Turnover painting between tenants
A turnover repaint starts with a walkthrough of the empty unit and a short list: what needs a full coat, what needs a touch-up, what needs repair. Tenants leave anchor holes, nail pops, scuffed hallways and the occasional wall in a color you did not approve. We patch and prime the damage, roll full coats where the walls are worn or the color is wrong, and touch up where the existing paint is sound and matches. Ceilings get done when they are stained or yellowed, not by default. Trim gets a fresh enamel coat when it is chipped, since chipped trim reads as neglect in a listing photo. The unit is vacuumed and the paint labeled before we hand the keys back.
- Walkthrough the day after move-out inspection
- Patch, prime and full-coat the worn walls, touch up the sound ones
- Ceilings and trim only where they need it
One color, one sheen, one can
The single most useful thing a landlord can do is stop letting each unit drift to its own shade of off-white. We recommend one warm white or light greige for walls, one white for trim and ceilings, and eggshell on the walls throughout, since eggshell takes a damp cloth and flat does not. Once every unit is on the same spec, a turnover that only needs touch-ups can be handled by your own maintenance person with a labeled gallon from the last job, and a full repaint never involves a color decision. We write the color and sheen on the estimate and on the lid of the leftover can. It is a boring system, and boring is what you want across twelve doors.
Occupied units and scheduled repaints
Not every rental job is a turnover. Long-term tenants earn a repaint every several years, and it is easier on everyone to do it while they are in place than to wait for a vacancy that is not coming. We coordinate the date with the tenant, work one or two rooms at a time so the unit stays livable, and use low-odor paint so the smell is gone by evening. For duplexes and small buildings, we can sequence units so the scaffolding, drop cloths and paint order serve the whole property in one stretch instead of four separate visits. Common hallways, stair walls and entry doors get the most wear and are worth adding while we are there.
When we would talk you out of it
- A unit where the walls are fine and the lease only requires cleaning. A magic eraser and the labeled quart from the last repaint will cover it. Save the money for the next real turnover.
- Large apartment complexes that need several units painted every week. We are a small crew and a steady rental client with a handful of doors is a better fit for both of us.
- Units with mold, water damage or lead paint issues. Those are remediation first. We will paint once the underlying problem is fixed and the surfaces are sound.
What you get
- Scheduled to start the day after move-out inspection
- One standard color and sheen so future touch-ups are easy
- Eggshell walls that take a damp cloth between tenants
- Damage patched and primed, not painted over
- Same crew, same paint, unit after unit
- Leftover paint labeled and left for your maintenance person
How it goes
- 1
Walkthrough or photos of the empty unit
Send photos from the move-out inspection or meet us at the unit. We sort each wall into full coat, touch-up or repair and give you a written estimate by room.
- 2
Set the standard spec
If you have a house color and sheen, we match it. If you do not, we help you pick one warm neutral and one trim white to use across every unit going forward.
- 3
Patch, prime, paint
Anchor holes and nail pops repaired and primed. Worn walls get two coats, sound walls get touch-ups, chipped trim gets enamel. Ceilings only if stained.
- 4
Keys back, paint labeled
Unit vacuumed, fixtures unmasked, extra paint labeled with the color and sheen and left in the utility closet so the next scuff is a five-minute fix.
What does it cost to paint a rental between tenants?
Turnover painting is quoted from photos or a walkthrough, and the price tracks how much of the unit needs a full coat versus a touch-up. A unit already on a standard color with minor scuffs is a short visit. A unit where the tenant painted a bedroom purple, or where the walls have not been touched in ten years, needs full coats and primer. Repairs add time: anchor holes are quick, nail pops and cracks less so. Empty units are faster than occupied ones. Landlords who standardize color and sheen pay less on every turnover after the first, because touch-ups become possible and color decisions disappear.
- Full coats versus touch-ups, room by room
- Color change or tenant-painted walls to cover
- Repairs: holes, nail pops, cracks, stains
- Ceilings and trim included or walls only
- Empty at painting or occupied
- Standard color already in use or being set now
Questions we get on the phoneStraight answers.
How often should a rental be repainted?
Walls in a rental usually need a full repaint every few years with touch-ups at each turnover, more often in high-traffic units and less in quiet ones. Eggshell paint stretches the interval because it can be washed instead of repainted. Trim and doors last longer in enamel. We tell you at each turnover which walls actually need paint.
What paint finish is best for rental units?
Eggshell on walls, satin in bathrooms and kitchens, semi-gloss enamel on trim and doors. Eggshell hides minor wall flaws and takes a damp cloth, which is the balance a rental needs. Flat looks fine on move-in day and shows every scuff by the second month. Ceilings stay flat white.
Can you paint a unit in one day?
A one-bedroom that needs touch-ups and one or two full walls, often yes. A whole unit with full coats on every wall and a color change is usually two or three days once the second coats and drying are counted. Dry winter air speeds this up. We give you a day count when we quote.
Should landlords let tenants paint?
That is your call, but if you do, require your standard color and sheen and keep it in the lease. A tenant's dark accent wall costs a primer coat and two finish coats to reverse at turnover. Standardizing the color for every unit is the single cheapest thing a landlord can do for future painting bills.
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Where we do this work
Rental painting across Independence, Medina, Corcoran, Orono, Wayzata, Plymouth, Maple Grove and Minnetonka, and the rest of the west metro and Central Minnesota. See the full service area.