Rental Unit Repairs in Los Angeles
Calling a one-trick plumber for a $40 faucet cartridge swap costs $200+ once the 1-hour minimum and trip charge hit — and you still have to call someone else for the loose cabinet pull, the dead GFCI, and the smoke detector that never beeped. A landlord-grade repair visit covers the whole punch list in one trip: drywall patches, fixtures, hardware, light plumbing and electrical, smoke and CO detectors. Visible scope. Photo-documented before and after, sent to your phone, formatted for §1950.5 deposit itemization. Flat-rate from $125.
The punch list between tenants, in one visit
A turnover repair is the bundled punch list of small fixes a rental unit needs after a tenant moves out and before the next one signs. The typical LA 1BR generates somewhere between six and twelve line items — a doorknob hole in the bedroom drywall, a kitchen faucet that drips at the base, two cabinet pulls hanging by a thread, a GFCI in the bath that won't reset, a dead smoke detector, a closet rod that pulled out of the anchors, a stripped strike plate. Individually trivial. Collectively, the difference between a unit that shows well and one that gets a $200-under-asking offer.
What's outside our scope: foundation work, roofing tear-offs, HVAC compressor service, gas line modifications, main panel upgrades, and sewer line replacements. Those need permits, inspections, and licensed specialty trades. We don't pretend otherwise. When a job crosses that line we route to a vetted licensed sub-network — C-36 plumbing, C-10 electrical, C-20 HVAC, C-39 roofing — and we coordinate the schedule so you have one point of contact and one consolidated invoice instead of three contractors and three voicemails. See our make-ready service if you also need cleaning, paint, and rekey bundled in.
Every repair visit ships with photo-before and photo-after documentation sent to your phone, plus an itemized invoice formatted for security-deposit itemization under California Civil Code §1950.5. That matters because §1950.5 requires landlords to send a written itemized statement of any deposit deductions within 21 days of the tenant's move-out, and any deduction over $125 has to be backed by receipts or a good-faith estimate. A photo of the doorknob hole on Tuesday and a photo of the patched, textured, primed wall on Wednesday — with the invoice line item — is the evidence that holds up if the prior tenant disputes the deduction in small claims. Read our normal wear and tear guide for the full breakdown of what counts as deductible damage versus what California law treats as ordinary wear.
The full repair scope
Drywall patch & texture
Nail-pop fills, doorknob blowouts, anchor holes, full sheet patching, knockdown and orange-peel texture matching, primer-ready finish.
Minor plumbing
P-trap replacement, supply lines, toilet flapper and fill valve, faucet cartridges, angle stops, escutcheons, sink and shower drains.
Fixture replacement
Tap and faucet swaps, cabinet knobs, hinges, towel bars, toilet paper holders, door stops, closet rod and shelf re-anchors.
Hardware
Cabinet pulls, door hardware, deadbolts, strike plates, threshold strips, weatherstripping, mailbox locks, gate latches.
Light electrical
Outlet and switch swaps, GFCI installs in kitchens and baths, ceiling fan rebalance, dimmer replacement, fixture change-outs on existing junction boxes.
Smoke + CO + punch-list
Smoke and carbon monoxide detector replacement to LA code, sealed 10-year units where required, plus a written punch-list close-out for the file.
Repair cost by visit length
No trip charges. No 1-hour minimums. Same price across every LA neighborhood.
What makes LA repairs different
RSO buildings and cost pass-through
In rent-stabilized buildings — Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and most pre-1978 LA city units under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance — capital improvements and certain repair costs can be passed through to the tenant only with itemized invoices, paid receipts, and photo evidence filed under the local rent ordinance. A handyman invoice that says "repairs — $400" with no line items will get rejected. Every job we do ships with line-item invoicing, parts costs broken out, labor hours stated, and photo documentation already formatted for the RSO filing.
Old wiring in pre-1978 buildings
A huge chunk of the LA rental stock — the bungalow courts of Koreatown, the Spanish duplexes of Silver Lake, the pre-war fourplexes scattered across the basin — was wired before grounded outlets were standard. You'll find knob-and-tube remnants, ungrounded 2-prong outlets, and the classic landlord shortcut: a 2-prong-to-3-prong adapter jammed into the wall so the tenant can plug in a TV. That adapter voids any electrical inspection and is a real liability if a fire investigator pulls it after a claim. We don't do cheater-plug installs. Either we install a proper GFCI on the ungrounded circuit (legal under NEC 406.4(D)(2)(b) with the "No Equipment Ground" label) or we route the panel and rewire work to a C-10 licensed electrician.
§1950.5 — deductible damage vs normal wear
California Civil Code §1950.5 is strict about what comes out of a security deposit. Deductible: a doorknob-shaped hole, a cracked window, a torn screen, a missing smoke detector, a burn mark on a counter, pet damage to flooring, broken blinds. Not deductible: faded paint after a multi-year tenancy, light scuffing in high-traffic areas, normal carpet wear, minor nail holes from picture hangers, hard-water buildup on a fixture that wasn't descaled. Most LA landlord deposit disputes that go to small claims turn on this exact line — and they turn on whether the landlord has before-and-after photos and a dated, itemized invoice. We ship both with every repair, so the §1950.5 itemization you send within the 21-day window has the receipts already attached.
Frequently asked questions
The standard between-tenants punch list — drywall patches and texture matching, fixture replacements (taps, knobs, hinges, towel bars), cabinet and door hardware, minor plumbing (P-traps, supply lines, toilet flappers, faucet cartridges), light electrical (outlets, switches, GFCIs, dimmers, ceiling fan rebalance, light fixture change-outs on existing boxes), and smoke and CO detector replacement to LA code. Most LA 1BR units between tenants need 6 to 12 of these line items, and we knock them out in a single Half-Day Handyman visit at $285. Text 310-774-0099 with a unit address and a photo or two of the issues for a same-day quote.
We don't touch foundation work, roofing tear-offs, HVAC compressor service, gas line modifications, main panel upgrades, sewer line work, or anything that requires permits and inspections beyond a standard handyman scope. For those we route to a vetted licensed sub-network — a C-36 plumber for repipes, a C-10 electrician for panel and rewire work, a C-39 roofer, a C-20 HVAC contractor — and we coordinate the schedule so you don't have to chase three contractors yourself. You still get a single point of contact and one consolidated invoice.
Our handyman crews work within the California B-2 limited specialty residential remodeling scope and the unlicensed-handyman threshold (jobs under $1,000 in combined labor and materials, no permit required). For anything that needs a permit, exceeds the threshold, or touches a regulated trade, we route to licensed subs — C-36 plumbing, C-10 electrical, C-20 HVAC, C-39 roofing — and the license number goes on the invoice. Every contractor on the network is insured and background-checked.
Same-day dispatch within the LA basin for jobs booked before 11am, otherwise next-day. Coverage runs from Santa Monica and the Westside through Hollywood, Koreatown, Silver Lake, Echo Park, DTLA, and out to the Valley. Text the unit address to 310-774-0099 and dispatch confirms an arrival window in under 15 minutes.
Sometimes. Under California Civil Code §1950.5 you can deduct for damage beyond normal wear and tear, plus unpaid rent and the cost of restoring the unit to its move-in condition — not for routine touch-ups that any tenant would generate over a normal tenancy. A doorknob-shaped hole in drywall, a torn screen, a broken blind slat, a missing smoke detector — those are deductible damage. Faded paint after a 3-year tenancy, minor carpet wear, light scuffing — those are normal wear and not deductible. Every job we do ships with photo-before-and-after documentation and an itemized invoice formatted for the §1950.5 itemization you send the prior tenant within 21 days. See our normal-wear-and-tear guide for the full breakdown.
We install replacement appliances you've purchased — dishwashers, microwaves, ranges, washer-dryer hookups, garbage disposals, range hoods — as long as the existing electrical, gas, and plumbing connections are already in place and to code. We don't sell appliances and we don't run new gas lines or 240V circuits. If you need a built-in microwave swapped or a disposal replaced under the sink, that's a Single Repair Visit at $125. Larger swaps roll into the Half-Day or Full-Day handyman package.
Single Repair Visit is $125 flat for one focused fix — a leaking faucet cartridge, a busted GFCI, a single drywall patch. Half-Day Handyman is $285 and covers up to 4 hours of labor with parts under $50 included — this is what most LA 1BR turnovers actually need. Full-Day Handyman is $525, up to 8 hours with parts under $100 included, and handles larger units or longer punch lists. Custom projects are quoted. Compare that to a one-trick plumber: a $40 faucet cartridge job costs $200+ once you add the trip charge and 1-hour minimum, and you still have to call someone else for the loose cabinet pull and the dead smoke detector. Text 310-774-0099 with the punch list.
Got a punch list?
Text the unit address and a couple of photos. Dispatch texts back a quote and arrival window in under 15 minutes.
chatText 310-774-0099