How much should a unit turnover be?? (I feel like my PM is taking advantage)

AK · Member since 2022 · 20 posts · 20 votes

Hello guys and gals,

So I have to had to turnover one unit so far in my Triplex, and about to have to turn over a second ( from evitction a whole separate post ). I am curious as to how much a unit turnover should cost, and what that includes. My PM charged me 3,500.00 to turn over a 1 bedroom unit. And another 400.00 plus to clean the unit after. The former tenant, let the fridge kind a mess, Ice in the freezer, the bathroom was gross, and left some clothes hangars and small effects behind. I can attach phots that my PM took. As well as photos that the PM took after the vendor "turned the unit over" They facilitate the vendors, I have no idea who they are and have asked for itemized receipts twice so far and have not received them. I feel like this price is pretty steep. But this being my first rental property and a tenant that I "inherited" (same with the eviction) I have a second unit that will need to be turned over after going through the eviction. So any and all advice will be greetly apprecaited!

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Nicholas L.Pro Member

Flipper/Rehabber · Pittsburgh · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes

@Andrew Foster

there's no answer to how much it should cost. but it sounds like you and your PM don't have the greatest communication - they should have given you an estimate up front, but after they do that, they can't typically wait for very long or for you to pick at it, they need to move quickly. so there really isn't enough information in your post to say.

do they post a report to your ledger? i never need to ask for receipts - every month a report is posted to my online portal and i can see what came in and what went out, every month. no one needs to send me anything.

and i try to be pretty engaged when there are turns but that's just me. i had a tenant leave a ton of stuff behind one time and i didn't feel like paying $1500 for a haul so I some of it myself. still had to pay a couple hundred dollars to a company to take it once i had sorted it. i donated a bunch of stuff that i didn't want thrown away.

i also got an estimate from my PM for a repair a few months ago that i thought was high, so i told them to hold off and i got a few other estimates including one i was happier with. so it's up to you whether to be more hands on or less. if you don't have time or interest in doing that then you don't have to. it's all trade offs.

hope this helps

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Matthew CrivelliBusiness Member
Lender · MA · Member since 2021 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
Find a new property manager immediately. $3,900 for a unit turn over is more or less theft unless they are doing major property repair. This is one of many ways out of state investors get taken advantage of in the Cleveland market.

At that rate, why would the PM even bother screening the tenants? Evictions are extremely lucrative for them...
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Andrew Foster
OP
AK · Member since 2022 · 20 posts · 20 votes
1y
Hi Matthew,
I apprecaite the promp response. This turnover was from a tennant that I inherited. Who did not renew their lease 5 months after I purchased the property and tookover. The eviction is also a tenant that I inerited who stopped paying the second mother I took over, paid half a month then stopped paying. We tried doing a payment plan, they agreed and didnt hold up to their agreement and decided to take this to court which was a whole process in itself. I will say the unit that was vacant and that my PM placed a tenant in has been great so far, they also got the "turnover" unit occupied in two weeks for more rent than the previous was paying. Im not justifying anything Im jsut trying to paint a clear picture of the situation.
I too feel the price is steep. But i have a bout 30+ photos of the unit that needed the work, and Im wondering if I should post those to maybe add some more context. But I do see your a point. If they can just have each unit turnover yearly, it would be great profit for them. This is what Im concerned about, and why I am posting. Thanks again though for the quick reply!
0 Reply
- Christopher Tulk
  Member since 2025 · 3 posts · 0 votes
  9mo
  Quote from @Andrew Foster:
  
  Hi Matthew,
  I apprecaite the promp response. This turnover was from a tennant that I inherited. Who did not renew their lease 5 months after I purchased the property and tookover. The eviction is also a tenant that I inerited who stopped paying the second mother I took over, paid half a month then stopped paying. We tried doing a payment plan, they agreed and didnt hold up to their agreement and decided to take this to court which was a whole process in itself. I will say the unit that was vacant and that my PM placed a tenant in has been great so far, they also got the "turnover" unit occupied in two weeks for more rent than the previous was paying. Im not justifying anything Im jsut trying to paint a clear picture of the situation.
  I too feel the price is steep. But i have a bout 30+ photos of the unit that needed the work, and Im wondering if I should post those to maybe add some more context. But I do see your a point. If they can just have each unit turnover yearly, it would be great profit for them. This is what Im concerned about, and why I am posting. Thanks again though for the quick reply!
  
  the price really depends on what all needed repaired, but I have found none of the PM companies in NE Ohio like to give itemized lists of anything. I started a whole company out of this problem, we offer clarification and good communication on all construction and maintenance needs, if you ever need any quotes and clarification on projects please feel free to shoot me a message
  0 Reply
Andrew Foster
OP
AK · Member since 2022 · 20 posts · 20 votes
1y
Unit Photos
0 Reply
- Chris Howell
  Tulsa ok · Member since 2025 · 84 posts · 60 votes
  1y
  Quote from @Andrew Foster:
  
  Unit Photos
  Find a new PM and always have to approve work over a price point make them get multiple bids. I would say from your pictures you should pay 300 for trash removal and around 300 for cleaning fee glass $150 And everything else looks minor touch up. I would say no more than $900. They are taking advantage.
  
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Caleb Brown
Real Estate Agent · Kansas City · Member since 2018 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
1y
I would want an itemized bid or what exactly they did. Tenant was messy so the amount isn't bad. If they painted, did flooring, replaced a window, etc those items can add up. If they only cleaned things out and left it close to the same then $3,500 is steep.
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- Andrew Foster
  OP
  AK · Member since 2022 · 20 posts · 20 votes
  1y
  Quote from @Caleb Brown:
  
  I would want an itemized bid or what exactly they did. Tenant was messy so the amount isn't bad. If they painted, did flooring, replaced a window, etc those items can add up. If they only cleaned things out and left it close to the same then $3,500 is steep.
  
  0 Reply
Marcus R.
Real Estate Agent · Denver CO · Member since 2019 · 209 posts · 332 votes
1y
Ask for a detailed scope of work. From there you can reach out to contractors and have them walkthrough/bid similar work and that'll give you an idea of the costs.
Prices can vary based on the size of the home, neighborhood, etc...but for a basic turnover $3.9K seems high.
1 Reply
Nicholas L.Pro Member
Flipper/Rehabber · Pittsburgh · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes
1y
@Andrew Foster
there's no answer to how much it should cost. but it sounds like you and your PM don't have the greatest communication - they should have given you an estimate up front, but after they do that, they can't typically wait for very long or for you to pick at it, they need to move quickly. so there really isn't enough information in your post to say.
do they post a report to your ledger? i never need to ask for receipts - every month a report is posted to my online portal and i can see what came in and what went out, every month. no one needs to send me anything.
and i try to be pretty engaged when there are turns but that's just me. i had a tenant leave a ton of stuff behind one time and i didn't feel like paying $1500 for a haul so I some of it myself. still had to pay a couple hundred dollars to a company to take it once i had sorted it. i donated a bunch of stuff that i didn't want thrown away.
i also got an estimate from my PM for a repair a few months ago that i thought was high, so i told them to hold off and i got a few other estimates including one i was happier with. so it's up to you whether to be more hands on or less. if you don't have time or interest in doing that then you don't have to. it's all trade offs.
hope this helps
7 Reply
Min ZhangBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
Hey Andrew! That does sound steep, especially if you haven’t even seen an itemized breakdown yet. From my experience, a basic turnover usually covers things like paint touch-ups, cleaning, minor repairs, and maybe a couple of appliance fixes. A full rehab is another story, but $3,500 plus another $400 cleaning fee for a one-bedroom seems more in line with heavy repairs, not just a standard turnover.

Since you mentioned it was an inherited tenant and one was an eviction, it makes sense that condition might be rougher, but even then, transparency from your PM is key. I’d definitely keep pushing for that itemized invoice so you know what you’re paying for. Without it, it’s hard to judge if the pricing is reasonable or padded.

Just curious, when you walked the unit before/after, did it look like $3.5K worth of work was actually done? Happy to keep the conversation going!
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Steve K.
Realtor · Boulder, CO · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 5k+ votes
1y
Hard to say if the PM is taking advantage or not without knowing what the scope of work was.
Generally, I usually spend $2-4k on a typical turnover, sometimes up to $5k and when I take on a new property it's usually on the upper end of that scale as I buy value-add type properties and usually do a bunch of work the first time units turn over under my ownership, in order to raise rent and get better tenants who will stay longer.
As a rule of thumb, turnover cost should not exceed 1-2 months rent or you will lose money over time trying to keep up with expenses.
What you're probably experiencing first-hand is how low-rent rentals rarely provide positive cashflow in reality (even if they do in a spreadsheet) because they turn over more often and because the rent typically isn't high enough to cover the true cost of ownership (especially if you're not hands-on with the property, self managing and doing your own turnovers etc.).
If this is the case for this property as I suspect it is, I would sell and buy in a better location where rents are higher as you will just keep losing more and more money over time on this property. Hopefully it is in a high appreciation market as that will be the only thing that will save you.
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Bill B.
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
1y
The lease should have professionally cleaned at move out in it. Os if they didn’t do that, the $400 comes out of tenants security deposit.
I had a family move out of a 3250sf 5bd/4bath home after 10.5 years. That cost me almost $900 in make ready. Because laws here prevent us from collecting for some wall damage/scuffs after a certain length.
I had another family “destroy” the place (2200sf 4/3). Fixing broken cabinet doors, removing 2 dumpsters of trash, pressure washing house and concrete, r/r dead plants/tree, fixing all the landscape sprinklers, 1/2 a dozen blinds, a few new light fixtures/bedroom fans, and bunch of wall patching, cleaning/painting. That ran me $1,700. Took them almost five days where most turns are 1-2 days.
1 Reply
Matthew Paul
Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
1y
No One can say if its too much money for a turn over or not . Unless you have a list of what was done . The only way to do a turn over economically is to do the work yourself .
A PM needs to make money , the cleaners need to make money and the contractors that did the work need to make money .
1 Reply
Mark Cruse
Investor · Fort Washington, MD · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
You have to understand that this is partially part of the PMs income. That 10 percent you give up can't really sustain them. In general, many don't care if you turn over every year or more. They get a taste of all that and also get paid for getting you a new tenant. I have had decent ones but most of mine have been feckless. Your company sounds shady. They should easily be able to provide you the punch list. They don't know what they are repairing. In terms of what you paid, if it was a normal and legitimate company it's hard to say. If you don't know what they did, no one can say. Its outlandish if it's just cleaning. However, it can be that amount and much much more depending on what the tenants did. You have to figure that out first. Either way, id dump them. Even the good ones who care about what they do, they get mark up on what repair they manage. A good company will show you everything that is needed and you have to agree. For me, since i know how to do it, I let them give me the list and send my own people in. Much cheaper, but others may not agree to that. Again, get that list and go from there, but for me, they would be gone anyway.
Best of luck
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Theresa HarrisPro Member
Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
1y
Depends on the condition of the place. $400 for cleaning (I'm in Canada) would be a deep cleaning and should mean everything is cleaned (ie oven, behind appliances that are easily moved-fridge, stove).
For $3500, they need to provide you with an itemized invoice. Your contract should state that anything over $500 (or whatever number they have) requires your permission. Also ask them what they did with the tenant's deposit-that should be used to offset some of those costs.
They can cause a lot of damage in a short period of time, but what was the condition of the unit when you bought it? If it was that bad, you would have seen damage. Only turnover I had that cost that much was an eviction and that required hauling away a lot of junk they left behind, repainting, lots of cleaning, etc.
1 Reply
Arman AhmedPro Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus Cleveland Dayton, OH · Member since 2024 · 2k+ posts · 906 votes
1y
@Andrew Foster

A good PM should always give you itemized receipts and be transparent about vendor costs. For turnovers, ask for before/after photos, clarify exactly what’s included (paint, repairs, cleaning, etc.), and compare with a few outside quotes. Even if you stick with your PM’s vendors, having that baseline helps you know if you’re being charged fairly.

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Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
1y
@Andrew Foster some decent advice here, but also some feedback from those who really don't have enough info to support their perspective.
Many DIY investors price repairs on materials only and forget about labor as they do their own work.
We're a PMC in Metro Detroit, but here's how our process would work:
1) MoveOut Video & Pics used to create Scope Of Work (SOW)
2) SOW broken down into Priority Categories:
- Health & Safety
- Government Required (municipality/S8 inspection requirements)
- Property Preservation
- Marketing Impact / Tenant Retention
- Miscellaneous
3) Bids obtained if we feel work will exceed Owner Approval Threshold
4) Bid sent & discussed with owner to, "redline to their budget"
5) Work begins once owner approves & funds
6) Completion video/pics provided
Of course, while this is going on our Marketing Dept would be doing a rental analysis & ad, and discussing with owner. Once work done, marketing pics, floorplan & 3-D Tour obtained and marketing starts.
Hopefully, you can see from our process, that without the SOW, NO ONE can really give you logical feedback about the $3900 you were charged.
All they can share is their experiences on their properties and their best GUESS.
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James Wise
Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
1y
Lots of advice in this thread....Unfortunately most of it is from people who don't know their butt from their elbow when it comes to what goes into doing unit turns. I am honestly wondering if some of you should be allowed outside without a helmet on.
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- Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
  Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
  9mo
  Quote from @James Wise:
  
  Lots of advice in this thread....Unfortunately most of it is from people who don't know their butt from their elbow when it comes to what goes into doing unit turns. I am honestly wondering if some of you should be allowed outside without a helmet on.
  
  jim another pearl
  should be allowed outside without a helmet on.
  
  one of my long time clients who owns over 200 SFRs in D C B areas of the deep south was telling me his turnovers are averaging 3k and thats him doing them in house. Modeling a proforma with 1k turnovers is 2015 math
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Marcus Auerbach
Investor · Milwaukee - Mequon, WI · Member since 2010 · 5k+ posts · 7k+ votes
1y
Looks like a classic low-income rental and they are usually rough. What you are finding out is that spreadsheet cash flow is not the same as real life. Turnover is your single biggest expense and should be a strategic consideration when you lay out your strategy. We average about 2-3 months rent, so about 5-6k, but that includes sometimes one month vacancy and re-leasing expenses.
It is expensive to be a PM. Just to change a lightbulb you have to send out a qualified person on a w2 salary with benefits in a company vehicle, drive across town, find out it's a special light bulb, spend an hour going to the store, back to the unit (hopefully without having to reschedule for another day) and then install it. Takes 3 hours @ $60 fully loaded cost to the PMC, plus 20% markup for profit, because that's the whole point of running a business. and then the client complains that is was $210 to change a light bulb.. But you expect them to have an office with staff and someone answering the phone and taking 30 minutes to respond to your email about why it was so much after spending half an hour of gathering what had happened... It is expensive to run a business!
That being said, I would expect an itemized receipt that breaks down, what had to be done.
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Travis TimmonsPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Ellsworth, ME · Member since 2021 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
1y
I'm with @Marcus Auerbach and @Steve K. on this one. Older properties that rent below the median rent level in a city are always going to very expensive to turn due the age of the property and the condition that the property is usually left in by that class of tenant.
I'll ask a dumb question - have you visited the property? If not, get on a plane and go see it. Otherwise, you just have no idea what is fair as it relates to maintenance.
That number does seem high, but every new landlord that I have met (including me) has had sticker shock on their first turnover.
4 Reply
Gladimir Lobo
Real Estate Broker · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2023 · 205 posts · 78 votes
1y
You all can offer advice and reach conclusions without a scope of work. WOW!

In that case, my barber charged me $255 for a haircut. Is that too much?
1 Reply
Adam BartomeoBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · Cape Coral, FL · Member since 2015 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
The far majority of our unit turnover expenses are covered by the tenant's security deposit. Sometimes they can be higher due to normal wear and tear. We pay $400 for a cleaning of a 3/2 1,700sq. A 1/1 is normally $200.
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Andrew Foster
OP
AK · Member since 2022 · 20 posts · 20 votes
10mo
Great advice and feedback guys I appreciate it!
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Wade Wisner
Member since 2024 · 86 posts · 69 votes
9mo
Hey Andrew,
So, did you receive any breakdown of the $3,500 charge? What do you mean by turn over? Was this the put-out cost plus releasing to a new tenant? I would require a complete breakdown prior to payment. Additionally, I would want the same thing for the other unit. Do you live near your property that you could self-manage? It is not that difficult once you get the lease set up and you tenant rules. It does take some time to "condition" your tenant to how you operate, but my-self managed properties have always done very well with few evictions and good cash flow. From my experience of over 50 years of real estate investment outside property managers need to be carefully managed to not spend you broke. Good luck!
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Jimmy LieuBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9mo
Quote from @Andrew Foster:

Hello guys and gals,
So I have to had to turnover one unit so far in my Triplex, and about to have to turn over a second ( from evitction a whole separate post ). I am curious as to how much a unit turnover should cost, and what that includes. My PM charged me 3,500.00 to turn over a 1 bedroom unit. And another 400.00 plus to clean the unit after. The former tenant, let the fridge kind a mess, Ice in the freezer, the bathroom was gross, and left some clothes hangars and small effects behind. I can attach phots that my PM took. As well as photos that the PM took after the vendor "turned the unit over" They facilitate the vendors, I have no idea who they are and have asked for itemized receipts twice so far and have not received them. I feel like this price is pretty steep. But this being my first rental property and a tenant that I "inherited" (same with the eviction) I have a second unit that will need to be turned over after going through the eviction. So any and all advice will be greetly apprecaited!
Hey Andrew, welcome to BP and yeah, $3,500 for a basic 1-bed turnover plus another $400 for cleaning definitely feels on the higher end unless there was major damage or a full repaint/flooring replacement involved. A normal turnover should usually include patching holes, repainting, cleaning, maybe a few small repairs, and getting the place rent-ready, but without itemized receipts it’s almost impossible to know what they actually did. I’d keep pushing for that breakdown because any good PM should be transparent about where your money is going. For context, I invest in Columbus, Ohio and own 10+ rentals here, and most of my turnovers land closer to $1k–$2k unless something crazy happened. Columbus is still super affordable compared to a lot of markets and that’s part of why so many out-of-state investors like it—solid cash flow, 1% rule deals in the $120–180k range, and strong macro growth from Intel, Amazon, Google, Honda, and more. If you’re dealing with multiple turnovers and expensive PM pricing, it might be worth comparing markets or even interview a few different PMs to see if something more reasonable is out there. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!
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Remington LymanBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
9mo
Quote from @Andrew Foster:

Hello guys and gals,
So I have to had to turnover one unit so far in my Triplex, and about to have to turn over a second ( from evitction a whole separate post ). I am curious as to how much a unit turnover should cost, and what that includes. My PM charged me 3,500.00 to turn over a 1 bedroom unit. And another 400.00 plus to clean the unit after. The former tenant, let the fridge kind a mess, Ice in the freezer, the bathroom was gross, and left some clothes hangars and small effects behind. I can attach phots that my PM took. As well as photos that the PM took after the vendor "turned the unit over" They facilitate the vendors, I have no idea who they are and have asked for itemized receipts twice so far and have not received them. I feel like this price is pretty steep. But this being my first rental property and a tenant that I "inherited" (same with the eviction) I have a second unit that will need to be turned over after going through the eviction. So any and all advice will be greetly apprecaited!

Can you post the scope of work that was done?
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