If your tenant has submitted a 30-day notice, you’ll need to know what to expect now that you have an upcoming vacancy. As you know, the longer your vacancy goes, the more money you lose. It’s important to implement a turnover process that gets the property ready for the rental market.
Managing the Turnover Process Quickly and Efficiently
Your vacancy means no income. This is the most expensive part of owning a Grand Rapids rental property. Not only will you be losing money every day by not having a tenant; you will also have to make some improvements before you re-rent your home. There’s a sense of urgency to this process, and we have a system to get the work done quickly. If you elect to handle your own turnover, we want to make sure you understand what is expected.
We understand why owners would want to handle the turnover themselves. They can be expensive and if you’re available and interested in doing your own work, you can see this as an opportunity. You’ll also be able to inspect, repair, and improve your own asset. However, consider the speed and the resources that can be provided by a management company.
Inspecting the Rental Property
At United Properties of West Michigan, we have a consistent process that we follow for every property turnover. Once the tenant vacates, our team goes to the property within 24 hours to change the locks and to develop a list of damages to bill to the previous tenant’s security deposit.
We will also complete a rent-ready inspection. You’ll receive an inspection report that you can use as a guide to complete the required repairs. We will include suggested upgrades as well. We conduct an exhaustive inspection in which pest monitors are placed, plumbing fixtures are checked, and outlets, light bulbs, and smoke alarms are also tested.
Our tenants understand our move-out standards, and they are expected to leave the property clean and functional – in the same condition that it was when they moved in. Knowing all these expectations eliminates maintenance problems and security deposit disputes upon move out.
The time that this inspection takes depends on the quality and the condition of your unit. We’ll insist on conducting this inspection even if you are completing your own rent-ready process. It gives you a guide to work off of and also allows us to document the condition of your property.
Marketing the Rental Property
When we handle the turnover process for our owners, we also take care of all the marketing. When owners handle their own rent-ready process, we will not be able to do any pre-marketing of your property. This isn’t to penalize you, it’s simply been impossible to manage after many years of trying to make it work.
If we cannot control the timeline or the tenant expectations, we don’t want to market the home prematurely. For instance, if we were to market the property prior to a move-out and the new tenant requested a move-in date one week after vacancy, we cannot be sure that the property will be ready. It has been our experience that most owners are unable to turn a property that quickly. Painting and floor replacement often require owners to solicit outside vendors, and this puts us in a precarious position when we have a signed lease for the unit and it’s not ready for occupancy.
Professionally Cleaning the Rental Property
Once you are completed with your repair work, you will be required to have the unit professionally cleaned. This includes the carpets. Sometimes, owners like to skimp on the cleaning, but it’s critically important because it creates a tenant’s first impression of the home. You wouldn’t sleep in a dirty hotel room, and tenants won’t want to move into a dirty home.
After cleaning is completed, we will schedule a walk-through to confirm that the unit is ready to rent. This is a free service unless the owner completely disregarded our list or didn’t complete the necessary repairs. If all items are completed, we will schedule professional pictures and begin our marketing.
We look forward to working with you through this process. If you have any questions about how to prepare your property for the rental market, please contact us at United Properties of West Michigan.
Sergio joined United Properties in 2020. He is a graduate from Pickens Technical College as a Nurse Assistant and as a Small Animal Care Provider in 2010. In the past nine years, Sergio has had various jobs, all focused around customer service.
Eden joined United Properties in 2016. Eden graduated from Davenport University in 2015 with an Associate’s in Business Administration. She’s the Executive Assistant to the Owner of United Properties, with a focus on procedural documentation. She enjoys playing guitar, reading, and doing outdoor activities. Eden is trilingual and able to communicate in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language. 
David joined the United Properties team in 2019 as the Director of Client Relations and Business Development. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading all leasing, application underwriting, tenant relations, accounts receivable, process improvement, remote workers, and general office functionality (essentially anything outside of maintenance and service). David comes from a longstanding career at a Fortune 15 company primarily in a sales and customer service leadership role.
Tim VandenToorn serves as Managing Partner of United Properties of West Michigan, working closely with our owners and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company. Tim also started United Realty, which serves as a brokerage for United Properties and assists investors with the acquisition of investment properties.
Matthew joined the United Properties in early 2020. He is a graduate of Lee University with a bachelor’s in Intercultural Studies and also a master’s in Discipleship and Christian Formation. Matthew serves as a project manager over the Rent Ready process. He has 20 years of construction experience and over 10 years of experience in leadership positions. He oversees a team of technicians and schedules outside vendors getting properties back to the United rent-ready standard so that they can be leased again.
Carla joined United Properties in late 2019 as a billing specialist. Carla ensures invoices are received from contractors and bills them out in a timely fashion.
Cristina joined United Properties as the billing assistant in October of 2020. She has experience as a technology professional, an English-Spanish translator, and has worked the past several years as the treasurer of her condominium.
Rick is one of the newest members of our team. He has an extensive background in customer service. He and his wife are raising their 4-year-old son. Rick loves beef jerky so much he makes his own.
Harriet joined United Properties as a billing assistant in February of 2021. She has experience as a bookkeeper and a Property Manager for a Real Estate account. She was a working student during her college days. Harriet loves cleaning because she thinks it is therapeutic. She also loves watching series during her free time, and she’s a fur mom of one dog. Her inspiration to work every day is her family.
Diego has an extensive background in customer service and, most recently in Maintenance and
My name is Paulina Gonzalez. I have been working for the company since early 2021. I studied social work and have 7 years of experience in customer service. I speak English and Spanish. I am very patient, and I like to ask a lot of questions to learn a lot. I enjoy small road trips and cold rainy weather. I have a 3-month-old puppy, and he is my favorite thing in the world.
Jessica has a Bachelor’s Degree in Financial strategies and public accounting and is studying a masters in Blockchain and Fintech regulation. She has previous experience as a customer service representative. She speaks English and Spanish. She loves taking long walks with her three dogs, hiking and road tripping during the weekends.
Chris Good is new to the United Properties Team since June 2022 as a Business Development Manager. With years of experience in both the construction industry (Master Electrician) and the Real Estate industry (Broker), he will closely work with new and experienced investors to facilitate their real estate goals.
Melba Alvarez
Enrique Vergara (Henry)
Alyssa Lawrence
Mike Cleveland