Rental Turnover Repairs in Duluth, MN & Superior, WI
One walkthrough, one punch list, one flat quote, then the repairs done in the gap between move-out and move-in. Landlords get photos of the unit before and after.
Twin Ports Contracting & Repair handles rental turnover repairs for landlords in Duluth, MN and Superior, WI: punch lists, drywall and paint, rekeying, alarm checks and photo reports. A short list is priced item by item and a longer one as a half-day block, and either way it becomes one flat written quote you approve before work starts, timed to the gap between tenants.
Updated by Twin Ports Contracting & Repair, Duluth, MN
The Gap Between Tenants Is Short
A turnover is a race against a calendar. The old tenant is out, the next one moves in soon, and in between the unit needs patched walls, fresh paint, working locks, tested alarms and a few dozen small repairs nobody wants to list twice. Duluth and Superior add a cold-weather twist: a leaking window, a frozen exterior spigot or a sticky door shows up in a vacant unit after the heat is turned down, and nobody is there to report it.
We work from a punch list. We walk the unit, photograph what we find, quote the whole list as a flat price and do it in the window you set. You see the work in a photo report, so you can sign off from across town or out of state. Everything on the list is a handyman scope: no licensed-trade work is quoted as ours, and anything that needs an electrician, plumber or roofer is flagged on the report. The visit fee is waived when you approve the work.
What Our Rental Turnover Work Covers
- Between-tenant punch listsEvery small repair, one visit
- Drywall hole and ding patchesDoorknob holes and anchor marks
- Paint touch-ups and full roomsMatched sheen, scuffs and patches covered
- Rekeying and lock changesLocks and deadbolts swapped or rekeyed
- Smoke and CO alarm checksTested, dated and replaced if needed
- Fixture and hardware swapsFaucets, towel bars, shelf brackets
- Doors and closet repairsSticking, loose or broken doors fixed
- Blinds, rods and mountsHung, reset or replaced
- Caulk and grout refreshTubs, sinks and backsplashes resealed
- Caulk and weatherstripWindows and exterior doors sealed up
- Photo documentationBefore and after photos for owners
- Move-in day assemblyFurniture and wall mounts, scheduled
Common Rental Turnover Projects
| Project | What's included | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Quick turn | Walkthrough, short punch list, patches, touch-up paint and a lock or alarm check | Fits a short gap; booked as a block visit |
| Full punch list | Doors, fixtures, caulk, drywall and paint across the whole unit | Photographed before and after for the owner file |
| Rekey and secure | Locks and deadbolts rekeyed or replaced; keys counted out | Done before the new tenant's first night |
| Alarm and safety check | Smoke and CO alarms tested, dated and replaced when needed | Rules in Minnesota and Wisconsin differ; we flag what applies |
For planning ranges on rental turnover work rather than a project quote, see the Duluth & Superior handyman cost guide. Its cost estimator helps price a list, and photos, measurements, access, materials and the finish decide your written quote.
From Walkthrough to Punch List to Sign-Off
A good turnover starts with a walkthrough, in person or by photo. We go room by room, noting every wall mark, loose hinge, missing screen, stained ceiling tile and failing seal, and we photograph each one. That list becomes the quote: each line has a price, you cross off what you don't want, and what's left is a flat total. A half-day block fits a short list, and the block rate is quoted when you call. Bigger lists run a full day or two.
Timing matters as much as scope. We schedule around move-out and move-in dates, order paint and hardware before the unit is empty and do the messy work first so cleaning follows. When the work is done, you get a photo report of each room, which doubles as your owner file. Anything we spot but don't fix, such as a leak or a failing outlet, is called out separately.
Locks, Alarms and the Small Things Owners Are Responsible For
Locks and alarms are the two items to check every time. Rekeying or replacing a deadbolt between tenants is cheap compared with the risk of a former tenant's key still working. Our planning range is $95–$220 per door. Smoke and CO alarms have rules in both states: Minnesota's one- and two-unit rules are in Minn. Stat. 299F.362 and 299F.51, and Wisconsin's are in SPS 321.09 and SPS 321.097.
We test each alarm, check its manufacture date and replace the ones that have expired or fail the test; a whole-home service runs $95–$250 in our planning range. Which rules apply depends on the building, so we flag what we see and you confirm with your local code office. For the same visit, check the door repair and installation page for sticking doors and weatherstripping, and the rest of the kit, from patched walls to repainted trim, is on our drywall and painting pages.
Rental Property Repairs and Apartment Turnovers in Duluth and Superior
For rental property repairs, owners and managers send one list per unit and get one flat quote back. A typical apartment turnover covers patching and painting, door and lock fixes, flooring touch-ups, fixtures, smoke alarm checks and a final clean-up so the unit is ready for the next showing.
Repeat lists get easier to price, because the same unit types come up again. Tell us the unit count and the move-out date and we will work backward from it.
Repair, Replace or Call a Specialist? Turnover Decisions
Most turnover items are quick handyman fixes; wiring, supply plumbing and roof leaks go to a licensed trade.
| What you're seeing | Likely cause | Usual fix | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holes, dings and scuffs on walls | Doorknobs, anchors and furniture | Patch, prime and paint the wall or room | Us; drywall under 100 sq ft needs no permit in Superior |
| Locks and keys unknown or worn | Many keys out over a tenancy | Rekey or replace the deadbolt and test every key | Us |
| Smoke or CO alarm missing, chirping or expired | Dead battery or an old unit | Test, date and replace the unit as needed | Us; rules differ in Minnesota and Wisconsin |
| Sticking or damaged doors, loose hardware | Settling, swelling or rough use | Plane, re-hang or replace the door and hardware | Us |
| Dead outlet, flickering light or scorched switch | Failed device or wiring fault | Like-for-like swaps only; new circuits and fault-finding go to an electrician | A licensed electrician for wiring work |
| Ceiling stain or leaking window after a tenant leaves | Roof, flashing or plumbing leak | Find and fix the source first, then repair the finish | A licensed roofer or plumber for the source; us for the repair |
Turnover Timing in a College and Winter Town
Duluth and Superior rentals turn over in waves, and semester break is one of them, with students moving out and the next set moving in. Winter adds its own risk to a vacant unit: heat set low, a door that doesn't latch, a window left cracked. We time visits around your move-out and move-in dates, and during cold months we check the unit for drafts, frozen spigots and anything the heat bill will punish. Book early near semester break, since the same dates are on everyone's calendar.
Rental Turnovers in Duluth, Superior and Nearby Towns
Most turnover work is the kind that needs no permit: patching, painting, locks and trim. The exceptions come from the trades and from alarm rules. Wiring changes need an electrician under an electrical permit, plumbing that alters supply needs a plumbing permit, and each state sets its own smoke and CO alarm rules for one- and two-unit homes. Here is how that looks across the Twin Ports and nearby towns, and we check what your address needs before we quote.
Rental Turnovers in Duluth, MN
Duluth needs no building permit for painting, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and similar finish work (City of Duluth), which covers most of a punch list. Replacing a light fixture, switch or outlet like for like needs no electrical permit, but new fixtures, switches, outlets or circuits do, and the city's FAQ says so (City of Duluth).
That line is why a turnover quote lists a swapped fixture as our work and a new circuit as an electrician's. Minnesota alarm rules apply in a Duluth rental: a smoke alarm in each dwelling unit of a one- or two-unit home (Minn. Stat. 299F.362) and a working CO alarm within ten feet of rooms used for sleeping (Minn. Stat. 299F.51).
Rental Turnovers in Superior, WI
Superior's Permits Not Required list covers most turnover items in a one- or two-family home: new floor coverings, interior trim, paint, wallpaper, floor and wall tile, drywall or plaster repair under 100 square feet, replacing a sink faucet or toilet without altering piping, and like-for-like switch, receptacle or light fixture swaps (City of Superior). Wisconsin's alarm rules for these homes are in SPS 321.09 for smoke alarms and SPS 321.097 for CO detectors, and which edition applies depends on when the home was built, so an older Superior duplex is worth a call to building inspection at (715) 395-7288.
Rental Turnovers in Proctor and Moose Lake
Smaller cities draw the line in their own words. Proctor requires a permit to alter or repair a building and for gas, mechanical, electrical or plumbing work (City of Proctor), so a turnover that grows into wall or wiring changes gets checked first. In Moose Lake, painting, wallpapering and carpet, vinyl or wood flooring need no permit, while replacing windows, doors or siding does (City of Moose Lake). Moose Lake lists cosmetic finish work as exempt; for Proctor, and for anything structural, we ask the city office before we quote.
Every town sets its own rules for rental turnover work. The Minnesota and Wisconsin permit office lists show which office to call and what it exempts.
Getting a Rental Turnover Quote and How the Job Runs
What to Send for a Turnover Quote
A turnover quote is fastest when we know the dates and see the unit. Send the address, the move-out and move-in dates, and photos of each room, with close-ups of wall damage, doors, locks and anything that looks stained or worn. Tell us what the next tenant is bringing in, whether any paint is saved, and how many keys and fobs exist. If you manage several units, send the list in priority order so we can price them as one schedule instead of one-offs.
Before requesting a quote, include: Move-out and move-in dates; Room-by-room photos with damage close-ups; Lock details, key count and any saved paint. If the list is long, use the repair-list planning guide to sort it first.
How a Rental Turnover Job Works
- Send the details. Start with the quote form or a call to (715) 919-7956; photos of the spot help most for rental turnover.
- Get a flat written quote. The price arrives in writing for you to approve; if the job needs a look first, the $95 visit fee is waived once you approve the work.
- Pick a day. Work is booked for a day that suits you.
- Work done, then a walkthrough. We finish with cleanup and a walkthrough of the rental turnover work, and we guarantee the workmanship in writing, so a failure means we return and redo it at no charge.
Rental Turnover Questions
What goes on a rental turnover punch list?
Anything small that the last tenant left behind or the next tenant will notice. A typical list covers wall patches and paint, locks, smoke and CO alarms, fixtures and hardware, doors that stick, caulk, blinds and curtain rods, and a general look for water stains or drafts. We walk the unit with you or from photos, write the list, and quote every line at once, so nothing gets re-quoted after the first visit.
Can you rekey or change the locks between tenants?
Yes. Locks are rekeyed or the deadbolt is swapped, then every key is tested. A new set is one of the first things a tenant expects on move-in day, and an old set still held by a previous tenant is a risk you don't need to carry. Our planning range for a lock or deadbolt replacement is $95–$220 per door, depending on the hardware, and rekeying options are assessed on the visit.
Do rental units need smoke and CO alarms checked at turnover?
It's a good habit, and both states have alarm rules. Minnesota requires a smoke alarm in each one- or two-unit dwelling unit (Minn. Stat. 299F.362) and a working CO alarm within ten feet of rooms used for sleeping (Minn. Stat. 299F.51); Wisconsin sets its own in SPS 321.09 and 321.097. We test each alarm, check its date and replace any that are expired or silent. Our planning range for the whole-home service is $95–$250.
How do you document a turnover for the owner?
With dated photos of each room and each repair, taken before work and again when we finish, plus a short written list of what was done. That gives you a record for the file, a reference if the tenant disputes the condition later, and a check that the work was done when you can't be there. Photos of damage beyond normal wear are labeled separately, so deposit decisions are yours to make from a clear record.
Do you do paint touch-ups or full repaints between tenants?
Both. Touch-ups cover scuffs, patched holes and trim, and they work well when the paint is in decent shape and a spare gallon exists. When walls are tired or the color is wrong, a full room repaint is quoted by room. Drywall patches are included in the plan, and our planning range for a small hole patch is $125–$300. Rooms are quoted in advance so the finish matches.
What about the licensed trades a rental might need, like electrical or plumbing?
We flag them on the report and don't quote them as ours. New circuits and wiring changes are an electrician's job under an electrical permit, and plumbing work that alters supply lines may need a licensed plumber. A like-for-like fixture swap, a faucet or a light fixture, is handyman work. If your punch list includes both, we price what we do and tell you plainly what to send to a licensed trade.
What does a half-day turnover visit cost?
Half-day visits are priced as a block rather than item by item, and we give you the block rate when you call. The block covers a prioritized list of accepted tasks, and we confirm which tasks fit before the visit. A short list of patches, a lock swap and an alarm check often fits one block; a full repaint of the unit does not. The punch list becomes a flat written quote you approve first. See pricing.
Can you work around move-out and move-in dates?
Yes, that is the whole point of a turnover quote. Tell us the move-out and move-in dates, and we schedule the walkthrough as soon as the unit is empty, order materials like paint and locks ahead and plan the repairs to finish before the next tenant arrives. A tight gap works best with a photo walkthrough ahead of time. If a repair needs a cure or a part delivery, the quote flags the dates that might slip.
How long does a rental turnover take in Duluth, MN?
A typical sequence runs a walk-through and photo report, a written punch list, then repairs, drywall patching, paint, rekeying and alarm checks. The waiting is usually in paint and patch compound drying, parts orders, and any licensed trade a unit needs, such as an electrician. Work that needs a permit follows the city's review, which the City of Superior asks applicants to allow 10 business days for. The quote shows how the work is scheduled.
Can you handle several units on the same turnover schedule?
Yes. Send us the addresses and dates and we schedule the visits in order, with a photo report for each unit. Multi-unit work is still quoted flat per unit, so each one stands on its own for your records. If two units open up in the same building at the same time, we can plan the materials together and keep the visits close together.
These answers also sit in the Rental Turnover section of our FAQ, alongside questions on pricing, scheduling and coverage.
Service Area and Towns We Cover
Rental turnover work is not limited to the big cities; the towns below are all in our service area.
Duluth neighborhoods:
Superior neighborhoods:
Looking for rental turnover help outside Duluth and Superior? The surrounding town notes and the Minnesota and Wisconsin town guides cover the rest, and the cost guide helps with budget.
Town checklists for rental turnover projects
Project notes for towns across the service area:
Services That Pair With Rental Turnover Work
Get the Unit Ready Before the Keys Change Hands
Send the address, the move-out and move-in dates and a few photos, and we'll turn the walkthrough into a written quote before any work starts.