Quick answer: A usable make ready checklist for apartments covers condition documentation, cleaning, repairs, safety, locks, utilities, and listing readiness in that order. For a standard unit, plan around a 48-hour work window once the unit is vacant and access is clear. The last step should be a separate release inspection, not an assumption that a clean-looking unit is ready.
A make ready checklist is the handoff document between a former tenancy and a marketable apartment. It should tell the person doing the work what to inspect, what to repair, what to photograph, and what must pass before keys are released. Get instant quote in 30 seconds
Why is a make ready checklist different from a move out checklist?
A move out checklist records the unit's condition at possession. A make ready checklist turns that record into completed work. Mixing the two is how managers lose track of whether a stain was documented, cleaned, or determined to need replacement.
Start with the outgoing condition report and timestamped photos. Then create a work list that assigns each item one of four outcomes: clean, repair, replace, or hold for owner approval. The make ready list should also distinguish normal wear from possible tenant damage. That distinction matters when considering deposit deductions under California Civil Code §1950.5. For a practical review of that line, see our guide to normal wear and tear in California.
The key operational difference is closure. Every turnover item needs a status, a responsible person, and proof of completion. “Kitchen cleaned” is vague. “Range degreased, all four burners tested, oven racks replaced, completion photo uploaded” can be released.
What should be checked before any turnover crew starts?
Do the first inspection while the apartment is empty and before cleaners, painters, or junk haulers change the evidence. Walk the unit with power and water on where possible. Record meter issues, missing items, active leaks, and access problems before assigning cosmetic work.
Use this first-pass sequence:
- Photograph every room, closet, appliance, fixture, and exterior storage area.
- Open and close each window, door, cabinet, and closet door.
- Run faucets and showers long enough to spot drainage or temperature issues.
- Flush toilets and look at the base for movement or seepage.
- Test lights, outlets, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, exhaust fans, and GFCI resets.
- Check the refrigerator, disposal, hood, burners, oven, dishwasher, and HVAC filter.
- Confirm all keys, remotes, mail keys, parking devices, and building access credentials are accounted for.
This pass catches work that cleaning cannot solve. It also prevents the common LA turnover mistake of scheduling paint before identifying a slow leak under a vanity. If the unit has junk, clear it before deep cleaning so the crew can reach baseboards, closets, and appliance pull-outs.
What belongs on the cleaning portion of the checklist?
Cleaning should be broken down by surfaces and functions, not by a generic instruction to “deep clean.” Kitchens need degreasing at the hood, cabinet faces, range, oven, refrigerator seals, and backsplash. Bathrooms need soap scale removal, grout assessment, fixture polishing, drain tests, and an exhaust-fan check. Bedrooms and living rooms need wall spot review, window tracks, closets, vents, floors, and switch plates.
Add less visible tasks that often affect a showing: remove adhesive from walls and windows, clean inside drawers, vacuum the sliding-door track, check under sinks, and empty patio or balcony drains. In older buildings, especially units with original cabinetry, cabinet interiors and shelf liners deserve their own line item. More detail is available in our move out cleaning Los Angeles guide and our apartment kitchen degreasing checklist.
For a base reset, TurnOver LA's Make Ready service combines a deep clean with a 12-pt photo report. The report creates a record of completed areas for the manager who has to approve the unit remotely.
Which repairs should be separated from the cleaning scope?
Separate repair work early because it controls the order of every other trade. A cleaner can report a damaged wall, but cleaning does not cure a loose toilet, inoperable outlet, broken blind, leaking valve, or failed appliance component. Put life-safety, water, electrical, and access items first. Then handle drywall, paint, hardware, and cosmetic punch work.
A good checklist has a “hold” column for items that need a decision. Examples include a cabinet door that works but is swollen, flooring that is stained but not torn, or a refrigerator with a noisy fan. This prevents a crew from making an unauthorized replacement decision just to close a checklist item.
For small punch lists, use a dedicated repair and maintenance visit rather than burying repair requests in cleaner notes. TurnOver LA lists a half-day handyman punch list at $230 and a full-day handyman punch list at $425. Labor and crew supplies are included in the quote. Paint, parts, and fixtures are identified at the on-site inspection and added only with approval.
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Get an instant quoteHow should the work be sequenced to avoid repeat visits?
The fastest apartment turnover is not the one with the most people in the unit at once. It is the one where each task leaves the next task undisturbed. Start with cleanout, leak or safety repairs, drywall, painting, cleaning, final maintenance checks, then locks and listing photos. If rekeying occurs before every contractor is finished, keys may be copied, misplaced, or repeatedly transferred.
Use three release gates. First, the condition gate confirms documented damage and approved scope. Second, the functional gate confirms water, power, appliances, alarms, doors, and windows work. Third, the market gate confirms the unit is clean, photo-ready, and free of materials or vendor equipment. A failed item goes back to the relevant gate, not to a vague “final touch-ups” list.
TurnOver LA's standard turnaround is 48 hours with no rush or same-day upcharge. That timeline works best when the manager provides vacant possession, working utility access, parking instructions, and a single approval contact. Get instant quote in 30 seconds
How do photos make the checklist easier to manage?
Photos turn a checklist from a verbal update into a usable release record. Take condition photos before work, then take completion photos from repeatable angles. The most useful angles are wide room views, appliance interiors, under-sink areas, bathrooms, entry doors, and any repaired condition. A close-up of a wall patch without a wider context shot is rarely enough for later review.
Use the photos to resolve three practical questions: Was the issue present at move-out? Was the work completed? Would a prospective renter see a problem during a showing? This is especially useful for owners who do not visit every vacant unit and for managers coordinating multiple vendors.
Do not treat listing photos as the same thing as completion photos. Completion photos prove condition. Marketing photos sell the unit and should be scheduled after the final release gate. If the apartment needs launch-ready media, the TLA Launch Pad Media Package is $399. Keep its deliverables separate from maintenance documentation so neither purpose gets shortchanged.
What does a make ready cost in Los Angeles?
Across LA, general market quotes for a basic one-bedroom make ready often fall around $200 to $500, depending on cleaning condition, access, paint needs, and whether repair work is bundled. That is a market context, not a TurnOver LA price. With TurnOver LA, a 1 Bedroom Make Ready is $255, including deep cleaning and a 12-pt photo report, with a 48-hour turnaround.
The base scope is not a substitute for repairs, paint, junk haul, or lock work when those are needed. For example, TurnOver LA lists paint touch-up only at $200, a small drywall patch + texture at $150 / patch, and a full apartment rekey (up to 2 locks) at $150. Quote the needed line items separately instead of treating a turnover as one invented all-in number.
A vacant day in LA can cost roughly $80 to $200 in lost rent, depending on the submarket and unit. A checklist that surfaces repair holds on day one is often more valuable than trying to compress all work into a single day. For more turnover budgeting context, see apartment turnover cost in Los Angeles.
What should happen before the next resident gets keys?
The final walk should be a fresh inspection, not a review of the crew's notes. Enter through the same route a new resident will use. Check odor, lighting, floors, locks, door operation, water temperature, drains, appliances, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and the empty condition of cabinets and closets. Confirm the unit address and parking or building access information match the keys being released.
Maintenance access during a tenancy is a separate issue from a vacant turnover. Managers should follow applicable notice and emergency rules rather than treating a work order as blanket permission to enter. The California DCA Landlord-Tenant Guide is a useful statewide reference, and LA properties may have additional local requirements under the LAHD Rent Stabilization Ordinance.
Close the checklist only after a named person marks the unit released. Save the completion photos, approved material records, and final work list with the turnover file. That record supports deposit accounting, owner reporting, and the next move-out inspection. Get instant quote in 30 seconds