The turnover walk: what we check before a unit goes rent-ready

Rosina Persaud · 2026-10-27T09:22:00-07:00

We run 236 doors in Memphis, mostly single-family and heavy Section 8, and no unit gets called rent-ready until it passes the same turnover walk.Systems and safety first, cosmetics last. We test smoke and CO detectors, run plumbing at every fixture and check for leaks, confirm HVAC function and change the filter, run every appliance through a full cycle, and check locks, windows, and screens. We also locate and test the water shutoff so the next person in the house is not hunting for it during a leak.While we walk, we photo-document condition in every room. Small fixes go on a fix-on-the-spot list instead of becoming a second trip — that second trip is where days disappear.All of it ties to our 21-day turnover schedule. Turnover and vacancy cost more than repairs, so a missed detector, a slow drain, or a dead appliance found at move-in is not a small miss. It is lost days.For Section 8 units, we walk it the way a housing-authority inspection will check it. If it would fail there, it is not rent-ready here, no matter how good the paint looks.What item on your turnover walk did you learn the hard way not to skip?

Lauren CutchenBusiness Member

Real Estate Agent · The Woodlands, TX · Member since 2019 · 226 posts · 85 votes

1w

Great list. The one I learned not to skip in our Houston heat is the AC. Not just whether it turns on, but whether it's actually keeping up, plus checking the condensate line and drain pan. A clogged line in August turns into a ceiling stain and an unhappy tenant fast. 100% with you on finding the water shutoff before move-in too.

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Randy Schell

Member since 2026 · 287 posts · 43 votes

1w

Writing the walk down like this is a gift to the next tenant, who just wants to feel safe on day one. From 20+ years of inspections, one small add would be a photo of the water heater label, since age and slow leaks like to hide there.

Randy, Bunklow

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Daniel Jung

Member since 2026 · 77 posts · 26 votes

1w

The item I learned the hard way is running every tap and flushing every toilet in a unit that has sat empty for a while, then waiting a few minutes. Traps dry out, and the first sign is often a sewer smell the new tenant notices on day one, which reads like a dirty home even when everything sparkles. The same pause catches slow drips under sinks that a quick walk-through misses. We now leave the water running while we do the rest of the walk and check underneath with a dry hand before signing off. It adds minutes, and it has saved us more than one awkward first-week maintenance call.

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Cameron Tope

Property Manager · Katy, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

2d

Rosina - my post got removed.

If you want our rent ready requirements, then shoot me a DM.

Draining the hot water tank was one we learned the hard way!

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John Cafarelli

Member since 2026 · 19 posts · 4 votes

1d

Rosina, I agree that systems first and cosmetics last is the right order. The part I used to rush was the final check after the work was done. I would see fresh paint and clean floors and call it ready, then find a dead detector, a sticky lock, or a window that would not stay open after the tenant moved in. Now I do a second, slower walk with the unit empty and quiet, testing every detector, lock, window, outlet, and appliance switch as if I were the person moving in that day.

I also take dated photos in every room, including inside cabinets, closets, and appliances, and I save them with the move-in notes for that unit. It takes ten extra minutes, but it has made move-out comparisons much calmer and fairer for both sides. I can see what was already worn and what actually changed.

My other habit is to keep a short written list during the walk, with the small fixes I can do that day and the ones that need a part or a trade. I check them off before I call the unit ready, because a unit that looks finished but still has an unfinished repair is not really ready.

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Gelu Mergl

Contractor · Scotrun, PA · Member since 2026 · 22 posts · 2 votes

1d

Rosina, systems first and cosmetics last is the right order — and the item I learned the hard way not to skip is the final hand-test after the work is done.

I used to walk a unit, make a list, and call it ready when the paint was dry and the floors were clean. Then I found a door that would not latch, a window painted shut, and a smoke alarm with no battery — all after I had already told myself the unit was finished. John is right in this thread: the second, slower walk with the unit empty and quiet is where those show up.

So now the walk has two passes. The first is the repair walk, room by room. The second is the hand-test walk, and I do that one myself — I do not hand it to someone else. I close and latch every door, open every bedroom window fully and make sure it stays open, press every smoke and CO alarm test button, trip and reset every GFCI, run every faucet, and switch every light and appliance on and off. Paint can seal a window shut and a lock can stick after cleaning, so the second pass is not a repeat — it catches what the work itself changed.

For a Section 8 unit I walk that second pass the way a housing-authority inspector will: if it would fail an inspection, it is not rent-ready, even if it looks ready. A dated photo of each item tested, in the unit file, is what proves the fix was done, not just planned.

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The turnover walk: what we check before a unit goes rent-ready

The turnover walk: what we check before a unit goes rent-ready

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