Turnover Playbook: Getting a Unit Rent-Ready in 5 Days

By Solutions Property Management — Sun May 24 2026

The five-day turnover schedule we use to minimize vacancy loss between tenants.

Every day a unit sits empty is roughly 1/30th of your monthly rent, gone. On a $2,400 unit, that's $80. Over a two-week turnover, that's $1,120. Do this eight times a year across a portfolio and you're bleeding real money.

Our target is five days. Here's the schedule.

**Day 1: Outgoing walkthrough**

• Meet the outgoing tenant at the unit
• Compare against move-in inspection with photos
• Note damage vs normal wear (huge distinction)
• Return keys, sign the return-of-deposit acknowledgment
• Take fresh photos of every wall, floor, appliance

**Day 2: Cleaning and repairs triage**

• Deep clean (professional, budget $250-$400 for a 2-bed)
• Painters walk through, quote patches
• Anything visibly broken gets scheduled today

**Day 3: Trades and paint**

• Any trades work happens today
• Paint touch-ups or full room if needed (budget one full day for a full repaint)
• HVAC filter, smoke alarm batteries, replace worn caulk

**Day 4: Listing photos and marketing**

• Photos in daylight, wide angle
• Listing goes live on all channels by end of day
• Schedule Saturday open house

**Day 5: Showings begin**

• Saturday open house, one hour
• Applications reviewed Sunday
• New tenant selected Monday
• Lease signed within 48 hours

**Where turnovers go sideways**

• Waiting on one trade before scheduling anything else
• Not booking cleaning until repairs are done (do them in parallel)
• Waiting for perfect photos instead of good-enough photos

Move fast, in parallel, with a written checklist. Every extra day is money you don't get back.