Short answer
Walk the unit once while it is empty and the water is on, working room by room through six categories: water supply and shutoffs, drains and waste, water heating, heating and cooling, envelope items that turn into plumbing calls, and the handover pack you leave the tenant. Most items take under a minute and need no tools beyond a torch: a full apartment runs twenty to thirty minutes if nothing is found. The purpose is not to fix anything on the spot.
It is to find the two or three things that would otherwise surface as an emergency call at 11pm in January, while there is still time to schedule them at a normal rate instead of an after-hours one. The single highest-value item is confirming every shutoff actually closes and telling the tenant where it is. A tenant who can stop the water turns a flood into a puddle, which changes the size of every plumbing event that follows in that unit.
How to use this rental turnover checklist
The purpose is not to fix anything.
| Category | What it catches | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Water supply and shutoffs | A valve that will not close during a real incident | 5 min |
| Drains and waste | A branch that backs up once someone lives there | 5 min |
| Water heating | A tank near end of life, or a missing relief-valve discharge pipe | 5 min |
| Heating and cooling | A room that never reaches temperature, checked before the season needs it | 10 min |
| Envelope items | Unheated spaces carrying pipe that will freeze in the first hard cold | 5 min |
| Handover pack | The delay between a tenant noticing and someone acting | 2 min |
Water supply and shutoffs
Shutoffs matter most of all. They are the single highest-value item on this list, because a tenant who can stop the water turns a flood into a puddle. A valve that has not moved in years may not close, and finding that out now is far cheaper than finding out during an incident.
- Locate the unit shutoff and the building main; confirm both actually operate
- Test each fixture shutoff under sinks and behind toilets: look for weeping at the stem after operating
- Check supply lines to sinks, toilets, dishwasher and washing machine for corrosion, kinks or bulging
- Run every fixture and check flow and drainage together
- Label the shutoffs, and photograph them for the tenant handover pack
Drains and waste
A drain that is slow while the unit is empty will be a backup once someone lives there. Test with volume, not a trickle: fill a sink and release it, which loads the branch in a way a running tap does not.
- Fill and release each sink and the bath. Watch for slow drainage or gurgling elsewhere
- Flush every toilet twice in succession and check the refill stops cleanly
- Check under every sink for damp, staining or a previously repaired trap
- Run the washing machine drain and confirm the standpipe takes it without backing up
- Note any unit with a history of backups for camera inspection instead of repeat clearing
Water heating
Age tells most of the story. Water heaters fail on their own schedule and give warning first. Age plus symptoms is what decides whether this unit gets scheduled replacement or a call at capacity.
- Record the model, serial and installation date: age is most of the decision
- Look for moisture, rust or staining at the base and on connections
- Listen during a heating cycle: rumbling usually means sediment
- Confirm the temperature-and-pressure relief valve discharge pipe is present and correctly terminated
- For shared equipment, note how many units depend on it
Heating and cooling
Turn the heat on regardless of the season. A heating fault found in August is a scheduled repair. The same fault found in December is an emergency affecting an occupied unit.
- Run the heat and confirm every room reaches temperature, note any room that lags
- Replace filters and record the size on the checklist for next time
- Check the thermostat's location, near a register, in sun, or in the wrong room causes complaints no equipment fix resolves
- On ductless heads, check for odour on start-up and clean or schedule cleaning
- Confirm the annual service is booked before the season, not during it
- Test carbon-monoxide and smoke alarms. Replace batteries as a matter of course
Building envelope items that become plumbing calls
These are not plumbing, and they cause plumbing emergencies. They belong on the same walkthrough because the vacant window is when they can be addressed.
- Plumbing on exterior walls: confirm the cabinet doors can be opened and note it for the tenant
- Unheated additions, porches and crawlspaces carrying pipe: check insulation and air sealing
- Exterior hose bibs drained and isolated before winter
- Basement or crawlspace moisture, and whether the sump pump runs when tested
- Gutters and grading directing water away from the foundation
The handover pack
Most of the cost in rental plumbing is the delay between a tenant noticing and someone with authority acting. A one-page handover removes most of that delay for free.
- Photograph and location of the unit water shutoff
- Who to contact, and what to do out of hours
- What to do first if water cannot be stopped
- Filter size and where filters are kept, if the tenant changes them
- A note that cabinet doors under exterior-wall sinks should be opened in hard freezes
Everything here is free to print, copy and reuse. It asks for nothing and requires no attribution.
Common questions
How long does this walkthrough take?
Around twenty to thirty minutes for a typical apartment if nothing is found, and it needs no tools beyond a torch. The time is almost entirely in testing shutoffs and running fixtures, which is also where nearly everything gets found.
What is the single most valuable item on the list?
Confirming the shutoffs work and telling the tenant where they are. A tenant who can stop the water changes the size of every subsequent plumbing event in that unit.
Can I reuse this checklist for my own properties?
Yes: print it, copy it, adapt it. It is published to be used, with no attribution required and nothing asked in return.
What should trigger scheduled replacement, not monitoring?
A water heater well into its expected life showing symptoms, a drain with repeat backups, or heating equipment that has needed unplanned attention in consecutive seasons. Those cost less scheduled than they do at failure, and far less than they do in an occupied unit in winter.
Why run the heat during a summer turnover?
A heating fault found in August is a scheduled repair, while the same fault found in December is an emergency affecting an occupied unit. Run the heat and confirm every room reaches temperature, replace filters and record the size, check the thermostat's location, and test carbon-monoxide and smoke alarms.