A clearer rental-unit turnover workflow.

Good turnovers begin before the trades arrive.

A vacant-unit renovation is easier to control when property conditions, leasing priorities, approvals, access, and finish standards are documented at the start.

The goal is not simply to work quickly. It is to identify the right work, avoid duplicate mobilization, make decisions on time, and deliver a unit that is ready for the next operational step.

1. Inspect and document the unit

Record the unit number, vacancy date, target handoff, keys, utilities, building access, and known history. Take wide photos of every room plus close-ups of damage, fixtures, flooring transitions, cabinets, plumbing areas, doors, and windows.

Separate urgent safety or active water issues from planned renovation work. Hazardous-material concerns, electrical hazards, structural movement, active leaks, or extensive contamination may require specialist assessment before a normal turnover scope.

2. Build one room-by-room scope

• Keep: items that remain serviceable and match the property standard.
• Repair: surfaces, hardware, cabinetry, drywall, trim, doors, fixtures, or localized flooring.
• Replace: components that are damaged, obsolete, incompatible, or beyond practical repair.
• Confirm: selections, quantities, model numbers, colours, sheen, and who supplies each item.

Include protection, demolition, disposal, cleaning, touch-ups, deficiencies, and closeout so these responsibilities do not become assumptions.

3. Set approvals and decision owners

Identify who can approve the base scope, material substitutions, extra work, schedule changes, and invoices. Establish the preferred approval channel and after-hours escalation contact. If several people must review changes, define the order.

4. Schedule around real constraints

Confirm move-out, possession, leasing commitments, elevator bookings, loading access, permitted work hours, parking, waste removal, inspections, material lead times, and other trades. A target date should reflect these dependencies.

Sequence destructive work first, then rough-ins, wall and ceiling repairs, fixed finishes, flooring where appropriate, trim, paint, fixtures, hardware, cleaning, and deficiencies. The exact sequence changes with the project.

5. Agree on progress reporting

Choose the frequency and format for photos, schedule updates, decision requests, and change documentation. Useful updates explain what was completed, what happens next, what decision is needed, and whether the target has changed.

6. Close out for operations

Complete a final review against the approved scope. Record deficiencies and completion, collect applicable product or project documents, confirm keys and access devices, remove debris, and identify any owner-supplied or follow-up items.

For a leasing handoff, confirm that the unit is safe, clean, operational, and ready for the property team’s own inspection and procedures.

What to send with a service request

Send the property address, unit, occupancy status, preferred timing, priority, access information, room-by-room description, and clear photos. Attach any approved standards, drawings, reports, or purchase orders already available.

Open the secure property-manager request form →