Apartment turnover cleaning checklist for Reno property managers

Where the clean fits in the make-ready

1. Move-out inspection and photos
2. Trash-out of anything left behind
3. Maintenance and repairs
4. Paint and touch-up
5. Flooring work, such as carpet replacement or plank repairs
6. Turnover clean
7. Final inspection, then the unit goes back on the market

When the clean happens before paint or flooring, dust and drips land on surfaces that were just cleaned, and the unit gets cleaned twice. Reno Clean slots every turnover clean at the end of your make-ready for that reason.

Kitchen

• Refrigerator inside and out: shelves, drawers, door gaskets, top and sides
• Oven and range: racks, drip pans or glass top, knobs, hood and filter
• Microwave inside and out
• Dishwasher door, edges and filter area
• Cabinets and drawers inside and out
• Countertops, backsplash, sink, faucet and disposal flange
• Light fixtures and switch plates
• Floor swept and mopped, with edges and corners detailed

Bathrooms

• Tub, shower walls, shower doors and tracks, with soap scum and buildup removed
• Toilet inside, outside, base and behind
• Vanity top, sink, faucet, cabinet and drawers inside and out
• Mirror and medicine cabinet
• Exhaust fan cover, towel bars and fixtures
• Floor mopped, baseboards wiped

Living areas and bedrooms

• Baseboards, doors and door frames
• Light switches, outlets and thermostat
• Window sills, tracks and interior glass
• Blinds dusted or wiped
• Closet shelves, rods and floors
• Ceiling fans and light fixtures
• Carpet vacuumed edge to edge (carpet cleaning on request)
• Hard floors swept and mopped

Entry, laundry and patio

• Front door inside and out, threshold and peephole
• Laundry area: washer and dryer tops and fronts, lint and dust behind and under
• Sliding door glass and tracks
• Patio or balcony swept
• Storage closets cleaned out and swept

Is this a light, medium or heavy turn?

Every unit needs the same checklist, but not the same amount of time. Walk the unit after move-out and tick what you see. The result tells you what kind of turn you have before you book the clean.

The final check before the unit is ready

• Turn on every light and look at each room from the doorway, the way a prospect will.
• Walk the unit with the same checklist the crew used.
• Open the fridge, oven and a few cabinets. These are the places prospects check.
• Run water in each sink and tub and check for odors.
• Take photos for the unit file.

Heavily soiled and long-vacant units

Not every unit is a standard turn. Units that sat empty collect dust and insects in sills and light fixtures. Units left in rough shape may need grease cut from the whole kitchen, buildup removed from tubs and showers and walls washed. These take far longer, and they should be quoted as a deep clean up front so the turn budget holds. Reno Clean flags these units before the work starts, never on the invoice.

Making turns faster when many units are turning

• Send the unit list and each target ready date in one place.
• Give the cleaning company one contact on site who can answer questions.
• Have keys or lockbox codes ready before the crew arrives.
• Group units in the same building on the same day when you can.
• Before the summer move-out peak, give your cleaning company the expected count so the crew is staffed to match.