Turnover cleanouts for Richmond landlords

The short answer

Most abandoned-property turnovers in the Richmond metro land between a quarter truck at $241 and a half truck at $431. A fully furnished unit left behind is often three-quarters at $587 or a full truck at $732.

The whole ladder: quarter $241, three-eighths $338, half $431, five-eighths $513, three-quarters $587, seven-eighths $661, full $732. Minimum $75.

You are quoted from photos, before dispatch. No estimator visit, no waiting for a walk-around, and the number does not move because the unit is on a third floor.

Speed is the whole product

A vacant unit earns nothing. In Richmond's tighter rental submarkets — the Fan, Museum District, Carytown, Scott's Addition, Manchester, and the blocks around VCU — the difference between relisting on the third and on the twelfth is real money, and the cleanout is usually the step that sets that date.

The sequence that works: inspect, photograph, get a quote the same day, book the removal for the morning after the tenant's keys are back, then the cleaner, then the photographer. Every one of those is blocked by the previous one, and the removal is the only step that can be scheduled before the unit is even empty.

The scheduling advice specific to this metro is simple and it saves the most: do not try to book a turnover for the last week of August. Student and suburban moves overlap in that two weeks and it is the tightest window of the Richmond year. Book it in July.

What Richmond tenants leave behind

Consistent enough to plan for.

Beds. The most abandoned item class. Twin mattress $82, full $94, queen $103, king $114, box spring $92, mattress and box spring set $143, bed frame $68.

Soft furniture. Sofa $126, loveseat $119, futon $111, armchair $77. Particularly in the Fan and Oregon Hill, where whatever came up the stairs in September rarely goes back down in August.

Window air conditioners. A large part of the inner-city rental stock has no central air, so there is a unit in most windows. Small $87, large $109, portable $85.

Appliances the tenant bought. Mini fridge $115, microwave $30, washer $133 and dryer $128 in a house rental.

Electronics. TV under 42" $62, 42" to 65" $68, computer monitor $58, box of electronics $77.

Bags. The final-day layer. 10 bags $132, 15 bags $196, 20 bags $259, 25 bags $322.

Worked turnovers

• A studio near VCU: futon $111 + twin mattress $82 + desk (standard) $83 + small window AC $87 + ten bags of debris $132. The addition: $111 + $82 + $83 + $87 + $132 = $495. A three-eighths truck is $338.
• A one-bedroom in the Fan: sofa $126 + coffee table $67 + mattress and box spring set $143 + bed frame $68 + large window AC $109 + fifteen bags of debris $196. The addition: $126 + $67 + $143 + $68 + $109 + $196 = $709. A half truck is $431.
• A Southside house rental, fully furnished: sectional sofa (3-piece) $185 + dining table (2-4 seat) $103 + four dining chairs at $45 each = $180 + washer $133 + dryer $128 + twenty bags of debris $259. The addition: $185 + $103 + $180 + $133 + $128 + $259 = $988. A full truck is $732.

The pattern: on a whole-unit turnover the truck ladder wins nearly every time, and you are automatically quoted the lower of the two.

Access, by portfolio type

Fan and Museum District conversions. One staircase, a quarter-turn landing, narrow sidewalk, permit-zoned street parking. The slowest per-unit work in the metro and the same price as everything else. Rear alley access, where it exists, is worth mentioning.

Oregon Hill and Jackson Ward. Tight blocks, narrow doorways, limited parking.

Scott's Addition and Manchester lofts. Freight elevator with a booking window, and often a certificate of insurance required on file before a contractor can use it. Worth having that arranged once rather than per job.

Henrico and Chesterfield garden apartments and houses. Short Pump, Glen Allen, Midlothian, Chester, Bon Air. Parking at the door, exterior stairs at worst. Fast.

There is no stair charge and no walk-up fee in any of them.

The deposit conversation

A flat published price makes the deduction defensible, which is the practical benefit most landlords notice first.

Instead of an estimated figure, you have a quoted number for named items, an invoice, and disposal included in it. If a departing tenant queries the deduction, you can show exactly what was removed and what each piece cost — sofa $126, mattress and box spring set $143, bed frame $68. The addition: $126 + $143 + $68 = $337.

It also tends to reduce the argument in the first place. A number from a published list reads very differently from a round figure someone estimated.

Abandoned property and doing it properly

Two things to keep clean.

Follow the correct process for abandoned tenant property. Notice requirements and holding periods are set by law and by your lease, and they are not something to improvise from an article. Take advice or follow your own documented process before disposing of anything that might be claimed.

Do not let it go to the alley. Every August, Fan and Oregon Hill alleys acquire a layer of abandoned tenant furniture, and it is illegal dumping regardless of who left it. Enforcement sits with the City of Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield separately, and the material in those piles is usually traceable to an address. Booked removal with a receipt keeps the whole thing documented.

Working with a portfolio

If you manage several units across the metro — a few Fan conversions, a Southside double, some Henrico garden units — the practical workflow is: photograph at inspection, send the photos, get a total per unit the same day, book the window, leave a lockbox code.

You never need to be on site. Disposal is inside the price so there are no gate receipts to reconcile against a turnover budget, and each unit gets its own invoice for your accounting.

One booking per unit, one number, one morning.

Frequently asked questions