Property turnovers are one of the necessary parts of property management.  No tenant is going to live in your property forever.  At some point they are going to move and preparation is key to ensure it happens smoothly.  Rental properties require special attention and preparation to ensure nothing goes wrong last minute.  The tips below will help any turnover go smoother any time of year. Hope this helps produce fewer gray hairs during your next turn!

1. Smooth turnovers start during the application process.  When the property is on the market, you need to have stringent criteria to ensure you only accept the best tenants.  Most owners know they are looking for tenants with a history of paying rent on time but you also want to keep your eye out on this important intangible: respect for your property.  This important quality is harder to identify but it is important to ensure a smoother turn because tenants who respect your property leave it in better condition at move-out.  You need to make sure to complete income, credit, landlord, and background checks to get unbiased facts about how well a tenant can pay their rent and how well they treated their last property.  Strengths in these all these areas tend to correlate to how well a tenant will respect your property. Asking a previous landlord what condition the property was in at move-out can tell a lot about what you can expect.  Credit reports full of unpaid cable bills or other collections can also indicate how the applicant will value a hit to their credit report if you have to pursue them for damages not covered by a security deposit.
2. Smooth turnovers start before move-in.  Is the property clean? Are all major repairs completed such as leaks fixed and holes patched? Does the property have upgrades and a nice coat of paint? All of these items communicate to the tenant your expectations.  If a tenant sees you do not care about the property (or that you are unwilling to fix basic issues like a leak under the kitchen sink), they will see that as the standard of care they are expected to give to the property.  This is not a good start to a year-long relationship.  Always make sure the property is spruced up and clean upon move-in to communicate the best expectations about care of the property.
3. Smooth turnovers benefit from regular inspections.  One of the easiest ways to catch large turnover work and issues is to have an inspection every 4-6 months at a property.  Allowing a trained individual to inspect the property can catch missed maintenance preventing it from becoming a larger issue later. An inspection can also find problems with tenant upkeep.  Discovering a damaged carpet 6 months into the lease is never enjoyable.  The earlier you know though, the easier it is to: correct the behavior causing the damage, collect reimbursement from the tenant for the damage, and estimate replacement and get the work pre-scheduled before move-out.
4. Smooth turnovers benefit from quality vendors.  Without a team of trustworthy vendors, your turn is going to be full of headaches.  Relationships with vendors is crucial to getting a quick turn completed on schedule and on budget.  By working with vendors throughout the year, you will already know which vendor offers the best prices for the highest quality work.  This saves you precious time because you won’t have to shop around as much or worry that the job is not done well.  You will also already understand their work ethic and favored methods of communication. This will ensure accurate timelines, quick estimates, and possible favors if an emergency happens.  
5. Smooth turnovers are the product of great preparation.  Plan, plan, plan, and plan some more! Turnovers can only go smoothly by thinking through them as much as 6 months in advance.  Try to learn early whether a tenant will be vacating.  Give yourself plenty of time in between the old lease and new lease to prevent the property not being ready in time.  Communicate with vendors in advance about which properties will be turning and how much work will need to be completed. Decide what work will be priority and what can be completed after move-in to alleviate stress on your vendors.  Create a system to ensure easy return of keys, documentation of move-out condition, and creation of work orders. Preparing for the expected and giving space for unexpected saves you money, time, and headaches.

If you read any of these and thought “that is too much work!”, you are right.  It takes a lot of work to turn a property at minimal expense.  That is why professional property managers make it their full time job to think through the right formula to minimize your headaches and expenses.  Like any home, rental properties do require money to upkeep but a professional finds you the best deal and limits the down time.  The less downtime and issues during turnover, the sooner the property can get back to producing income for you.

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