An apartment turnover checklist covers every step between a resident's notice to vacate and the next resident's move-in: confirming the move-out date, a pre-move-out inspection, key return, make-ready repairs and cleaning, a final inspection, marketing and the next move-in. The make-ready work is only part of the vacant period, so the checklist should start the day notice arrives.
That starting point matters because vacancy is getting longer. RealPage Market Analytics found that the average stabilized unit sat vacant 34.4 days at the end of 2024, compared with about 30 days in early 2020, and estimated that the extra days add about $275 per unit in expenses and turnover costs. The checklist below is built to take days out of that window.
What does an apartment turnover cost?
Turnover costs come from four places: lost rent while the unit is empty, concessions to fill it, repairs and cleaning, and marketing and leasing time. Zego's research, reported by Multifamily Dive, put the full cost of replacing a resident at $3,976 in 2022, including $1,598 in lost rent, $1,240 in concessions and $775 in unit repairs.
Lost rent is the largest single line, and it is the one the checklist controls most directly. As an illustrative example, a unit renting for $2,000 a month loses about $66 for every vacant day. Across 1,000 turns a year, cutting one day from the average vacant period recovers about $66,000 in rent.
The cheapest turnover is still the one that never happens. RealPage reported that just over 54% of market-rate residents with an expiring lease renewed in the year ending October 2024, in its retention analysis. Every renewal saved removes a full turn from the schedule.
The master apartment turnover checklist
The table summarizes the five phases. Timing is a starting point for a 30-day or 60-day notice period, and each portfolio should adjust it to its lease terms and state rules.
Phase 1: Notice to vacate
- Log the notice in the property management system the day it arrives and confirm the move-out date in writing.
- Make one final renewal offer. Ask why the resident is leaving and record the reason, since the answers point to the turnover that can be prevented.
- Send move-out instructions covering the inspection, cleaning expectations, key return and how the security deposit is handled.
- Collect a forwarding address for the deposit return.
- Remind the resident to schedule utility and internet transfers and to book movers, so move-out day runs on time.
- Start pre-leasing with photos of a similar unit so the unit can be leased before it is empty.
Phase 2: Pre-move-out
- Schedule a pre-move-out inspection with the resident, ideally in the final two weeks of the lease.
- Build the repair list from the inspection and order paint, flooring and parts before move-out day.
- Book vendors for painting, carpet, cleaning and pest control with firm dates.
- Share a cleaning guide with the resident so fewer deductions are disputed later.
- Confirm the time for the final walkthrough and key return.
Phase 3: Move-out day
- Walk the unit with the resident where possible and photograph every room.
- Collect all keys, fobs, garage remotes and mailbox keys, and log them.
- Record utility meter readings and transfer services to the property's account.
- Document damage beyond normal wear and tear with photos and notes.
- Start the security deposit timeline, since state laws set the deadline and itemization rules for returning deposits.
Phase 4: Make-ready
- Paint and touch up walls, trim and doors.
- Clean or replace flooring and carpet.
- Test every appliance, faucet, drain and fixture.
- Replace HVAC filters and check heating and cooling.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries.
- Rekey or reprogram locks and access devices.
- Treat for pests if needed and complete a deep clean.
- Run a final quality check against a standard punch list before the unit is marked ready.
Phase 5: Lease and move-in
- Update listing photos and the listing itself the day the unit is ready.
- Offer tours, including self-guided tours, as soon as the unit is clean.
- Process the application and lease, then complete a move-in inspection with the new resident.
- Collect proof of renters insurance and set up autopay before or at move-in.
- Send a welcome message with move-in information and resident perks.
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How can residents help shorten turnover?
Many of the delays in phases 1 to 3 depend on the outgoing resident: a confirmed move-out date, an inspection booked on time, a clean unit and keys returned on schedule. Many of the delays in phase 5 depend on the incoming resident: insurance proof, autopay and move-in paperwork. Rewarding those actions turns them into deadlines residents want to meet.
A small gift card for booking the pre-move-out inspection, returning keys on time or completing move-in tasks costs far less than a vacant day. Paylode has seen the effect of action-based rewards at scale. FirstKey Homes offered a gift card through Paylode Boost to the first 60 residents who enrolled in autopay and recorded a 25% increase in autopay enrollments in the first campaign period, as documented in the FirstKey Homes case study. For insurance proof at move-in, Paylode's guide to renters insurance rewards compliance covers the setup.
Apply the same criteria to every resident, document them, and keep rewards separate from the security deposit, so the program stays consistent across properties.
See how Paylode Boost rewards residents for move-in and move-out tasks.
What are the most common turnover mistakes?
- Starting the checklist at move-out. By then, the scope is unknown, vendors are unbooked and the unit is not being marketed.
- Treating the renewal conversation as finished once notice arrives. A final offer, and a record of why the resident is leaving, can still save the lease or the next one.
- Measuring make-ready days only. A unit that is ready in five days but leased in forty still costs forty-five days of rent.
- Letting keys, fobs and remotes come back late. Every missing access device delays rekeying and the final quality check.
- Leaving move-in tasks to the first week of the lease. Insurance proof, autopay and paperwork collected before move-in day keep the new lease clean from the start.
Which apartment turnover KPIs should you track?
How Paylode helps operators cut turnover
Paylode Boost sends gift cards, perks and discounts when a resident completes a defined action, from booking a pre-move-out inspection to enrolling in autopay at move-in. A resident perks program keeps value in front of residents throughout the lease, which supports the renewal conversation that prevents the turn in the first place. Paylode also covers how moving partnerships fit into onboarding in its article on moving partnerships and resident onboarding. More detail for multifamily, single-family rental and student housing portfolios is on Paylode's residential real estate page.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an apartment turnover take?
Measure your own days vacant against the national benchmark. RealPage reported an average of 34.4 vacant days per stabilized unit at the end of 2024. Pre-leasing and a pre-move-out inspection are the two steps most likely to bring your number below it.
What is the difference between turnover and make-ready?
Turnover covers the whole process from notice to the next move-in. Make-ready is the repair and cleaning work inside that process, between move-out and the unit being ready to lease.
What is a good apartment turnover rate?
Turnover is the share of residents who move out when their lease ends. RealPage reported that just over 54% of market-rate residents with expiring leases renewed in the year ending October 2024, so the remaining share turned over. Compare your renewal conversion with that benchmark and your local market.
Who should own the turnover checklist?
Give each phase a single owner: leasing for notice and move-in, maintenance for pre-move-out and make-ready, and the property manager for move-out day and the deposit timeline.
Start the turnover at notice
The fastest turnovers start the day notice arrives and end with a new resident who is set up to stay. Book a demo with Paylode to reward the move-in and move-out actions that shorten every turn.
