The Apartment Unit Turnover Checklist (Make-Ready, Step by Step)

Every day a unit sits vacant after move-out is rent the property doesn't collect. Most slow turns aren't slow because the work is hard. They're slow because trades arrive in the wrong order, wait on each other, or redo each other's work. The painter drips on new flooring. The cleaner comes before the drywall dust settles. The punch list appears on move-in day.

This is the order that works, and the checks that matter in a Florida apartment.

Before move-out

• Pre-move-out inspection. Walk the unit a few weeks before notice ends, when possible. You'll know the scope before the keys come back and can schedule trades in advance.
• Standard scopes by unit type. A written scope for a light, standard and heavy turn per floor plan, with paint colors, flooring spec and fixture models. Nobody guesses at a finish.
• Attic stock. Keep matching paint, flooring planks, blinds, outlet covers and common fixtures on site. A missing blind shouldn't hold a unit for three days.

Day one: move-out inspection and photos

Inspect with the move-in report in hand and photograph every room, every wall, and every appliance interior. Those photos support any deposit charges and become the "before" set for the turn. Confirm the scope level, then release the trades in this order.

The make-ready order

1. 1Trash-out. Remove everything left behind so trades can see and reach the work.
2. 2Repairs. Drywall patches, doors and hardware, blinds, fixtures, plumbing leaks, cabinet fronts. Anything that makes dust or needs paint goes first.
3. 3Paint. Touch-up or full repaint per scope. Paint before flooring so drips and roller spatter never land on new floors.
4. 4Flooring. Replace or repair flooring and base as scoped. Clean carpets last if they're staying.
5. 5Appliances and systems. Test every appliance, replace the HVAC filter, check the AC condensate drain line, test smoke and CO detectors, confirm GFCI outlets trip and reset.
6. 6Deep clean. Cleaning comes last, after the dust is done: cabinets inside and out, appliances, bathrooms, windows and tracks, floors.
7. 7Punch list walk. Walk the unit as if you were the new resident. Fix what you find before marking it ready, not after the tour.
8. 8Locks and final photos. Rekey or change locks per policy, then take after photos from the same angles as move-out.

Florida-specific checks

• Moisture: look under sinks, around the water heater, around the AC closet and under windows. Humidity plus a slow leak means mold. Find the source before you paint over a stain.
• AC: a clean filter, a clear condensate line and a unit that actually cools. In summer this is the first thing a new resident notices.
• Pests: check for signs before cleaning, and treat per your community's pest program so the unit doesn't open with a problem.
• Sliding doors and screens: sand and humidity wear tracks and rollers; clean and adjust so they glide.

Document every turn the same way

Keep the move-out photos, the scope, the work order and the after photos together per unit. Over a year, that record tells you your real average turn time, which floor plans cost the most, and which items you should just replace on every turn.

NexCore's CoreTurn package handles trash-outs, cleaning, paint, drywall, flooring and punch lists under one crew, one schedule and one invoice per unit, with before and after photos. To set up standard scopes for your community, request a proposal or call (407) 924-5992.