Preparing Vacancies for the Spring Leasing Season the Right Way
How to handle apartment turns with ease and confidence.
Winter is in the rearview mirror, and the promise of warmer weather means someresidents are going to be saying goodbye. Even when resident sentiment is positive, sometimes your renters have to move whether it’s for a new job in another city or to buy a house. This is the time to amp up the customer service—how the team responds to the news is actually the first step in the apartment turn process. And, good rapport leads to good referrals down the road. MHN talked to four industry experts for their views on how to handle apartment turns.
Eliminate surprises
Everyone agrees that the pre-move out inspection is often the most important element of a successful apartment turn. “The pre-move out inspection is so important because it helps eliminate surprises,” said Staci Wunder, senior director multifamily at Cushman & Wakefield. “It’s going to give you a heads-up if you’ve got a really bad turn coming up or to know what the units might need.”
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At most properties, Cushman & Wakefield contracts out the trades like painting, flooring replacements and cleaning for its turnover process. According to Wunder, standard wear and tear would require just a carpet cleaning versus a carpet replacement. If the resident has painted the apartment a different color that would not be normal wear and tear. Damage to appliances or flooring or broken blinds would be considered a heavy turn.
“Make sure you actually use the results from those pre-move out inspections to get with your vendors ahead of time to say this is likely going to be a heavy turn,” Wunder added. “If it’s going to be a significantly heavy turn, then you’re going to want to coordinate with your leasing office to make sure that unit doesn’t get rented too quickly.”
Incorporate tech
The ideal apartment turn is streamlined, predictable and supported by a well-coordinated team, according to Erin Faulkner, vice president of property management at Prism Property Services the in-house property management division of Prism Capital Partners. Prism Property Services closely tracks turn timelines and contractor scheduling through tools such as Microsoft Teams and BuildingLink. “Technology helps the entire team stay aligned and ensures units are brought back to market efficiently without compromising quality,” said Faulkner.
Whenever possible, Prism leverages its own in-house teams to complete painting and cleaning. It helps control costs while maintaining consistency in the finished product. Faulkner said, “Being mindful of turn budgets while maintaining quality standards has allowed us to reduce overall turn expenses and support stronger NOI performance year over year.”
From a budgeting standpoint, the biggest challenge during an apartment turn is balancing speed with quality. “A prolonged turn can result in vacancy loss, while rushing the process can lead to incomplete work, higher maintenance costs down the line and ultimately a poor first impression for the incoming resident,” he added.
Prism Property Services provides residents with clear expectations, detailed move-out guidelines and reminders leading up to the scheduled move-out date. This ensures the process is organized for both residents and staff. Internally, the company’s make-ready system aligns leasing, maintenance and housekeeping teams around a defined timeline—including contractor scheduling—so work can begin immediately once keys are returned.
“Turns are also an opportunity to evaluate how each unit will perform in the market,” said Faulkner. “Our teams look closely at whether small, targeted improvements can enhance the apartment’s positioning without materially increasing the turn cost.” Even modest upgrades like updated fixtures, refreshed paint schemes or adding overhead lighting fixtures can elevate the overall presentation.
Order materials early
The Breeden Co. recognizes that one of the biggest bumps in the road during a move-out is unexpected damage or maintenance issues that weren’t previously reported. “An ideal turn is one where most of the work can be completed in-house, the scope is identified early and the unit is completed efficiently while staying within budget and maintaining quality,” said Avery Rouse, regional maintenance director at The Breeden Co.
According to Rouse, communication between the office and maintenance team regarding move-out dates is essential and can impact the time frame available to complete the turn. “To minimize issues, our team focuses on strong communication with the office staff. This helps us identify repairs early, plan the scope of work and order materials ahead of time to avoid delays.”
As Rouse notes, a successful apartment turn comes down to planning, communication and teamwork between the office and maintenance teams. “Staying proactive helps reduce costs, shorten downtime and ensure the next resident moves into a quality apartment home.”
Standardize expectations
“When occupancy is low, the office blames the maintenance team for either the quality of the apartments or the inability to deliver ready apartments on time,” said Paul Rhodes, owner & facilitator at Directional Maintenance Services.
“The best tip I can offer is to standardize expectations across the property,” added Rhodes. “Define success for a make-ready at every stage. Ensure each role, department and person understands (the definition)—and has the tools required to make decisions that meet this definition.”
Rhodes also suggests having a single source of information for all departments to use. And require all deliverables to be based on it, especially at the friction points when information or the apartment turn is passed between roles.
Discuss any misses that fall short of the success expectation from the view of what can be done differently to meet the standard next time. “Reinforce the message: ‘This is how (apartment turns) are done,’ which reinforces the benefits of having the standards in the first place.” According to Rhodes, if standards aren’t defined for the property, they will be defined for the person. In his view, that’s not a recipe for efficiency or effective work at one apartment community or across a portfolio of properties.
