By The Junk Lord · Updated
Why turnovers need a checklist
A rental turnover cleanout checklist keeps the empty weeks between leases from stretching into empty months. Every unit comes back different. One tenant leaves it bare. The next leaves a sectional, two mattresses, a dead TV and a fridge nobody has opened since spring.
This matters a lot in our area. In York city, renters occupy 56.3% of occupied homes. In Harrisburg the figure is 63.4%, in Middletown borough 57.4% and in Dallastown borough 54.9%. In towns like these, turnovers are a regular part of the calendar for owners and managers.[1][2][3][4]
The list below runs in the order the work usually happens: the legal question first, then documentation, then disposal, then scheduling.
What to do with belongings left by a tenant
This is the step to get right before anything goes on a truck. Pennsylvania has rules about property a tenant leaves behind, including notice and timing, and they can differ depending on how the tenancy ended. Talk with your attorney and follow those rules before you dispose of anything. This guide isn't legal advice, and a cleanout crew isn't the right source for it either.
Once you have a clear answer, put it in writing for whoever does the work: what gets held, where it gets held, for how long, and what can go. Written instructions protect you and keep the crew from guessing.
- Confirm with your attorney that you're clear to remove and dispose of the contents.
- List any items to hold back, such as documents, IDs, keepsakes or anything that looks valuable, and decide where they'll be stored.
- Note anything that belongs to the unit and stays, like owner-supplied appliances, blinds or window units.
- Keep a copy of your instructions with the work order.
Document the unit before anything moves
Walk the unit with your phone before the cleanout starts. Your own dated photos and video are the record you'll want later, whether the question is a security deposit, an insurance claim or a dispute about what was left.
- Shoot every room from the doorway, then each wall, then close-ups of damage.
- Photograph the contents as you found them, including closets, the basement, the attic and any shed or garage.
- Open the refrigerator and freezer and photograph what's inside. Food has to come out before a fridge can be disposed of in York County.[5]
- Record meter readings and the condition of appliances that stay with the unit.
- Take a second set of photos after the unit is empty and swept, from the same spots.
What curbside pickup won't take in common rental towns
Dragging a whole unit's contents to the curb rarely works. Municipal programs are set up for a normal week of household trash, and each town has its own limits on bulky items. Here's what the programs say in four towns with a lot of rental housing.
York city: curbside customers can schedule up to five bulky items a week, booked 7 to 10 days ahead, and unscheduled large items aren't collected. The City says pianos, pool tables, fencing, garage doors, car parts, lumber, rocks and brick, and bags or boxes of anything must be handled privately. Large items with signs of bedbugs have to be bagged and sealed.[6]
Harrisburg: each household may put out one bulk item a week, and the City warns that piling extras in front of a property can bring a fine. Large appliances aren't part of bulk collection and carry a removal fee, and construction debris like drywall, lumber and plumbing fixtures is directed to the transfer station on 19th Street. For house cleanouts, the City suggests renting a container from Public Works or hiring a professional hauler.[7]
Lancaster city: one oversized item per unit per week, no heavier than two people can lift, and that week's trash drops to four containers. Refrigerators, washers, dryers, water heaters, air conditioners and similar appliances go through a separate monthly white goods collection that requires a tag from the Treasury Office.[8]
Hanover borough: large or bulky items need a special pickup scheduled with Public Works and paid for in advance, and mattresses, box springs and tires are on that list. Refrigerator and stove doors must come off appliances set out for pickup, and the borough won't take construction waste.[9]
The TV, the computer and the fridge
Three items show up in almost every vacated unit and need their own plan. The first two are electronics. Since January 24, 2013, Pennsylvania has barred TVs, desktops, laptops, monitors and computer peripherals from municipal trash. Licensed haulers and transfer stations can't knowingly accept them for disposal, so they have to be recycled.[10]
Cell phones aren't covered devices under the state law, but plenty of recycling programs take them. York County residents can drop electronics for free at the Resource Recovery Center or the Fairview and Penn Township recycling centers, up to five TVs per visit. In Dauphin County, the recycling center on South Cameron Street in Harrisburg takes TVs and computers for free.[10][11][12]
The third is the refrigerator. Federal rules bar venting the refrigerant in fridges, freezers and window air conditioners, and it has to be recovered before the unit is scrapped or landfilled.[13][14]
Foreclosure trash out checklist
A foreclosure or post-eviction trash-out follows the same steps as a turnover, usually with more stuff and less time. Run through this before the crew arrives.
- Written clearance from the owner, lender or attorney that the contents can be removed.
- Your own before photos of every room, outbuilding and the yard.
- A hold-back list and a place to store held items.
- Access details: lockbox code, gate, who meets the crew, utilities on or off.
- Hazards flagged in advance: paint, chemicals, fuel, propane tanks, a fridge with food in it. We don't take hazardous waste or liquids, so those need a separate plan.
- Scope in writing: every room, basement, attic, garage, shed and yard pile you want cleared.
- Your deadline and the next trade in line, whether that's paint, repairs, cleaners or a listing.
- After photos once the property is empty and swept.
Scheduling the haul around the turnover
The cleanout sits in the middle of the turnover, so it controls everything after it. Book it once the legal side is settled and before painters or cleaners are scheduled. Leave a small buffer between the haul and the next trade.
Text photos of each room to (717) 654-6138, along with the address and your deadline. William gives an upfront price, based on how much space the contents take up in the truck, and confirms it before we start. On full cleanouts we walk the space room by room first, and anything you flag stays. Our two-person crew does all the lifting and loading, takes usable items to donation drop-offs and sweeps the areas we clear.
Most full houses take one full day. A heavily packed property or a large one can run two, so plan the next trade with that in mind.