Between-tenants checklist in California: the four things I'd change before the next m

General Landlording & Rental Properties
4dFollow

Between-tenants checklist in California: the four things I'd change before the next m

Leo SteinBusiness Member
Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 100 posts · 27 votes

Turnovers are where small problems get locked in for the next lease. Here's the short list I'd do every single time, before any new tenant gets keys:

  1. Rekey every exterior lock. Assume old keys are out there. Rekeying is fast and usually inexpensive compared with replacing locks.

  2. Test every smoke and CO detector. California has detector requirements for rentals. Test, replace batteries or units as needed, and keep a dated record.

  3. Check window and slider locks. If they don't latch, fix them now rather than on a week-one repair call.

  4. Dated photos of the whole unit. Before move-in, room by room, including inside appliances and cabinets. It's what makes the move-out comparison and deposit itemization defensible.

Curious what others include. Do you rekey every turnover or switch to rekeyable/smart locks? Anything you've learned the hard way?

General information, not legal advice.

[email protected]949-391-1019
Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
WebsiteView Page
2Reply
493 views

Most Popular Reply

Daniel Jung
Member since 2026 · 27 posts · 9 votes
3d

Good list, and I would add one habit that has saved us repeat visits: run every fixture like a new tenant would on day one. Flush toilets, run showers and taps for a few minutes, check drains are actually clearing, and look underneath again after the water has run, not just before. Slow leaks and lazy drains often hide when everything is dry. We also leave a simple dated checklist in the unit file with photos matched to each item, so if a question comes up in the first month we can tell what was tested and when, instead of guessing from memory.

1Reply
See this reply in the discussion

18 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Richard F.
    Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    4d

    There is no such thing as a "short list" for turnovers. If you are not checking everything against a standard you are guaranteed to have unnecessary service calls during the next tenancy. Every system, every element needs to be confirmed as meeting your particular standards, every turn. And yes, of course locks get changed, usually that is one of the very first steps, unless you are gutting and rehabbing.

    0Reply
    • Leo SteinBusiness Member
      OP
      Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 100 posts · 27 votes
      3d

      Fair point, Richard. The four I listed are the ones that cause the most repeat calls, not the whole turn, and a written standard checked on every unit is the better system. Agreed that locks come first. Do you keep that standard as a written sheet you sign off on each turn, or is it more in your head after all these years?

      [email protected]949-391-1019
      Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
      WebsiteView Page
      0Reply
    • Richard F.
      Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
      3d

      When I had in-house maintenance staff, it was a written standard, and all employees, including the receptionist (she would re-pin used locksets removed from properties), were trained how to rekey locks, so we always had sets pre-staged for whoever what first on site. When we relied totally on third party vendors, it was my first call once vacancy was confirmed.

      0Reply
    • Leo SteinBusiness Member
      OP
      Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 100 posts · 27 votes
      3d

      Richard — that written standard plus pre-staged rekey sets is exactly the kind of boring system that saves a day of scramble at turnover. The thumb-through-the-trap check is a great catch too; easy to skip when you're rushing the punch list. Do you keep those rekey sets tagged by unit, or by lock brand so they travel with the tech?

      [email protected]949-391-1019
      Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
      WebsiteView Page
      0Reply
  • Divin KanyamaBusiness Member
    Accountant · Seattle, WA · Member since 2025 · 423 posts · 171 votes
    4d

    @Leo Stein This is a solid turnover checklist. Rekeying, testing safety devices, checking windows, and taking detailed photos can prevent a lot of avoidable issues once the new lease begins.

    A few other items worth adding are testing plumbing shutoffs and GFCI outlets, checking for active leaks, servicing HVAC filters, confirming appliances work properly, and making sure exterior lights and address numbers are visible. It also helps to document utility meter readings and have the tenant complete a signed move-in condition report.

    Rekeyable locks can be a great middle ground for repeat turnovers, while smart locks are convenient if there is a reliable process for changing codes and controlling access. Either way, the system matters more than the hardware. A repeatable checklist, dated records, and quick follow-through can make turnovers smoother for both the landlord and the incoming tenant.

    [email protected]
    WEMBO CPA532 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Richard (Ryszard) Cieplechowicz
    Member since 2026 · 108 posts · 30 votes
    3d

    Good list. Two I'd add: look under every sink and around the water heater for slow leaks and old stains, since turnover is the only time the unit is empty and easy to check. And change the HVAC filter and write the date on it. On the photos, keep the same room-by-room set for move-out so the comparison is easy to line up.

    0Reply
  • Leo SteinBusiness Member
    OP
    Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 100 posts · 27 votes
    3d

    Thanks, Divin. Good adds. GFCI outlets and shutoff valves are easy to miss, and a signed move-in condition report with meter readings makes any later deposit conversation much simpler. Richard, same idea: I keep the move-out photos in the same room order as move-in so the comparison lines up. General info, not legal advice.

    [email protected]949-391-1019
    Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Daniel Jung
    Member since 2026 · 27 posts · 9 votes
    3d

    Good list, and I would add one habit that has saved us repeat visits: run every fixture like a new tenant would on day one. Flush toilets, run showers and taps for a few minutes, check drains are actually clearing, and look underneath again after the water has run, not just before. Slow leaks and lazy drains often hide when everything is dry. We also leave a simple dated checklist in the unit file with photos matched to each item, so if a question comes up in the first month we can tell what was tested and when, instead of guessing from memory.

    1Reply
    • Leo SteinBusiness Member
      OP
      Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 100 posts · 27 votes
      3d

      Thanks, Daniel. Running every fixture the way a new tenant would, then checking underneath again after the water has run, is a smart way to catch slow leaks and lazy drains. Matching dated photos to each checklist item also makes the first-month questions much easier to answer. Do you do that fixture run right before the new tenant's walk-through, or a few days ahead so there's time to fix anything you find?

      [email protected]949-391-1019
      Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
      WebsiteView Page
      0Reply
    • Richard F.
      Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
      3d

      To add one simple check, while checking under the sink, IF you have metal traps, try to push your thumb through the bottom of the trap. That is where water sits all the time, and first to corrode through from the inside. Catch it early, before it starts leaking, by testing it.

      0Reply
  • Harrison C.
    Member since 2017 · 58 posts · 26 votes
    3d

    I'd add the clock to the list. I rent by the bedroom, so a turnover is one room while the rest of the house stays full, and a $675 room is about $22 for every day it sits. same checklist, but the order matters: relist the day notice comes in, not the day they leave, and book the clean before the last day. I plan two days to clean and make ready.

    on your lock question, I went to keypad locks with a code per person, bedroom doors and the front door. when someone leaves their code stops, nobody else's changes, and theres nothing to rekey.

    and photos room by room at move in, plus the shared rooms. in a shared house the kitchen is where the deposit arguments start, because nobody thinks its theirs.

    0Reply
    • Leo SteinBusiness Member
      OP
      Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 100 posts · 27 votes
      3d

      Harrison — the $22/day framing makes the cost of a slow turn painfully clear. Keypad codes per person plus photos of the shared spaces is a clean way to keep accountability when multiple people share access. When someone gives notice, do you change that person's code immediately, or wait until the actual move-out day?

      [email protected]949-391-1019
      Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
      WebsiteView Page
      0Reply
  • Jim Johnson
    Real Estate Agent · Memphis · Member since 2026 · 580 posts · 343 votes
    3d

    Rekeyable locks make a lot of sense when you're handling multiple turnovers, but changing access between tenants still needs to be part of the routine. I'd add checking under sinks, around toilets, and behind appliances for slow leaks. Those are the kinds of things that can go unnoticed in an empty unit and turn into a repair call right after someone moves in.

    0Reply
    • Leo SteinBusiness Member
      OP
      Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 100 posts · 27 votes
      3d

      Jim — agreed that rekeyable hardware only helps if changing access between tenants stays non-negotiable. Checking under sinks and behind appliances before the next move-in is one of those five-minute habits that prevents the 'why wasn't this caught?' call later. On your side, is the under-sink / appliance check on a written turnover checklist, or more of a tech habit?

      [email protected]949-391-1019
      Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
      WebsiteView Page
      0Reply
  • Matthew Tregoning
    Property Manager · Melbourne, FL · Member since 2019 · 353 posts · 147 votes
    1d

    For furnished rentals, the extra sleeping spaces deserve their own check. Actually open the sofa bed, check the mechanism and mattress, and make sure the right linens are there. A tidy living room photo won’t tell you any of that. It’s an easy detail to miss when the last guest never used that bed.

    0Reply
    • Leo SteinBusiness Member
      OP
      Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 100 posts · 27 votes
      1d

      Matthew, good catch. A sofa bed is exactly the kind of item that looks fine in a photo and fails when a guest actually opens it. I'd fold it into a furnished-unit add-on: open the mechanism, check the mattress, confirm the linens match the listed sleeping count. Do you keep a separate checklist for furnished turnovers, or one master list with a furnished section?

      [email protected]949-391-1019
      Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
      WebsiteView Page
      0Reply
  • Michele FischerPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    23h

    Congrats if you don't need to replace every smoke detector and blind in the rental.

    Focus on outside and drive up appeal early. Lawn, bark dust, trim shrubs, wash windows.

    Reset thermostat on hot water heater if tenant adjusted it above the legal temp.

    And clean vents.

    Podcast Guest on Show #79
    0Reply
  • Leo SteinBusiness Member
    OP
    Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 100 posts · 27 votes
    5h

    Michele, thank you. Curb appeal is easy to overlook at turnover, and a trimmed lawn and clean windows do a lot for the first showing. Resetting the water heater thermostat and cleaning the vents are quick checks that are easy to miss too. Do you do the exterior work before or after you start showing the unit?

    [email protected]949-391-1019
    Real Property Management Optimal 514 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.
Log InJoin for Free