Cost Guide
How Much Does an Apartment Turnover Cost Per Unit in Washington, DC?
By All Purpose Anytime Services LLC
Survey data puts the full cost of an apartment turnover at about $3,872 per move-out, counting lost rent, concessions, repairs and marketing (Multifamily Dive, reporting Zego's survey). In Washington the lost rent is the biggest piece: a typical District two-bedroom at $2,491 a month loses about $83 for every empty day.
What the survey number is made of
The $3,872 figure comes from Zego's survey of 630 property managers at communities of 250 units or more, as reported by Multifamily Dive. It folds in advertising and marketing, repairs, concessions and lost rent. An earlier Zego report, also covered by Multifamily Dive, split a similar total into lost rent of $1,598, concessions of $1,240, unit repairs of $775 and marketing of $364.
Read that split for what it says about a DC unit. Repairs were the third-largest line. The empty days and the concessions offered to fill them cost more than the work.
DC rates for the repairs inside a turn
Angi's mid 2026 Washington pages give going rates for the pieces of a District turn. A single drywall patch lands between $135 and $385 (Angi). Getting a sticking door working runs from $85 up to $240. Repainting one room costs anywhere from $436 to $1,742 (Angi), and installed vinyl plank ranges from $2 to $14 a square foot (Angi). None of those are our prices.
What sets the price of a District turn
- How many rooms need patching before paint, since every patch adds drying time.
- Touch-up or full repaint, decided wall by wall in daylight.
- Whether flooring is a few planks or a whole room.
- Building rules. Elevator booking, loading dock time and association work hours in a NoMa or Navy Yard condo shape the schedule.
- Unit type. English basements under Capitol Hill and Petworth row houses have low ceilings that show every patch.
How we price it
A District unit gets its own walk and its own number. The visit costs you nothing, and within two days of it the price reaches your phone by text, ready to approve. Each line stands alone, so a repair your maintenance lead wants to keep simply drops off. Our scope leaves out cleaning and the licensed trades, and any surprise behind a wall is priced on paper before the crew touches it. More on District turnovers.
Where these numbers come from
- Zego's survey of 630 property managers at communities of 250 or more units, covered by Multifamily Dive: the $3,872 average.
- An earlier Zego report in Multifamily Dive: the lost rent, concession, repair and marketing split.
- Angi's Washington DC cost pages, June and July 2026: patch, door, room painting and vinyl rates.
- RentalSource, Washington DC, October 2026: typical two-bedroom rent of $2,491 a month (source).
Get a Written Price for Your DC Unit
One walkthrough in the District, one written price for the unit, and nothing starts until you approve it.
Request a Unit Walkthrough
A District unit walkthrough is free. Its written number reaches you before any crew is scheduled.