Underhill Lions LLC turns rental units for landlords and property managers across Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery Counties, from one-off duplexes to portfolios with a turnover every month. The fast ones are not fast because the crew hurries; they are fast because the decisions were made before the tenant left. This is the checklist we run, in the order that keeps the trades from tripping over each other.
Before move-out
- Walk the unit with the tenant, or right after. Photos of every room, every wall, inside the cabinets, the tub caulk, the floor under the furniture. This is your damage record and our scope in one visit.
- Decide the standard. A patch-and-paint turnover and a refresh with new LVP and a vanity are different jobs with different rents. Pick one before we quote, not halfway through.
- Check the paperwork. A Philadelphia rental needs a current Rental License and a Certificate of Rental Suitability issued within 60 days of the new lease, plus the lead-safe or lead-free certification for older buildings. Getting these moving now avoids a finished unit sitting empty for a certificate.
Week one: repairs and prep
- Everything that is broken, first. Doors that do not latch, a window that will not lock, loose railings, running toilets, the outlet that does not work. Plumbing and electrical items go to our licensed partners on the same visit.
- Walls. Nail holes, anchor holes, the dent behind the bedroom door, water stains from the fixed leak: patched, sanded and spot-primed. Skim coating where a wall has been patched too many times.
- Caulk and grout. Tub, shower, kitchen counter, baseboards in the bathroom. Cheap, and the first thing an applicant notices.
Week one, second half: paint
One neutral color throughout, in a scrubbable eggshell or satin, semi-gloss on doors and trim, flat on ceilings. We use Sherwin-Williams and keep the formula on file so the next touch-up matches. Painting before flooring means no drips on the new floor.
Week two: floors, fixtures and hardware
- Flooring. Carpet that has seen two tenants is done. Luxury vinyl plank is the landlord's floor: waterproof, cleanable, and it survives a moving dolly. We install it over a leveled subfloor with new base and shoe molding.
- Fixtures. Faucets, showerheads, toilet seats, light fixtures, outlet covers, blinds. Matching finishes across the unit make a 1970s apartment read as maintained.
- Locks. Rekey or replace on every turnover. Non-negotiable.
- Smoke and CO detectors. Test, replace batteries, replace any unit past its date. The inspector will check.
Last day: clean and document
Post-construction cleaning is part of our turnover: dust from sanding, paint specks on the windows, the inside of the oven and fridge, the tub, the floors. Then we photograph every room again. You get the photo set and an itemized invoice, which is your move-in condition record for the next lease.
How long it takes
A standard one- or two-bedroom apartment with repairs, paint and cleaning takes three to five working days once we have the keys. New flooring or a bathroom refresh adds about a week. For landlords with several units we keep a price list for the common items, so the next turnover is a text message with photos and a date, not a new negotiation.
Have a unit turning over? Send us a photo of the rooms and the move-out date, and we will come back with a scope and a finish date the same day. More about our property turnover service.