Never skip these 4 steps between OC tenants

Leo SteinBusiness Member

Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 110 posts · 34 votes

On long-term rentals in Orange County, the make-ready steps that get rushed between tenants are the ones that bite later. What we don't skip:

- Rekey the locks. Every turnover gets new keys for the next resident.

- Test smoke and CO. Replace batteries or units that fail before move-in.

- Swap the HVAC filter. So stale air doesn't greet the next tenant.

- Dated photo walk. Photograph every room before the deposit clock starts.

What's on your between-tenants checklist that owners forget most often?

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Daniel Jung
Member since 2026 · 31 posts · 9 votes
1d
The one I see skipped most is checking drains and shutoffs while the place is empty. Run every tap, flush every toilet, and look under each sink for slow drips. A small leak is a quick fix on turnover day and a big bill once furniture is in. I also test every window lock and the water heater, and I note the dates on the photos so there is no argument later. The other habit that helps is walking the unit again the morning of move-in, after cleaners are done. Dust, a missed appliance bulb, or a dirty filter shows up fast when you look with fresh eyes.
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Leo SteinBusiness Member
OP
Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 110 posts · 34 votes
1d
Daniel, thanks for adding that. Running every tap, flushing every toilet and checking under each sink while the unit is empty is a cheap way to catch a slow drip before the furniture goes in, and dating the photos keeps any later conversation simple. Walking the unit again the morning of move-in, after the cleaners finish, is a great habit too, since dust, a dead bulb or a dirty filter show up fast with fresh eyes. Do you do that final walk yourself, or hand it to someone else with a short checklist?
[email protected]949-391-1019
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Richard (Ryszard) Cieplechowicz
Member since 2026 · 118 posts · 31 votes
23h
Good list. One more that gets skipped: check under every sink and around the toilet and water heater for slow leaks, and run each faucet and drain for a minute. A small drip is easy to see with an empty unit and hard to trace once furniture is in. I would also test the garage opener and gate remotes, and count the keys and remotes handed over so the move-out count has a starting number.
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