The cost of tenant turnover, line by line
Turnover costs a landlord the rent lost while the unit is empty, plus cleaning, repairs, repainting, marketing, screening, lease signing and your own time. The total differs for every unit, so this guide lists each component and gives a worksheet to find your own number instead of quoting an average.
The seven parts of a turnover cost
| Component | What it is | How to estimate it |
|---|---|---|
| Vacancy | Rent you do not collect between tenants | Daily rent times days empty |
| Cleaning | Cleaning the unit and carpets or floors | Your last invoice or your own hours |
| Repairs and paint | Work beyond normal wear that the deposit does not cover | Your last turn's invoices |
| Marketing | Photos, listing time, any listing fees | Hours plus out-of-pocket costs |
| Showings and screening | Time answering inquiries, showing, checking applications | Hours times what your time is worth |
| Move-in costs | Lease signing, key or lock changes, move-in inspection | Hours plus lock costs |
| Concessions | Any free rent or discount you offer to fill the unit | The amount written in the new lease |
Vacancy is usually the biggest part, and it is the one owners forget because no invoice arrives for it.
A worksheet you can fill in
- Daily rent: monthly rent divided by 30.
- Days empty: from the move-out day to the day the next tenant's rent starts. Include the days to clean and repair.
- Vacancy cost: daily rent times days empty.
- Add the cleaning, repair and paint invoices that the deposit did not cover.
- Add marketing and screening costs, in dollars or in your hours at a rate you choose.
- Add any concession you gave the next tenant.
- The total is your cost of one turnover for that unit.
Example a made-up unit rents for $1,500 a month, so daily rent is $50. It sits empty for 35 days, which is $1,750 of lost rent. Cleaning and touch-up paint the deposit did not cover come to $400. Marketing and screening take about 10 hours of your time, which you value at $30 an hour, so $300. The turnover costs $1,750 plus $400 plus $300, or $2,450. A tenant who stays another year avoids that bill.
The numbers in that example are invented to show the arithmetic. Use your own invoices and calendar.
What the deposit does and does not cover
A security deposit can cover damage beyond normal wear and unpaid rent, subject to your state's rules. It does not cover vacancy between tenants, cleaning that is normal wear, or the cost of finding the next tenant. Read normal wear and tear versus damage before you deduct anything, and follow your state's deadline for returning the deposit.
How turnover shows up on your books
Repairs, cleaning and advertising are usually ordinary rental expenses. Work that improves the property or adds to its life is treated differently and is generally depreciated rather than deducted in one year. IRS Publication 527 explains the difference, and your tax preparer decides how it applies to you. Rent you did not collect while a unit was empty is not income, and it is not a deduction either; it is simply rent that never arrived.
Using the number
Compare your turnover cost to the cost of keeping the tenant. If a turnover costs $2,450 and a tenant who stays would pay a $50 a month increase, the increase adds $600 over a year, far less than a turnover. That does not mean you should never raise rent, only that a small rent difference rarely beats a vacancy; see break even rent increase versus vacancy for the method. For ways to make staying easy, read tenant retention ideas.
How DoorKeeping handles it
DoorKeeping keeps each property's books separately, so the cleaning, repair and marketing invoices for a turn are coded to that property and show up in its profit and loss. Ask Claude or ChatGPT, for example: "What did turning unit 2B cost last time?" Work orders for the turn go to a vendor by job link, and you approve any payment before it is sent.
Sources
- Publication 527, Residential Rental Property, Internal Revenue Service, read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- What is the biggest cost of tenant turnover?
- For most landlords it is the rent lost while the unit is empty, because no invoice arrives for it. Cleaning, repairs and marketing add to it.
- Can I charge the tenant for turnover costs?
- Only for damage beyond normal wear, unpaid rent and other items your lease and state allow. Vacancy and the cost of finding a new tenant are generally yours.
- How do I find my own turnover cost?
- Add the lost rent, cleaning, repairs, marketing, screening, move-in costs and any concession for your last turn, using your invoices and calendar.