In Mississauga, a lot of rentals are condos around Square One and along Hurontario, or basement units in houses in Meadowvale, Churchill Meadows and Erin Mills. Either way, the window between one tenant leaving and the next one moving in is short, and it's easy to lose days to back-and-forth.
Here's the list we'd work through, and the decisions worth making before anyone picks up a tool.
Walk it empty, with a list
Do the walk-through after the old tenant is out, in daylight, with every light on. Take dated photos for your records. Go room by room and write down what you find.
Doors and locks
- Every door opens, closes and latches without a shove
- Entry locks turn smoothly. Plan to rekey or change them for the new tenant.
- Closet doors are on their tracks
Water
- Run every tap and look under each sink with a flashlight
- Flush each toilet and listen for it running afterwards
- Check the caulk around the tub and shower. Black spots or gaps mean it needs redoing. See bathtub and shower caulking in condos.
Walls
- Nail holes, scuffs, dents behind doors
- Decide now: touch-up, or repaint full walls or rooms
Floors
- Lifting planks, chipped tiles, damaged transitions that could trip someone
- Can a damaged section be replaced with matching material, or is it a bigger job?
Fixtures and the little things
- Cabinet doors and drawers, towel bars, blinds, light fixtures
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. These are a legal requirement for Ontario landlords, so test them and replace as needed.
Split it into two lists
Once you're done, split everything into must fix before move-in and nice to have. Doors that won't latch, leaks, trip hazards and safety items go on the first list. Repainting a room that's only a little tired goes on the second.
That keeps the important work from getting lost in a long list of upgrades.
Decide the finish, not just the task
"Patch the bedroom wall" leaves a lot open. Will it be primed? Touched up or the whole wall painted? Do you have the paint? For flooring, do you have spare planks from the original install?
Answering these up front means the right materials show up on day one. Our North York drywall planning guide covers why paint matching is harder than it looks.
Sort out access early
- Who can approve extra work if something unexpected turns up?
- Who has keys and fobs for the unit and the building?
- Does the condo need a service elevator booking or contractor registration?
- Is the water and power on?
- Who's supplying paint, locks or replacement parts?
Leave time for drying and a final check
Paint, caulk and compound need time to dry or cure. Parts sometimes need to be ordered. Before handover, walk the unit again, check off the list and note anything still outstanding.
For a longer version of this list, see our tenant turnover checklist for Toronto landlords. Turnover repairs are what our tenant turnover service is for.
Unit coming up vacant in Mississauga? Call or text 416Fix at (365) 360-1416 with your list, photos and move-in date.
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