How to Handle Tenant Turnover During Peak Moving Season

Summer is peak moving season—and if you’re not prepared, tenant turnover can become expensive fast. Every day a unit sits empty is lost income, and poor planning can drag a 1-week turnover into a 4-week vacancy.

Here’s how to keep things smooth, efficient, and profitable:

🧹 1. Schedule Maintenance & Cleaning in Advance

As soon as a tenant gives notice, book your vendors. Good cleaners, handymen, and painters book out quickly in summer—don’t wait.

Pro tip: Use a checklist. Walls, flooring, appliances, light fixtures, filters—get it done in one trip.

📸 2. Start Marketing Early

In Connecticut, most renters plan moves 30–45 days out. Once you have a firm move-out date, get the listing live—even if it's still occupied. Clean, well-lit photos from a previous listing can help here.

⏱️ 3. Line Up Showings Before It’s Vacant

Don't wait until the unit is empty to show it. Coordinate with the current tenant for pre-move-out showings, with proper notice.

The goal: Have a new lease signed before the old one ends.

🧾 4. Make Lease-End Clear for Tenants

Send a reminder 60 days out about:

• Move-out date
  

• Keys and lockbox procedures
  

• Security deposit expectations
  

• Cleaning requirements
  

The smoother their exit, the easier your prep.

🔄 5. Standardize Your Turnover Process

Repeatable systems reduce headaches. Use the same vendors, checklists, and timeline for every turnover. You’ll move faster and make fewer mistakes.

Tenant turnover is inevitable—but long vacancies don’t have to be. With the right prep, you can turn over a unit in 3–5 days and keep rent flowing all summer long.

Need help handling your next turnover?
📞 Let Ironclad streamline the process, from notice to next tenant. We’ve got the vendors, systems, and speed you need.