Rental turnover maintenance checklist

The gap between tenants is the one time a landlord has the whole property to themselves, and it's the time to do the jobs that are awkward with someone living there. Some are obligations: the alarms, the outlets and the extinguishers have to work for the next tenant. The rest are the cleanings and small fixes that stop the midnight calls about a smell, a clog or a leak in the first month of a lease.

Run the safety items first, with a note of the date for your records. Then work through the appliances and the bathroom, and finish with the carpets once everything else is done and the dust has settled.

The checklist

• Test the smoke and CO alarms: every alarm, with the test logged and dated.
• Replace the smoke and CO alarm batteries: fresh batteries at every turnover, whatever the date.
• Test the GFCI outlets: every one in the kitchen, the bathrooms, the garage and outdoors.
• Check the fire extinguishers: in the green, pinned, and in date, or replaced.
• Exercise the water shut-off valves: and show the new tenant where the main valve is.
• Replace the HVAC filter: a fresh filter, and a note in the lease about who changes the next one.
• Flush the water heater: the yearly flush, done while nobody needs hot water.
• Clean the dryer vent: tenants rarely do it, so the turnover is when it happens.
• Replace the washing machine hoses: if they're rubber or of unknown age, braided ones now.
• Clean the dishwasher and its filter: the filter and a vinegar cycle, so the first load doesn't come out gritty.
• Clean the garbage disposal: and check that the hex key is still taped under the sink.
• Clean the oven: the job every tenant leaves for the next one.
• Clean the range hood filter: soaked clean, or a new charcoal filter on a ductless hood.
• Clean the refrigerator coils: pull the fridge out while the kitchen is empty.
• Replace the refrigerator water filter: a new filter and a reset of the indicator.
• Clean the bathroom exhaust fans: a working fan is what keeps the next mildew complaint away.
• Inspect and replace bath and shower caulk: a fresh bead cures while the unit is empty.
• Check the windows and doors for drafts: weatherstripping and sweeps before the heating bills become a complaint.
• Test the garage door auto-reverse: the safety reverse has to work before a tenant's child plays near it.
• Deep clean the carpets: the last job, after the dust from everything else.
• Treat the exterior for pests: a perimeter treatment before move-in, so the first week has no ants.

Tips

• Photograph and date the alarm tests, the extinguisher gauges and the outlet tests. They're the records that matter if anything goes wrong later.
• Put the filter changes and the monthly tests in the lease, with the filter size written down, and leave a few spares in the closet.
• Do the water heater flush and the hose change on the same day, since both need the water off and a hose out.
• Walk the unit with the new tenant and show them the main shut-off, the breaker panel and the extinguisher. It saves a call and may save the unit.
• Schedule the carpet cleaning last, after the repairs and the painting, so it isn't undone by the work.

FAQ

What should a landlord check between tenants?

The alarms, the GFCI outlets and the extinguishers first, then the water heater, the dryer vent, the washer hoses, the appliances and the caulk, with the carpets last.

Are landlords responsible for smoke detector batteries?

The alarms have to work at move-in, and fresh batteries at turnover are the simplest way to be sure. Who changes them during the lease is a lease term.

How often should a rental property be inspected?

At every turnover for the full list, and a walk-through during a long tenancy for the safety items and the water-related ones.

What maintenance can be left to the tenant?

The filter changes and the monthly tests, if the lease says so and the supplies are there. The water heater, the vents and the hoses are better kept by the owner.