Apartment Turnover Services: $70 to $160/hr in Los Angeles

Apartment turnover services cover the repairs between one tenant moving out and the next moving in. We price them at $70 to $160 an hour for residential units and $105 to $195 an hour for commercial suites. A unit sits empty, the next lease has a start date and the punch list runs long. That is the normal shape of a turnover in Los Angeles.

This page lays out what a turnover list covers, what it costs and which items trigger a City of Los Angeles permit. It also shows how we run the job. It sits inside our wider guide to commercial handyman services, which covers the full scope of work we take on.

Last verified: October 2026.

What Do Apartment Turnover Services Cover?

Apartment turnover services cover the repairs that return a vacated unit to rentable condition. That means patching and painting walls, fixing doors and hardware, resetting fixtures and replacing worn parts. We scope the list from a walkthrough and price each line in writing. Then we schedule it around your move-out and move-in dates.

Property managers also call this make ready repairs, and unit turnover work usually splits into repairs, paint and cleaning. We handle the repairs.

These are the items that show up on the turnover lists we write:

• Drywall patching, texture matching and paint touch-ups in units, suites and common areas
• Door closers, hinges, strikes, locks and panic hardware on entry and suite doors
• Ceiling tile replacement once any leak above it has been fixed
• Restroom partitions, grab bars, dispensers, mirrors and baby-changing stations
• Faucet, flush valve, shut-off valve and exposed trap replacement
• Light tube and driver swaps with the matching original part
• Shelving, whiteboards, TVs and signage mounted to the right backing
• Furniture and equipment assembly for the incoming tenant’s move-in

Our Los Angeles drywall repair cost guide shows how patch size and texture drive the price of a wall repair. For work bigger than a turnover list, see our commercial building repair page.

How Much Do Turnover Repairs Cost in Los Angeles?

The Handy Geeks charges $70 to $160 an hour for residential units and $105 to $195 an hour for commercial suites in the Los Angeles metro. The minimum is $110 to $210 per visit. Commercial work carries insurance paperwork, tenant-hours access and net-30 billing that residential calls do not.

The Handy Geeks published range, Los Angeles metro, current as of September 2026. After-hours and emergency multipliers are Handy Geeks policy.

The Handy Geeks published commercial ranges, current as of September 2026.

Apartment turnover services and tenant turnover repairs are billed by the hour. The second table shows per-job ranges for the items that come up most.

For context on the whole bill, Multifamily Dive reported a 2023 Zego survey of 630 property managers at communities of 250 or more units. It put the average turnover cost at about $3,872. That figure bundles marketing, concessions and lost rent with repairs, so it is not a repair price. Apartment turnover services are only the repair slice of it. Budgeting a full year of turnovers is its own exercise, and our guide to setting a commercial maintenance budget walks through it.

The Right Order for an Apartment Turnover Checklist

Apartment turnover services run smoothly when the apartment turnover checklist follows dirty-to-clean order. Repairs come first, then paint, then fixtures and hardware. Cleaning comes last. Reverse that and the crew spends the final day cleaning up after itself.

1. Move-out walkthrough. Inspect and photograph the unit before anyone cleans or repairs anything.
2. Safety items. Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, and check door locks and window latches.
3. Wall repairs. Patch holes, match texture and let compound dry before any paint goes on.
4. Paint. Touch up or repaint once the patches are sanded and primed.
5. Doors and hardware. Adjust or replace hinges, strikes, closers and locks.
6. Plumbing and lighting. Replace worn faucets, shut-off valves, light tubes and drivers.
7. Final inspection. Walk the unit against the original list before cleaning starts.
8. Cleaning. Hand the unit to your cleaners after every repair is finished.

Those are the steps behind most make ready repairs. Write the unit turnover order down once and reuse it. An apartment turnover maintenance checklist like this one keeps the vendor, the cleaner and the leasing office from tripping over each other.

Documenting Repairs for the Security Deposit

Apartment turnover services should leave a paper trail. Document the condition of the unit before any work starts, and keep an itemized invoice for every repair. In California, a landlord has 21 days after move-out to return the deposit or send an itemized statement. Photos and line-item invoices back up a deduction.

Normal wear and tear is not chargeable, while tenant-caused damage can be. Two nail holes from a picture frame are a different conversation from a foot-wide hole in a bedroom wall. Our drywall cost guide shows how the repair price scales. California has amended its deposit statute, Civil Code section 1950.5, to add photo requirements. Check the current text or ask your attorney before you rely on any date. This is general information and not legal advice.

Ask every vendor for a written quote that lists each repair as its own line. You can then match the invoice to the move-out inspection one item at a time. That is the version of the paperwork that survives a dispute.

Repair or Replace: What Is Worth Fixing at Turnover?

Repair when the damage is cosmetic and the part still works. Replace when the part is leaking, warped, corroded or failing in a way that comes back within months. That call usually matters more than the hourly rate.

Our landlord maintenance guide covers the inspection rota that keeps the next turnover list shorter.

Which Turnover Repairs Need a City of Los Angeles Permit?

Most finish work, hardware and like-for-like part swaps in a commercial space need no permit in the City of Los Angeles. Replacing a toilet, urinal, water heater or complete light fixture does. We check the permit line for each item before we quote it.

As published on our Los Angeles commercial maintenance page, last verified September 2026 against the online Los Angeles Municipal Code.

Long Beach, Pasadena and Torrance run their own building departments. Unincorporated areas such as Topanga fall under Los Angeles County. We check the jurisdiction on every address before we quote, because the same repair can have a different permit answer one block over.

The $1,000 Rule and Pre-1978 Paint

Apartment turnover services run into two rules that catch property managers out. California requires a contractor license for any job of $1,000 or more including materials. It also requires one for any job that needs a permit. Federal rules add certified-firm requirements for paint work above a small size in housing built before 1978.

CSLB’s own bulletin puts the minor-work threshold at $1,000 as of 1 January 2025 under AB 2622. It also says the exemption disappears if the work needs a permit or the person employs anyone on the project. You can read it in CSLB Industry Bulletin 24-07. Splitting one turnover into several smaller invoices does not get around the line.

On the paint side, EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to rental housing built before 1978. It covers owners and managers as well as contractors. The rule excludes interior work that disturbs six square feet or less of paint per room, and it always covers window replacement. Sanding or scraping across a whole room can pass that size, so ask for the certification number first.

How Do We Run a Turnover for a Property Manager?

Our apartment turnover services run in five steps. Paperwork comes first, then a walkthrough, a written quote, a scheduled work window and a net-30 invoice. Once the account is set up, urgent calls get a scheduling confirmation within two to four hours. Routine work goes on the calendar around your tenants.

1. Paperwork. You send your vendor packet. We return a W-9 and a certificate of insurance naming whoever needs to be additional insured.
2. Walkthrough. We walk the vacated space with your building engineer or property contact, then write up what we see, including anything that needs a permit.
3. Written quote. Every item gets a price before we start.
4. Work window. We schedule around your move-out and move-in dates, including evenings and weekends when the space has to turn fast.
5. Net-30 invoice. You pay on net-30 terms once the work is done.

Where We Work Across Los Angeles

We cover turnovers in Downtown LA, the Westside, Hollywood Hills and the San Fernando Valley, including Woodland Hills, Canoga Park and West Hills. We also work in Long Beach, Pasadena, Calabasas, Torrance and Topanga, and we confirm the permitting jurisdiction at each address first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do tenant turnover repairs cost in Los Angeles?

The Handy Geeks charges $70 to $160 an hour for residential units and $105 to $195 an hour for commercial suites in the Los Angeles metro. The minimum is $110 to $210 per visit. A trip charge of $20 to $95 is built into the written quote.

Can you work between tenants after hours or on a weekend?

Yes. Evenings and weekends bill at 1.25x to 1.6x the standard rate, and same-day emergency calls bill at 1.4x to 1.75x. Both multipliers are Handy Geeks policy and appear on the written quote before work starts.

Do you provide a certificate of insurance?

Yes. We carry $2M in general liability, and a certificate usually goes out the same day. It can name your company, your landlord or your management company as additional insured.

Does turnover painting in an older building need special certification?

It can. EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to housing built before 1978. It covers rental property owners and managers as well as contractors. The rule excludes interior work that disturbs six square feet or less of paint per room, but it always covers window replacement. Ask any vendor for its RRP certification before it disturbs paint in an older unit.

Which turnover jobs are limited by California’s contractor rules?

Any job of $1,000 or more including materials, and any job that needs a permit at any price. CSLB Industry Bulletin 24-07 also notes that the exemption disappears if the worker employs anyone on the project. We flag permit triggers and project totals on the written quote before work begins.

Will your invoice match my move-out inspection list?

Every repair is priced as its own line on the written quote. You can match each line to an item on your inspection. California’s deposit rules, including the 21-day deadline, sit in Civil Code section 1950.5. Your attorney can tell you what supports a deduction.

How quickly can you start a turnover?

Once your account is set up, urgent calls get a scheduling confirmation within two to four hours. Routine work goes on the calendar around your move-out and move-in dates. We agree the work window at the walkthrough.

Final Thoughts

A good turnover vendor gives you a written price, a certificate of insurance and an honest answer on permits. All three should arrive before the first ladder goes up. Our apartment turnover services come with the same five things on every job:

1. $2M in general liability, with a certificate naming your company as additional insured
2. A written quote with every permit line shown before work begins
3. Published rates for labor, minimums, trip charges and after-hours work
4. A scheduled work window that fits your move-out and move-in dates
5. Net-30 billing once the account is set up

You can see more of what we do on our services page and in our portfolio. Anyway, if you have a vacated unit and a lease date, send us the address and a short punch list. Call +1 818-835-0556 or book online.