Make-Ready & Unit Turns
A make-ready is the work between move-out and move-in: trash-out, cleaning, paint-ready prep, punch-list repairs, lock change, and a rent-ready walkthrough with photos. Ethreon runs make-ready crews for landlords, property managers, apartment operators, and investors who turn units every month and need a vendor that shows up, finishes on the date, and documents the unit before the next lease starts.
One crew, one scope, one photo-documented completion report per unit — from a single house to a portfolio turning on the 1st and the 15th. The punch list closes before the keys change hands, and the crews are local in every metro we cover.
Rental Turnover Support
Most turns fail on coordination, not skill: the hauler comes before the walkthrough, the painter comes before the patching, and the locks are still the old tenant's on move-in day. Ethreon sequences the make-ready as one work order — trash-out first, then repairs and paint-ready prep, then cleaning, then locks and the rent-ready inspection — so the unit is finished in the right order and photographed at each step.
The same crews handle rental turns for individual landlords, unit turns for apartment operators, and make-ready repairs on REO and investor-held property. Scope, turnaround, and reporting format follow the client's instructions; W-9 and certificate of insurance are on file before the first unit.
Turnover Scenarios
From a single rental between tenants to an apartment community turning units on a fixed calendar, the make-ready is scoped the same way and closed with the same report.
The landlord's turn: haul out what the tenant left, clean, patch and prep for paint, fix the punch list, change the locks, and send the rent-ready photos. For the out-of-state landlord who would otherwise hire a handyman, a hauler, and a cleaner separately: one local crew, one report.
Recurring unit turns for property management companies and operators with vacancies every month. Fixed scope, fixed turnaround, per-unit reporting, and a preferred-vendor relationship with W-9 and COI on file.
Cleanout, punch list, and finish prep on acquisitions and rehabs — the last week of work that gets a property showable or rentable, coordinated with the investor's own contractors where trades are already engaged.
Turns between guest stays for Airbnb and vacation-rental operators — reset, punch list, and inspection on the checkout-to-check-in window — and pre-listing make-readies for agents and sellers who need a vacant property showable: cleanout, touch-ups, locks, and photos before it goes live.
Make-ready repairs on bank-owned and servicer-held property to the client's scope and allowable schedule, documented with before, during, and after photos for the claim file.
Field Capabilities
Every turn is sequenced backward from the date the unit has to be ready, and every step is photographed so the office can see the unit without driving to it.
Left-behind belongings removed, debris hauled, unit cleaned to move-in standard.
Patching, caulking, hardware, doors, screens, fixtures — the list closed before paint.
Locks changed or rekeyed between tenants so no prior key opens the door on move-in day.
Final walkthrough with a dated photo set and a per-unit completion report.
Make-Ready Process
The unit is walked, scoped, turned in order, and photographed at each stage so the next lease can start on the date.
Move-out walkthrough and scope
Trash-out and cleaning
Repairs and paint-ready prep
Lock change and final clean
Rent-ready photos and report
Trash-out, cleaning, repairs, locks, and inspection under one work order — no juggling a hauler, a cleaner, and a handyman.
Before, during, and after photos of every room, so the owner or manager can approve the unit without visiting it.
Recurring unit turns for operators with monthly vacancies, with a fixed scope and turnaround agreed once.
Common Questions
A make-ready is the work done between one tenant moving out and the next moving in to bring a unit back to rentable condition: removing what was left behind, cleaning, patching and prepping walls for paint, fixing the punch list, changing the locks, and inspecting the unit. In apartment operations the same job is called a unit turn or turnover.
Trash-out and removal of left-behind belongings, move-out cleaning, paint-ready prep (patching, caulking, nail holes), punch-list repairs to doors, hardware, fixtures and screens, a lock change or rekey, appliance clean and check, exterior tidy, and a rent-ready walkthrough with photos. Painting, flooring replacement, and trade work are scoped separately or coordinated on request.
It depends on the unit's condition and the scope agreed. A standard turn on a unit left in reasonable condition is scheduled around the move-in date; units needing a full trash-out, flooring, or trade work take longer and are scoped before the crew starts. The turnaround is set in the work order.
Yes. Ethreon runs unit turns for property management companies and apartment operators on a recurring schedule, including communities that turn units every month. Scope, turnaround, and per-unit reporting are agreed once, and the crew works from the community's vacancy calendar.
If the property is in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, or Pennsylvania, yes. Ethreon's make ready crews are local in each metro we cover — San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, and the rest of the markets on our coverage pages — and make ready services, rent-ready turns, and apartment unit turns are quoted per unit.
Yes. Most of our landlord clients are not local to the property. The move-out walkthrough, the work, and the rent-ready inspection are photographed, and the completion report is sent so the owner can approve the unit and list it without traveling.
Yes. Operators with Airbnb or vacation-rental units use Ethreon for the turn between guest stays where a cleaner alone is not enough — reset, punch-list repairs, a turnover inspection with photos, and the lock or code change — scheduled to the checkout-to-check-in window.
Yes. A pre-listing make-ready for agents and sellers: cleanout of what was left, touch-ups and punch list, grass cut, lockbox, and a photo set, so the property is showable the week it lists and stays that way while it sits.
Yes. A lock change or rekey between tenants is part of the standard make-ready scope, so no prior key opens the door on move-in day. Keys are handled to the client's instruction — lockbox, office, or leasing agent.
Make-ready pricing depends on unit size, condition, and the scope selected — a light turn is priced differently from a full trash-out with repairs. Ethreon quotes per unit after the move-out walkthrough or from the client's scope; recurring unit turns are priced on a fixed per-unit schedule. Our maintenance estimator gives a starting range.
Across Ethreon's seven-state coverage area: Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, including the Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, New Orleans, Birmingham, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh metros. Use the coverage checker for a county-level answer.
Related Guides
Start a Make-Ready Request
Send the property, the move-out date, and the date the unit has to be ready. Ethreon scopes the make-ready and confirms the crew.
Other Ethreon Services
Service Areas
Ethreon provides structured field operations across 7 states with dedicated regional coverage teams.
