The short answer: start now. Holiday move-outs are part of every Houston property manager's Q4, and every vacant unit costs money each day it sits empty. The property managers who get through December cleanly are the ones who walk their expected vacancies early, put each scope in writing, and keep one contractor contact for the whole list.
This post walks through that plan, step by step. It is also how NRBS runs a job: one contact, a written scope, and finished work.
Why is the holiday turnover season harder in Houston?
Houston property managers are often running units spread across a big metro, from the Loop out to Katy, Cypress, Spring and Pearland. A contractor who has to drive between those properties needs a real schedule, not a promise. That gets harder in late November and December, when supply runs, office hours and resident move-out dates all shift around the holidays.
The climate adds its own pressure. Houston is humid for much of the year. A closed-up unit that sits vacant can pick up musty odors or show moisture problems that were not obvious while someone lived there. That is one more reason to walk each unit soon after the notice, not the week it becomes vacant.
Then there is the budget calendar. Q4 is when many portfolio companies plan next year's capital spending and choose their vendors for the coming year. A make-ready process that runs well over the holidays is the best evidence you will have when those decisions get made.
What does a holiday make-ready plan look like?
1. List the expected move-outs
Start with the notices you already have and the leases ending through early January. Put them on one list by property and expected vacate date. That list is what you hand to your contractor.
2. Walk each unit in person
A turnover scope written from a phone call is a guess. Walk the unit, ideally with the contractor, and note what is worn, what is damaged and what is just dirty. If the unit is still occupied, a pre-move-out walk with the resident's agreement can catch the big items early.
3. Put the scope in writing, line by line
The written scope is what protects you. It should list every item for that unit and say what is not included. Here is a simple way to think about the common lines:
| Walls | Patch holes, repair damaged drywall, match texture. Note each area so the patch count is not a surprise. |
|---|---|
| Flooring | Replace, repair or clean, room by room. Write which rooms, not just 'flooring'. |
| Paint | Touch-up or full repaint to your property's standard colour and sheen. |
| Doors and hardware | Doors that stick or do not latch, damaged trim, locks and handles. |
| Fixtures | Light fixtures, faucets, blinds and other items replaced rather than cleaned when worn. |
| Clean and haul-off | Debris and left-behind items removed, then a final clean to your standard. |
| Not included | Anything outside the list. It becomes its own line, raised before the work starts. |
A scope written like this does two things. It lets you compare units across properties, which we have written about in why you cannot compare renovation cost between your own communities. And it gives the contractor nothing to guess about.
4. Agree on one point of contact
Before work starts, know exactly who you call. Not the office line, not whoever happens to be on site. One person who knows every unit on your list, what is scheduled, and what is open. When you manage several properties, that one name saves you hours of repeating yourself.
5. Schedule around the holidays
Ask your contractor to schedule by vacate date, then plan around the days your office, your residents and the supply houses are closed. Items that take weeks to arrive, such as made-to-order flooring or fixtures, should be ordered when the scope is approved, not when the room is ready for them.
6. Close every turn on a punch list
"Finished" should be something you can check. Walk the unit against the written scope, write down every open item, and close the list before the invoice. That is the step that keeps a unit from coming back on your desk in January.
What changes found during the work?
Something always turns up: a soft spot under the flooring, a water stain behind a vanity, a door frame that is out of square. The rule should be simple. The contractor stops, tells you what they found, and gives you a written line for it before doing the extra work. You decide. Nothing extra gets absorbed quietly or added to the invoice afterwards.
How does NRBS run a make-ready?
The same way this plan reads. NRBS works with property-management and portfolio companies on make-ready and unit turnover, including interior repairs such as drywall and texture, flooring, doors and trim. We can handle turnover across many units and locations, and you deal with one point of contact the whole way through.
Every job starts with an in-person walk-through and ends with a written estimate, so the scope is on paper before anyone picks up a tool. Founder Nick Rodriguez has over nine years of experience in the Houston construction industry, and he describes how the company works in his own words: "transparency, accountability, and finishing what you start."
If you manage properties in the Houston area, see what we do around the metro on our Houston page or read more about how we work with property management companies.
Line up your turnover vendor before the holidays
If you have move-outs coming between now and January, call NRBS at (713) 923-0835 to set up a walk-through, or send us a message to set up a walk-through. We are available Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm CT.