Turns

[wageslave23]

How do you guys handle turns?  The rental market I am in is very hot, just like most everywhere else.  So I see no reason to have any vacancy between tenants, especially if I have viewed the house within the last few weeks and it is in good repair.  For example if a lease ends 7/31, then that tenant should be moved out and have the apartment clean and rent ready by midnight of 7/31.  The new lease starts 8/1, so the new people move in sometime that day.  If for some reason the previous tenant does not leave it rent ready then I would hire someone to clean/repair etc within a few days after the new tenants move in.  That's how I imagine it in my mind, however I find that it rarely works out that way.  Does anyone else have good luck doing this?  I hate to have a guaranteed vacancy every turn just because of a few irresponsible tenants.   Do you guys do 30 day turns? 15 day? 7?  And do you have trouble finding people who want a lease that starts on say the 10th of the month?

[onlykelsey]

I have only ever rented out a room in my apartment, but I would want at least a 7-day turn.  What you don't want is for your new tenant to show up at 8 AM and have the place be uninhabitable or in need of serious repairs, because the new tenant could rightly sue you for breach of contract.  It also makes it easier for repairmen or cleaners to hold you over the barrel if you need their help.

When I last rented my lease started some random day in the middle of the month, which was fine by me.

[Mother Fussbudget]

I would NEVER let a tenant move into housing that's not "move in ready", and documented with 'before' photos to show it's in good shape.
This gives the landlord leverage in the relationship - knowledge:  knowing what the apartment was like on move-in - so they can refer back to that data / photos / etc when it comes time to evaluate the property during maintenance, and/or determine how much of the tenant's security deposit is returned after they move out. 

If the turn takes a week, so be it.  I pro-rate the first month's rent to accommodate the couple of days it takes to turn a property around.  I also use the turn to replace carpets, install vinyl plank in high-traffic areas, paint, and in general bring the property up to the 'new move-in standard'.  Today that includes light gray paint on all walls (the same color in every unit) white ceilings, laminate floors in hallways and living rooms, vinyl plank in kitchens, tile in bathrooms and entryway (or better finishes if the property already has better finishes).

[patchyfacialhair]

When I worked in property management for large multifamily, we needed 5 business days to fully turn units. These were A type properties and above. We were always high occupancy and high rates compared to competitors due to location and quality.

Day 1: Maintenance, fix things that need fixing like screen doors and squeaky hinges, replace light bulbs, filters, drip pans, other consumables. Usually in-house.
Day 2: Paint. Could be a touch up or full paint. Usually outsourced.
Day 3: Clean. Usually outsourced, but could be touch up or deep clean.
Day 4: Carpet clean or replace depending on age and condition
Day 5: Management walk-through to make sure nothing missed. Possible all clear this day if walk-through is easy and happens early in the day.
Day 6: All clear to move in.

We never showed an occupied unit nor let anyone move into a unit if there were issues. They'd sometimes be upset if we moved things around, but it makes for a much smoother move in experience and overall living experience if new people are moving into great units.