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What Is a Unit Turn? A Guide for Multifamily Property Managers
Quick answer: A unit turn is the full process of getting an apartment rent-ready after one resident moves out and before the next moves in — typically painting, flooring, cleaning, repairs, and any kitchen or bath updates, followed by a final inspection. The faster a turn is completed, the fewer days the unit sits vacant losing rent. A well-run vacant turn can move from move-out to rent-ready in about four days; the industry average often stretches far longer.
The definition, in plain terms
In multifamily operations, a "unit turn" (also called an apartment turn or turnover) is everything that happens to a unit between tenancies. The moment a resident hands back the keys, the clock starts. Every day until a new lease begins is a day of lost rent — so the unit turn is one of the few operational levers that directly protects net operating income (NOI).
A standard vacant unit turn includes:
- Inspection and scope — documenting condition and deciding what's repair vs. replace.
- Paint — walls, trim, and touch-ups so the unit shows clean.
- Flooring — repair or replacement, transitions, and final cleanup.
- Kitchen — cabinets, counters, and fixtures as needed.
- Bath — vanity, fixtures, and toilet as needed.
- Punch — a final walk-through to catch anything missed before handoff.
- Documentation — photos and cycle-time reporting so the work is verifiable.
Why unit turn speed matters more than almost anything
The cost of a turn isn't just the paint and labor — it's the vacancy. Industry estimates put the all-in cost of an apartment turnover between $3,500 and $5,000 per unit once you account for lost rent, make-ready work, marketing, and leasing commissions. A vacant unit loses roughly $50 a day in rent; on a $1,500/month apartment, a 15-day vacancy costs about $750 in rent alone. Reducing vacancy by just five days can save $200–$250 per unit — and across a portfolio of thousands of units, that compounds fast.
Put another way: even a single month of vacancy can equal an 8–10% loss in annual rental income for that unit. For an operator running 1,000+ units, even a small improvement in turn time moves NOI by a meaningful margin.
This is why the question isn't really "what is a unit turn?" — it's "how fast and how consistently can we turn units without sacrificing quality?"
The hidden problem: the "parade of contractors"
Most turns slow down not because the work is hard, but because it's fragmented. A painter comes Tuesday, the flooring crew shows up Friday, the plumber is booked until next week, and the cleaner can't get in until everyone else is done. Each handoff is a gap, and each gap is vacancy.
The result is a turn that could take four days stretching into two or three weeks — not because of the labor, but because of the coordination. Quality also drifts: with a different crew on every unit, there's no single standard and no single point of accountability.
Ad-hoc turns vs. a managed turn program
There are two ways to run turns at scale:
Ad-hoc turns — you call separate vendors for each trade, unit by unit. It feels flexible, but it means you're the project manager for every turn, chasing schedules and inspecting inconsistent work.
A managed turn program — one team owns the entire turn against a defined scope and timeline, delivers the same standard on every unit, and reports back with photos and cycle time. You hand over the turn list; they hand back rent-ready units.
A managed program is what makes a 4-day turn repeatable rather than lucky. It replaces coordination overhead with a single accountable partner — which is exactly the model ONE70 Group's 4-Day Vacant Unit Turn program is built around.
What about occupied units?
Not every upgrade requires a vacancy. Some renovations — kitchen and bath refreshes in particular — can be done while a resident still lives there, completed in a single day so the resident leaves in the morning and comes home to a finished space. That's a separate workflow from a vacant turn (no move-out required, zero vacancy loss), but it's worth knowing the option exists when you're planning portfolio-wide upgrades.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a unit turn take? A well-coordinated vacant turn can be completed in about four days, move-out to rent-ready. Many portfolios average significantly longer, usually because the work is split across separate, uncoordinated vendors.
How much does a unit turn cost? Industry estimates put the all-in cost between $3,500 and $5,000 per unit, including lost rent, make-ready labor and materials, marketing, and leasing costs.
What's the difference between a turn and a renovation? A turn restores a unit to rent-ready condition between residents. A renovation upgrades finishes or systems beyond the prior standard. The two overlap — many turns include light renovation like new flooring or counters.
Can a unit be upgraded without the resident moving out? Yes. Occupied kitchen and bath upgrades can be completed in a single day with no relocation, avoiding vacancy loss entirely.
Sources: Turnover cost and vacancy-loss figures from Renew, Big Multifamily Vendors, and industry vacancy-cost analyses.