Make-Ready vs. Full Turnover: Which Does Your Unit Need?

The one-line difference

Make-ready is cosmetic work on a unit that is basically sound: touch-up paint, a few hardware items, a caulk line. A full turnover repairs damage first, then does the cosmetic work on top of it.

Signs the unit needs a full turnover

• Holes in more than one or two walls
• Doors that are broken, not just sticking
• Flooring that is damaged, not just dirty
• Stains on the ceiling
• A full repaint because touch-ups would flash

Signs make-ready is enough

• Walls take touch-up paint and blend
• Every door closes and latches
• Floors are clean and intact
• The list is mostly hardware, caulk and small items

Full renovation or a heavy turn, where is the line?

The line is whether the room keeps its layout. A heavy turn repairs what is there, even when that means whole walls of new board, every room repainted and new flooring throughout. A renovation changes the room with moved walls, a new kitchen layout or relocated plumbing. Work that moves plumbing or adds circuits needs a permit in all ten areas on our permits pages. We do the heavy turn, not the renovation, and say at the walkthrough when a unit has crossed that line.

Why naming it matters

A make-ready price on a turnover unit is how change orders happen. Our written scope says which one the unit is, so the price you approve is the price of the work the unit actually needs.

Costs for each: make-ready cost per unit and apartment turnover cost.