In the Purdue rental market, the calendar is brutal: leases end in late July and the next wave moves in weeks later. Every day a unit sits torn up is money gone — and August 1st doesn't move.
This is the turnover checklist we work from when landlords hand us units in West Lafayette. Use it yourself, or hand the whole list to us — multifamily turnovers are one of our core services.
Walkthrough and assessment (day 1)
- Document existing condition against the move-in report — photos of every room.
- Test every door, window, lock, outlet, switch, faucet, drain and appliance.
- Check for moisture: under sinks, around toilets, water heater, ceilings below bathrooms.
- List everything into three buckets: safety/code items, damage repairs, and refresh items.
The repair pass
- Drywall: patch holes, fix door-knob dents, re-secure loose towel bars and closet shelves.
- Plumbing: fix drips, reseat running toilets, replace corroded supply lines and caulk.
- Electrical: dead outlets, missing cover plates, non-working fixtures, smoke/CO detectors with fresh batteries (Indiana requires working detectors).
- Doors and hardware: rekey or replace locks, adjust strikes, replace cheap hinges that sag.
The refresh pass (what tenants actually notice)
- Paint: full repaint or corner-to-corner touch-up in one consistent color spec — keep one sheen and one white for every unit you own.
- Flooring: LVP (luxury vinyl plank) is the Purdue-market MVP — waterproof, durable, looks great in listings. We install it constantly in turnovers (see the finished units on our projects page).
- Deep clean: appliances inside and out, grout, windows, vents. A professional-clean unit rents faster at a higher price.
- Lighting: swap yellowed fixtures for bright LED — the cheapest “renovation” per listing-photo dollar.
Compressing the timeline
The pros turn units in days, not weeks, because everything is sequenced: assessment day 1, materials ordered day 1, trades stacked so painter follows drywall follows plumbing without dead days. That's what a contractor who does volume turnovers brings — a crew that shows up in the same week you call, with the standard materials already in stock.
If you own multiple units, ask about volume scheduling — we can rotate through a portfolio in one lease cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast can a unit be turned over?
A standard refresh (paint, cleaning, minor repairs) takes 2–4 days. Add flooring and it's about a week. Full renovations of tired units run 2–4 weeks — plan those for summer break.
What flooring is best for rentals near Purdue?
Luxury vinyl plank (LVP). It's waterproof, tough, easy to repair plank-by-plank, and photographs well in listings. Carpet only makes sense in bedrooms, if at all.
What has to be fixed legally between tenants in Indiana?
Indiana requires habitable conditions: working smoke detectors, safe electrical, plumbing, heat and secure locks. Beyond code, anything documented as damaged should be repaired to protect your deposit position.
Do you handle multiple units on a schedule?
Yes — volume turnovers are a JPL specialty. We schedule portfolios in advance of lease-end season so every unit is rent-ready by August 1.