For Landlords & Agents · 6 min read
The NJ Landlord's Unit Turnover Checklist
Every vacant day is lost rent you never get back. The landlords who turn units in a week don't work harder — they run the same checklist every time, in the same order, with the same contractor. Here's the sequence we use.
Day one: walk it and scope everything at once
The expensive mistake is discovering work in waves — paint crew finds the drywall damage, floor guy finds the subfloor issue, each discovery adding days. Walk the whole unit at move-out with a checklist and scope it all in one pass:
- Every wall and ceiling: holes, scuffs, nail pops (patch list)
- Floors: damage beyond wear, transitions, squeaks
- Every door, lock, and window: operation and hardware
- Kitchen and bath: caulk, grout, drips, fan function, cabinet doors
- Smoke/CO detectors and fire extinguisher — NJ CO inspections check these first
- GFCI outlets near water, outlet covers, switch function
The right work order
Repairs first, then paint, then floors, then final clean — always in that order. Paint before patching means painting twice; floors before painting means drop cloths on new floors. It sounds obvious, but half the slow turnovers we rescue were sequenced backward by whoever was available first.
Know your town's CO requirements
Most Central Jersey towns require a certificate of occupancy or rental inspection between tenants, and each township's checklist differs slightly. Fail items are predictable: detectors, GFCIs, handrails, and egress. A contractor who works your towns regularly will know the local inspector's list — ask before you hire.