Apartment Unit Turnovers in Seattle
Apartment turnover services for Seattle and Eastside rental buildings: patch, paint, flooring, fixtures and repairs between residents, run by one licensed general contractor.
- One contractor for every trade on your make ready list.
- Each room photographed before work starts and after it ends.
- An invoice itemized by room and task, ready for your deposit file.
By appointment. Limited start dates.
- Over 200 projects
- 4.9 on Google
- 20+ years building
- WA license VOLCABI792C6
Trusted to build for
For the people who carry the vacancy
A vacant unit earns nothing until the next lease starts. These are the clients who call us to close that gap.
Property managers with a lease signed
The new resident has a move in date, and the unit still shows the last tenancy: anchor holes, a stained carpet, a dripping sink. You want one call that covers every trade on the list.
Owners without a maintenance crew
Smaller buildings rarely keep painters, carpenters and flooring installers on staff. We take the whole unit scope and report back with photos.
HOAs and management companies
Third party managers answer to owners and boards, and need paperwork that shows what was repaired, where, and why.
What a unit turn covers
Send us your make ready list or let us write one at the walkthrough. These are the trades a typical turn pulls in.
Patch and paint
Nail and anchor holes, dents and small drywall damage filled and sanded, then walls, trim and doors repainted in your building standard colors.
Flooring
Carpet, luxury vinyl plank and sheet vinyl replaced in one room or across the unit, with transitions and base reset. Soft or damaged subfloor found under old flooring is shown to you before it is repaired.
Cabinets and counters
Loose hinges, broken drawer boxes, swollen sink bases and chipped laminate repaired, and counters pulling away from the wall reset and sealed.
Fixtures and appliances
Faucets, toilets, light fixtures, cover plates and blinds replaced like for like, and ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers and microwaves installed on the existing hookups.
Water damage repair
Drywall, baseboard, cabinet floors and flooring replaced after a failed supply line, a leaking trap or a tub overflow, once the source is stopped and the area has dried.
Punch lists
The small items that hold up a lease: door hardware, bifold and closet doors, window latches, caulk and grout, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, each checked off on the list with a photo.
Managing more than unit interiors? See Facility Maintenance & Repairs in Seattle, ADA Compliance Upgrades in Seattle and Commercial Remodeling in Seattle, or every service on Commercial Construction in Seattle. For whole buildings, see Commercial Painting in Seattle and Multi-Unit & Mixed-Use in Seattle.
How a unit turn runs between residents
We plan the turn around your move in date, keep the work inside the unit, and arrange hallway protection, elevator use and parking with your site staff before the first crew arrives.
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Walk the vacant unit
After the resident moves out, we walk the unit with your checklist or ours, photograph every room, and price each line: paint, patching, flooring, fixtures, appliances, cabinets and counters.
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Approve and sequence
You approve the line items. We order the trades so patching and sanding happen before paint, and flooring goes in last, and we send you the schedule in writing before work starts.
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Punch walk and handback
We walk the finished unit against the punch list, test alarms, faucets, drains and appliances, and send after photos with an invoice itemized by room.
Rules that shape a Seattle unit turn
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The Seattle rule
A vacant unit meets the RRIO checklist before it is rented
Seattle's Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance checklist says asterisked items must be fixed before an unoccupied unit is rented. Several sit inside a typical turn: smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, entrance door dead bolts, and faucets, drains and toilets that do not leak.
What we doBefore handback we check the unit against the RRIO items a turn touches and list anything that fails on the punch list, with a photo.
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The state rule
Deposit deductions need paper behind them
Under RCW 59.18.260 a landlord may not collect a deposit without a signed checklist describing walls and paint, flooring and appliances at move in. RCW 59.18.280 then requires copies of estimates or paid invoices to back any deduction, and nothing may be kept for wear from ordinary use.
What we doWe photograph each room before work and itemize our invoice by room and task, so your team can separate damage repair from ordinary wear.
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The state rule
Smoke alarms work before the next resident moves in
RCW 43.44.110 makes installation of smoke detection devices in rental dwelling units the owner's duty and says that at a vacancy the owner shall ensure the device is operational before the unit is occupied again.
What we doWe test every smoke alarm during the punch walk, record the result, and replace a missing or failed unit once you approve the line.
Built before 1978? The EPA lead renovation rule covers paid work that disturbs paint in apartments of that age, including painting preparation, carpentry and plumbing (EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Program).
What you can check before you hand us keys
No client stories on this page. Here is what anyone can verify about the company doing the work.
WA license VOLCABI792C6
Washington requires every contractor to register with Labor & Industries and makes it a gross misdemeanor to bid, work, or subcontract to anyone who is unregistered (RCW 18.27.020). We are registered, licensed, bonded and insured.
20+ years building
The company is led by 20+ years of building experience across drywall, carpentry, finishes and flooring, the trades a unit turn leans on.
4.9 on Google
Clients rate Volcano Builders 4.9 on Google, where anyone can read the reviews before hiring us.
132+ cities
From our main office in Bellevue we work in 132+ cities around Greater Seattle, so buildings spread across a portfolio can go to one contractor.
Apartment turnover questions
What are apartment turnover services?
Apartment turnover services are the repairs and refinishing that return a vacant unit to rentable condition between residents. A typical unit turn covers patching and painting, flooring repair or replacement, cabinet and counter fixes, fixture and appliance swaps, water damage repair and a final punch list walk.
Is a make ready the same as a unit turn?
In most portfolios, yes: both mean getting a vacated unit ready for the next resident. Some teams use make ready for the last stage only, the cleaning, testing and final inspection. We price whichever list you send, line by line.
Does an apartment turnover need a permit in Seattle?
Usually not for cosmetic work. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections lists painting, installing kitchen cabinets and surface finishes over existing walls and ceilings among work that usually needs no permit. Any work on load bearing supports, changes to the building envelope, or work that reduces egress, light, ventilation or fire resistance needs one however small it is (SDCI: Do You Need a Permit?).
What does the Seattle RRIO checklist require in a vacant unit?
Every asterisked item on the checklist must be fixed before an unoccupied unit is rented. Items that often come up during a turn: smoke alarms inside and outside sleeping rooms, carbon monoxide alarms outside each sleeping area, a dead bolt or deadlatch on entrance doors, an observation port 54 to 66 inches above the floor on the main entrance door, and fixtures that do not drip or leak (RRIO Checklist).
Does the EPA lead rule apply to apartment turns?
Yes, in apartments built before 1978 when paid work disturbs paint. The EPA names painting preparation, carpentry and plumbing as covered. Studio units are excluded unless a child under six lives there, as is interior work that disturbs six square feet or less of paint per room.
How does turnover documentation help with security deposits?
It supplies the records Washington law expects. RCW 59.18.260 requires a signed move in checklist covering walls, flooring and appliances, and RCW 59.18.280 requires copies of estimates or paid invoices to support any deposit deduction. Room by room photos and an itemized turn invoice sit alongside those records.
Book an apartment turnover walkthrough
Tell us about your project, investment range, and timeline. We’ll review the details and reach out to discuss your project and see if we’re the right fit.