Rental Turnover Checklist for Austin Landlords: Odors and Fresh Air

Quick answer: Fix the source, then freshen the whole unit while it sits empty. Refill the drains, clean high to low, change the HVAC filter, replace pad where pets did damage, wash off smoke film, and finish with a whole-home air refresh before the new tenant moves in.

What new tenants notice first

Fresh paint and clean carpet make a rental look ready. But the first thing a new tenant notices when they open the door is the smell. A unit can look spotless and still carry the odors of the last household: pets, cigarettes, cooking, or just a closed-up, stale feel.

Odors come from the bio-load that builds up while people live in a space. That is our name for the tiny particles that collect in a home's air, on its surfaces and inside its HVAC system over time. At turnover, you have a short window when the unit is empty. It is the best time to freshen all of it at once.

Where do past-tenant odors hide?

Mostly in the things the air touches, not in the air itself.

• Carpet and pad. Pet accidents and spills soak through to the pad. Cleaning the top fibers often isn't enough.
• Walls and ceilings. Smoke and cooking grease leave a thin film, especially on ceilings and near the kitchen.
• Window coverings. Blinds and curtains collect dust, smoke and dander.
• Closets and cabinets. Closed spaces hold smells longer than open rooms.
• The HVAC system. Filters, the indoor coil and the ductwork collect what the last tenant put in the air. When the system runs, it sends it back out.
• Drains. A P-trap that dries out while the unit sits empty lets sewer gas into the home.

Why are pets and smoking the hardest odors?

Both soak into the building itself. Pets leave dander, hair and urine odors. Dander is light and gets everywhere, including into ductwork. Urine soaks into carpet pad and sometimes subfloor. For heavy pet odors, plan on replacing pad in the worst spots and sealing the subfloor before new carpet goes down.

Smoking leaves a sticky residue on almost every surface. It settles on ceilings, walls, light fixtures, blinds, inside cabinets and in the ducts. Washing walls and ceilings before painting, and using a stain-blocking primer, makes a big difference. Our guide to smoke odors in a home walks through the cleaning order in more detail. When cleaning and paint don't clear a heavy smoke or pet odor, our Odor Treatment adds an ozone step after the dry fog; the unit stays empty for up to 48 hours, so build that into the turnover.

A turnover checklist that covers the air

Work from the top down and from the inside out. Here is an order that works well:

1. Walk the unit and note odor spots. Kneel down near carpet and sniff closets and cabinets. Note the rooms that smell worst.
2. Run water in every drain. Tubs, sinks, showers, floor drains and the washer drain. This refills dry P-traps. Our drains and dry traps guide explains why.
3. Clean high to low. Ceiling fans, light fixtures, vents and blinds first, then walls, counters and cabinets, then floors last.
4. Change the HVAC filter. Always. A new tenant should start with a fresh filter. A good pleated filter catches much more than a thin fiberglass one.
5. Schedule HVAC service if it's due. A tune-up that checks the coil and condensate drain line keeps the system cleaner and cuts down on tenant calls in July. Gold Eagle Services handles tune-ups, coil cleaning and duct work across the Austin area.
6. Clean or replace carpet. Hot water extraction for normal wear. Pad replacement for pet damage.
7. Paint and let it air out. Open windows when the weather allows and run the HVAC fan.
8. Do a whole-home air refresh. Treat the unit once the dirty work is done and before the new tenant moves in.

How does a one-day air refresh fit a turnover?

It goes last, after paint and carpet, and it's done in one day. Turnovers run on tight schedules, and every empty day costs rent, so the timing matters.

Pure Maintenance Austin's whole-home dry fog treatment slots in here, after the painters and the carpet crew have gone. The patented VaPURE system works in two steps:

1. A fine dry fog of a hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid solution fills the unit. The droplets are so small they float through the air and reach every room and closet, plus the HVAC ductwork, without getting things wet. Afterward it breaks down into water, oxygen and vinegar.
2. A surface protectant is then applied to treated hard surfaces.

One day on site means it fits between the cleaners' last visit and the new tenant's keys. An empty unit is also the easiest kind to treat, since there is nothing to move or cover.

It is a way to freshen the home. It is not a replacement for fixing what caused a problem. If the last tenant left behind a leak, get that repaired first, and have an independent state-licensed professional look at any visible growth. We don't measure or analyze indoor air ourselves.

Tips for property managers with several units

• Keep a filter log. Write the filter size and change date on the air handler or in your unit file.
• Set tenant expectations. Put filter changes and running bath fans in the move-in packet.
• Watch humidity in empty units. Don't shut the AC off when a unit sits vacant in summer. Set it around 78 to 80 degrees so it still pulls moisture out. Our Central Texas humidity guide has more.
• Plan treatments into the schedule. Book the air refresh the same week you book paint and carpet, so it doesn't hold up move-in.

Get a free phone consultation

Pure Maintenance Austin, brought to you by Gold Eagle Services, works with landlords and property managers in all of Central Texas, including College Station, Round Rock, Georgetown, San Marcos, Bastrop and Marble Falls. Book a free phone consultation: a Comfort Advisor calls you, learns about the unit and its HVAC system and sends a written quote based on square footage. Call 512-904-4646 or email IAQ@goldeagleservices.com. We're open Monday through Saturday, 7am to 7pm.