyeing and only wanted things he could cash out.  I  do not screen scummy relatives.

And the lady, similar.  She was moving to help her mom with her ill dad, when dad died and mom got sick.  The house she moved to recently sold, so I am guessing mom died too.  She was very caught up in her parent's health and just kept hoping she could move out sooner that she had time to pull it together.

In the end people are humans, and some grace is needed.  I'd rent to both of them again!

Times are rough now, and some things you can not control.

Chris Levarek · Answer

Depends on the demand and the team. Two weeks is max at this point in many markets due to high demand. However as dictated, contractors are in high demand as well, so this can push back your times.

One of the reasons to focus on high quality teams however is they typically have those relationships and cycles down to a t. We've fired a few property managers for lengthy turns over repeated time frames.

I'd say either factor in the extra cost of the lengthy turn to your projections OR find the team to meet the time frames needed. 1 to 2 weeks should be very doable.

Jason Malabute · Answer

I would strongly encourage stronger screening procedures . If you have a property manager I would think about firing  them. I am talking from experience

Lynnette E. · Answer

You must live in a much more perfect world than I do.  My tenant asked to end her lease early, family issues, ill parent, wants out ASAP.  Going to be out in a week.  Two weeks after she was to be out she gave me the leys at 7pm.  I had a new tenant coming in the next morning at 8 am.

She left the frige and cupboards full, some abandoned dressers and mattresses, trash and random stuff. Missing flooring pieces, random minor repairs needed.  My two teens and I spent the night moving furniture to the street for bulk trash pick up, cleaning and emptying the house.  At 7:30 am my new tenants, a disabled vet, wife, daughter and 2 sons with special needs pulled up in their U-Haul.  The house was perfect.  We still needed to repair a fence gate, which we did while they started unpacking.

OH, that cleaning person, and handyman, well they were not available on Sunday night (literally all night) on a holiday weekend.

Another move out, an elderly man was moving and had packed up a POD, still had 2 more planned.  He got deathly ill, in the hospital.  His son was put in charge, by him.  The son came through, trashed the place and took what he wanted---finally 3 weeks after he should have.  Left me a house full of stuff on Friday of that same holiday weekend and a tenant scheduled to move in Sunday morning.  Again, no scheduled workers available, the kids and I worked 16 hour days and cleaned up that mess.  People got lots of donations, lots of good stuff left, but wow, so much.  Plus the elderly man could not clean so there was a lot of mopping and wall washing, etc.

My latest one, the tenant moved out on a Monday.  I had someone who wanted to move in who was qualified.  She wanted in ASAP.  Her rental was sold and they were holding up closing for her to be out of the house.  I told her I would not give her a date until the current person moved out and I looked at the house carefully and had it fixed. or at least scheduled to be fixed.  She did move in that next weekend, Friday so it was 4 days later.  BUT I had a two cleaning people work ten hours on that place!  And the plumber came on Friday morning and the floor guy the next Monday.  She knew she would be working around those 2 trades people.

I am at the point that I am more than willing to let the house sit for a week or two extra to be able to hire out the work and do not plan on giving out move in dates in the future unless the property is VACANT!  You see, when it comes down to it, I will work and meet the date I gave, even if it is all night or 16 hour days.  But I would much rather pay someone to do that work, and that takes known vacancy and scheduling.  Unfortunately I do not get paid for this work, I can not charge it against their security deposit.  So I'd rather not work for free and pay others to do the work.