Rental Make-Ready Checklist for Austin Property Managers

Every day a rental unit sits vacant in Austin is lost revenue. The Austin rental market moves fast, and tenants have options — if your unit is not clean, functional, and move-in ready when they tour, they are signing a lease somewhere else that afternoon. But rushing through a make-ready and missing items leads to maintenance calls in the first week, negative reviews, and tenant dissatisfaction that costs more in the long run.

We handle make-ready turnovers for property managers across Austin, from single-unit landlords with a duplex in East Austin to management companies running portfolios of 200-plus doors in Pflugerville, Round Rock, and Cedar Park. Here is the checklist we work from and the standards we hold ourselves to.

Kitchen Make-Ready

The kitchen is where tenants form their strongest first impression during a showing. A dirty or dysfunctional kitchen kills a lease signing faster than anything else in the unit.

Appliance Cleaning and Testing

Every appliance gets tested for function and cleaned to move-in standard:

• Oven and range: Pull out the oven, clean behind it, clean the oven interior (including racks), clean the cooktop, test all burners and the oven (verify it reaches temperature). Replace drip pans if they are stained beyond cleaning. Check that the anti-tip bracket is installed — this is a safety requirement and an inspection item if the property is ever sold.
• Dishwasher: Run a full cycle to verify it cleans and drains properly. Clean the filter, inspect the door gasket for mold, and check the spray arms for clogs. Austin's hard water causes mineral buildup in spray arm holes that reduces cleaning performance.
• Refrigerator: Clean interior shelves, drawers, and door seals. Check that the ice maker works (if equipped). Pull the fridge out and clean the coils underneath or behind — this extends compressor life and improves efficiency. Verify temperature settings.
• Microwave: Clean interior, test all functions, check that the turntable rotates. Replace the charcoal filter on over-the-range models (they should be replaced every 6 to 12 months but almost never are).
• Garbage disposal: Run it to verify function. If it grinds slowly or smells despite cleaning, it likely needs replacement. Disposals have a typical service life of about 10 years.

Cabinets, Countertops, and Hardware

• Open every cabinet and drawer. Clean interiors, check for pest evidence (droppings, egg casings), and verify that shelves are stable.
• Tighten or replace loose cabinet hardware. Loose handles and knobs signal neglect to prospective tenants. Replacement hardware is inexpensive and can be swapped in bulk.
• Assess countertops for damage. Laminate countertops with burns, deep cuts, or delamination should be replaced — a damaged countertop makes the entire kitchen look bad. Minor chips and scratches in solid surface or stone can often be repaired.
• Check the sink and faucet. Test both hot and cold supply. Look for leaks under the sink. If the faucet is corroded, dripping, or has low flow from mineral buildup, replace it. A new faucet takes 30 minutes to install and dramatically improves the look of the kitchen.

Sink Area and Plumbing

• Run the disposal with water flowing to check for leaks at the drain connections.
• Inspect supply lines under the sink. Replace braided stainless supply lines if they show corrosion or are more than 10 years old — a burst supply line is the number one cause of catastrophic water damage in rental properties.
• Verify the shut-off valves turn freely. Frozen shut-off valves are a maintenance emergency waiting to happen.

Bathroom Make-Ready

Bathrooms are the second critical area. Mold, caulk failure, and worn finishes are the most common issues.

Re-Caulk Everything

This is non-negotiable on every turnover. Remove and replace all caulk around the tub/shower, where the tub meets the floor, around the toilet base, and around the vanity backsplash. Old caulk harbors mold, looks terrible, and allows water penetration that causes subfloor damage.

We use mildew-resistant silicone caulk in all wet areas. It lasts longer than latex caulk and maintains a cleaner appearance. The time investment is minimal, and the visual impact is significant — fresh white caulk lines make the entire bathroom look cleaner.

Toilet Assessment

• Flush test: verify solid flush and complete fill.
• Check for rocking. A rocking toilet means the wax ring has failed or the flange is damaged. Reset with a new wax ring and tighten the flange bolts.
• Inspect the toilet seat. If it is stained, scratched, or loose beyond tightening, replace it. A new toilet seat is one of the cheapest ways to make a bathroom feel fresh.
• Check the supply line and shut-off valve. Same inspection as kitchen sinks — replace corroded or aging supply lines.

Exhaust Fan

• Test the exhaust fan. It should move air noticeably when you hold a tissue near the grill. If it barely moves air, the fan motor is failing or the duct is clogged.
• Clean the fan cover. Remove it, wash it, and let it dry before reinstalling. Dust-caked fan covers are unsightly and reduce airflow.
• Verify the fan vents to the exterior, not just into the attic. Improperly vented bathroom fans dump moisture into the attic, causing mold and wood rot. This is a code violation and a common problem in older Austin rentals.

Mold Check

• Inspect grout lines in shower and tub surrounds. If mold has penetrated the grout and will not come clean, the grout needs to be removed and replaced.
• Check behind the toilet and under the vanity for mold growth, which indicates a slow leak or poor ventilation.
• Inspect the ceiling for water stains or mold spots that indicate roof leaks or condensation from a non-functional exhaust fan.

Throughout the Unit: Paint

Touch-Up vs. Full Repaint

This is the judgment call that costs property managers the most time and money when they get it wrong. Here is our guideline:

Touch-up works when the existing paint is in good condition, the walls are the same color throughout (no accent walls that have faded differently), and the damage is limited to a few scuffs, nail holes, and minor marks. We patch holes, sand smooth, and touch up with matching paint.

Full interior repaint is needed when walls have multiple colors that the new tenant did not choose, the existing paint is more than five years old and has yellowed or faded noticeably, there is widespread damage (kids' rooms, pet damage, smoke discoloration), or the touch-up paint does not blend because the existing paint has aged.

Our rule of thumb: if more than 30 percent of a wall surface needs touching up, a full repaint of that room is faster and looks better. We keep standard rental-white paint in stock for fast turnovers — a consistent neutral color across all units simplifies future touch-ups.

Throughout the Unit: Flooring

Carpet: Clean vs. Replace

Professional carpet cleaning restores most lightly used carpet to acceptable condition. But carpet has a finite life in a rental — typically three to five turnovers before it needs replacement regardless of cleaning.

Replace carpet when: stains will not come out after professional cleaning, there are pet odor issues that cleaning cannot resolve (urine soaks through carpet into the pad, and the pad must be replaced to eliminate odor), the carpet is matted or worn in traffic paths, or it has been in place for more than seven years.

Many Austin property managers are shifting to luxury vinyl plank (LVP) in rentals because it is waterproof, scratch-resistant, easy to clean between tenants, and does not need replacement as frequently as carpet. The upfront cost is higher, but the lifecycle cost is lower.

Hard Surface Flooring

• Tile: Inspect grout for cracks and staining. Professional cleaning or grout color sealing refreshes the appearance. Cracked or chipped tiles should be replaced.
• LVP/Laminate: Check for scratches, water damage at edges, and planks that have shifted or buckled. Individual damaged planks can often be replaced if you have matching material on hand.
• Hardwood: Screen and recoat if the finish is worn but the wood is sound. Full refinishing for deeper damage. This is less common in Austin rentals but appears in older properties in Brentwood, North Loop, and Tarrytown.

Safety Items: Non-Negotiable

These items must be addressed on every turnover regardless of condition when the previous tenant left:

• Smoke detectors: Test all units, replace batteries, replace any detector older than 10 years. Texas law requires smoke detectors in bedrooms, hallways outside bedrooms, and on every level.
• Carbon monoxide detectors: Required on every level with a gas appliance or attached garage.
• Lock rekey: Texas Property Code Section 92.156 requires landlords to rekey locks between tenants. No exceptions. We rekey all exterior locks and provide the new keys as part of every make-ready.
• GFCI outlets: Verify function in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and exterior locations. Replace any that do not trip and reset properly.
• Deadbolts: Texas law requires a deadbolt on every exterior door and a keyless deadbolt (thumbturn) on at least one door. Verify compliance.

HVAC and Mechanical

• Replace the HVAC filter. This takes two minutes and costs a few dollars, yet we find dirty filters on nearly every turnover.
• Test heating and cooling modes. Run the system in each mode for at least 15 minutes and verify temperature change at vents.
• Check the condensate drain. A clogged drain causes water backup that triggers the float switch (shutting down the system) or, if the float switch fails, causes ceiling water damage. We flush the drain line with diluted vinegar on every make-ready.
• Inspect the water heater. Check for leaks, verify the TPR valve, and note the unit's age for replacement planning.

Austin Turnover Speed Expectations

In the current Austin rental market, tenants expect to see move-in ready units. The standard we see among competitive property managers is a maximum five to seven day turnover from move-out to listing photos. For units that only need a deep clean, minor paint touch-up, and safety item refresh, three to four days is achievable.

Larger turnovers — full repaint, flooring replacement, appliance swaps — typically run seven to ten days. We coordinate trades to overlap where possible (painters and flooring installers can work different rooms simultaneously) to compress timelines.

The key to fast turnovers is having a reliable team on call. Scheduling individual contractors for each trade — one for plumbing, another for electrical, another for painting — creates scheduling gaps and coordination headaches. Our make-ready crews handle most turnover items in-house, which eliminates those gaps and keeps the project moving.

If you manage rental properties anywhere in the Austin metro and need a reliable make-ready partner, we would welcome the conversation. We work with property managers in every Austin submarket and understand the standards that get units leased quickly.