Day 1 — Walk, scope, prep.
Morning: Full walkthrough with the property manager. Document every damaged area with photo + cost code. Pull keys, change locks.
Afternoon: Paint prep starts (caulk holes, sand patches, mask off floors and trim). Carpet pull starts in non-prep rooms. Trash haul-out. Appliances inspected — anything that needs ordering gets ordered today so it arrives by Day 3.
Day 2 — Paint + carpet base.
Two-person paint crew works ceilings and walls in one continuous sequence — one person on ceilings, the other on walls and trim. Never both on the same surface (slows everyone down).
Carpet contractor lays new pad and tackstrip in cleared rooms. Plumber comes in to swap leaky valves and replace cracked toilet seats. Bathroom caulk gets redone. Light fixtures swapped if needed.
Day 3 — Punch list + appliances.
Carpet install completes. Appliances installed (new fridge, new stove if ordered Day 1). Final paint touch-ups. Door hardware adjusted, switches and outlets replaced where needed.
Outside: yard cleared, exterior trash bins cleaned, address numbers verified visible from the street. The exterior is part of the make-ready — new tenants form an opinion before they unlock the door.
Day 4 — Final clean + photos.
Detail clean — kitchen down to inside-the-oven, bathrooms down to grout, baseboards, light fixtures. Steam-clean carpet. Pressure-wash entry walkway.
Final photos for the property manager (move-in inspection record). Lockbox installed. Keys delivered to property management office or new tenant per the lease terms.
The crew structure that makes it possible.
- 1 lead — walks the punch list every morning, escalates issues immediately, signs off on completion
- 2 paint specialists — one on ceilings, one on walls + trim. Never both on the same surface.
- 1 flooring contractor — carpet + LVP, in and out by Day 3
- 1 plumbing/electrical handyman — in and out by Day 2
- 1 cleaner — full Day 4 only
Total: 6 people across 4 days. Most contractors send 2 people for 14 days — same total labor cost, three times the timeline.
The cost discipline.
Standard turnover invoice runs $1,400–$2,800 depending on damage. Anything over $3,500 means the unit needed a full remodel, not a turnover — and that's a different conversation with the owner.
CVTS bills flat-rate by turnover scope, not hourly. Property managers know the number before work starts. No surprises at invoice time.
What gets billed vs what gets absorbed.
Billed to the owner: all materials, all labor, any custom work, appliances ordered.
Charged to the prior tenant's deposit: only damage beyond normal wear and tear. Carpets older than 7 years are fully depreciated under CA tenant law. Paint on the same color older than 3 years is not chargeable.
Getting this distinction right is the difference between a property manager who keeps tenants and one who fights small claims cases every quarter.
The single biggest sequencing mistake: Painting before carpet pull. Paint drips on old carpet are fine — it's getting torn out anyway. Paint drips on new carpet are a $1,200 problem and a sour conversation with the property manager.
What success looks like.
A unit that vacated on Friday is ready for new tenants by Wednesday of the following week. The property manager has dated photos for the file, a clean invoice on time, and zero callback issues from the new tenant in the first 30 days.
Done badly: 14 days of turnover, two-week rent loss, four punch list callbacks in the first month, and the new tenant breaks lease in 90 days because the unit "wasn't really clean."
Skip the DIY?
CVTS (Central Valley Turnkey Services) — FXR's sister company — handles make-ready turnovers for property managers, investors, and HOA firms. Predictable response. Predictable invoice. 4-day standard.
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