Single-family make-ready price bands in DFW
Make Ready Residential, a Dallas make-ready company, says most DFW single-family turns cost $1,500 to $6,500 or more. It is the only source in this guide with DFW tiers, and it states no method.
| Scope | Price | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (cosmetic): drywall patching, paint touch-ups, cleaning, basic repairs | $1,500 to $2,500 | 3 to 5 days | Make Ready Residential, DFW, Feb 2026 |
| Standard: full interior repaint, flooring repairs or partial replacement, fixture and hardware updates | $2,500 to $4,500 | 5 to 7 days | Make Ready Residential, DFW, Feb 2026 |
| Heavy: full flooring replacement, cabinet repairs, extensive drywall, major appliance replacement | $4,500 to $6,500+ | 7 to 10+ days | Make Ready Residential, DFW, Feb 2026 |
| Basic: paint touch-up, carpet cleaning, minor repairs | A few hundred dollars | Not stated | McCaw, DFW, Sep 2026 |
| Full: new flooring or appliance replacement | Into the thousands | Not stated | McCaw, DFW, Sep 2026 |
Make Ready Residential says most DFW turnovers fall in the standard tier. McCaw Property Management, a Keller property manager, gives no exact band. Its basic figure sits well below the light tier, so the sources disagree on small turns.
Line items: cleaning, paint, flooring and rekeying
DFW line-item figures are thin, so national rows are labeled.
| Line item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning | $200 to $400 | Northpoint, Fort Worth, undated (read Oct 2026) |
| Move-out deep clean, empty unit, national | $120 to $420 | Ethreon, national, Sep 2026 |
| Paint touch-up | $400 to $800 | Northpoint, Fort Worth, undated (read Oct 2026) |
| Touch-up paint, national | $150 to $400 | Lula, national, Sep 2026 |
| Interior repaint, single-family rental | $1,500 to $3,500 | Make Ready Residential, DFW, Feb 2026 |
| Full repaint, 900 sq ft unit, national | $1,800 to $5,400 | Lula, national, Sep 2026 |
| Carpet cleaning or replacement | $300 to $1,500 | Northpoint, Fort Worth, undated (read Oct 2026) |
| Flooring replacement, added to the turn | $1,500 to $4,000 | Make Ready Residential, DFW, Feb 2026 |
| Vinyl plank flooring installed, per unit, national | $2,500 to $5,000 | Ethreon, national, Sep 2026 |
| Minor repairs | $200 to $600 | Northpoint, Fort Worth, undated (read Oct 2026) |
| Rekeying, per lock, national | $80 to $150 | Ethreon, national, Sep 2026 |
Northpoint lists an Austin address. Its Fort Worth blog shows no date and no sources. For painting prices, see what interior painting costs in DFW.
Texas law requires a rekey on every turn. Texas Property Code §92.156(a) says the landlord must rekey any security device operated by a key, card or combination, at the landlord’s expense. The deadline is the seventh day after each tenant turnover date. Under §92.151, that is the day a new tenant moves in after all previous occupants leave. No source gives a DFW price per lock.
Multifamily benchmarks
The only DFW apartment figures cover cleaning. Apartment turn totals come from national reports.
| Measure | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Make-ready cleaning, 1 bed/1 bath (500 to 750 sq ft) | $120 to $180 per unit | Kleen-It, DFW, Jul 2026 |
| Make-ready cleaning, 2 bed/2 bath (800 to 1,100 sq ft) | $180 to $260 per unit | Kleen-It, DFW, Jul 2026 |
| Make-ready cleaning, 3 bed/2+ bath (1,200+ sq ft) | $260 to $350 per unit | Kleen-It, DFW, Jul 2026 |
| Light apartment turn, national | $1,500 to $3,000 | Lula, national, Sep 2026 |
| Standard turn, includes lost rent, national | $3,000 to $5,000 | Lula, national, Sep 2026 |
| Heavy turn, national | $8,000 to $12,000+ | Lula, national, Sep 2026 |
| Light, standard and heavy turns, 12 US markets | $800 to $1,500; $2,500 to $4,500; $6,000 to $15,000 | Ethreon, national, Sep 2026 |
| Average cost per move-out, US multifamily (Zego 2026) | $3,976 | Lula, national, Sep 2026 |
Kleen-It, a Fort Worth cleaning company, calls its rates estimated turnover rates in a pricing benchmark table. Ethreon’s 12-market tiers (Breasy contractor data) name no property type. No source gives a DFW price for a full apartment turn with paint and repairs. See multifamily make-readies.
Lost rent while the home sits empty
Every empty day costs rent. Make Ready Residential says vacancy often costs more than repairs.
- Fort Worth, about 22 days. McCaw puts Fort Worth days on market near 22, versus 29 to 35 metro-wide. It says 22 vacant days on a $2,195 rental cost about $1,610.
- Fort Worth, 30 to 45 days. Northpoint puts lost rent at $2,000 to $3,500, without stating the rent.
- National single-family. Ethreon cites Invitation Homes’ SEC filing: 47 days unoccupied between residents in 2025, up from 40 in 2024.
McCaw’s figures work out to about $73 a day, or about $510 a week. That is arithmetic ($2,195 divided by 30 days), not a quoted figure. Compare quotes on days to ready as well as price.
What moves the price
Size, materials and condition set the tier. Make Ready Residential names four cost factors, and Lula adds a fifth.
- Property size. Kleen-It’s cleaning rates also climb with unit size.
- Material selection. Paint quality and flooring material move those lines.
- Deferred maintenance. The heavy tier covers deferred maintenance and damage.
- Market expectations. Listed as a factor, with no dollar figure.
- Scale. Lula says individual landlords often pay 20% to 40% more than portfolio-scale managers.
Plumbing and electrical items need a licensed trade
Make Ready Residential’s tiers include minor plumbing fixes and minor electrical work. Those prices are market data only. That work needs a licensed plumber or electrician, not a handyman.
- Plumbing. Under Texas Occupations Code §1301.351(a), anyone other than a responsible master plumber needs the proper license and a licensee’s supervision.
- Electrical. Section 1305.151 bars performing or offering electrical work or residential appliance installation without a license. Its exceptions are in Section 1305.003.
See what a handyman can legally do in Texas.
Pre-1978 rentals: the EPA lead rule
In a rental built before 1978, paid paint work can fall under the EPA lead rule (40 CFR Part 745). EPA says that, in general, anyone paid to disturb paint there must be certified, even sole proprietors. It says landlords and property managers must comply when their work disturbs paint.
Under 40 CFR §745.81(a)(2), no firm may perform or offer renovations in target housing without EPA certification, unless an exception applies. Texas is not an EPA-authorized state, and the Texas Department of State Health Services says EPA runs the program there.
Under 40 CFR §745.83, renovation does not include minor repair and maintenance: 6 square feet or less of painted surface per room inside, or 20 square feet or less outside. Window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces do not qualify.
Two details matter on a make-ready. Section 745.83 names surface prep such as sanding and scraping as renovation. Non-emergency jobs in one room within 30 days count as one job, so small patches add together. Ask for the firm’s EPA certification and check it in EPA’s firm search.
Before you get quotes
Ask for a written scope with separate lines for cleaning, paint, flooring, repairs and rekeying. Ask how many days the turn will take. See make-ready and turnover for single-family rentals and property management vendor services for portfolios.