Landlord and agent guide
Turning a Void Property Round Without Losing Weeks
A void is the only time a rental property is genuinely easy to work in, and the only time it earns nothing. Both facts push in the same direction: plan the work before the keys come back.
Day one: list everything before you fix anything
Walk the property with a camera and write one list covering every room. Resist the urge to book a plumber for the obvious leak before you know what else is there, because a single mobilisation covering ten items always beats three visits covering three.
We attend, photograph and price the whole list in one document, so the decision is a single yes rather than a running series of them.
The order that saves time
Sequence matters more than speed on site.
- Repairs and anything that opens up walls or floors first
- Plastering and making good next, with drying time allowed
- Flooring and joinery once wet trades are finished
- Decoration after everything that could damage it
- Deep clean last, immediately before viewings
What actually causes the delay
Almost never the building work. It is waiting for approval, waiting for a decision on a fitting, discovering a problem that should have been found on day one, and booking the clean too early so it has to be done twice.
Getting it relet faster
Fresh neutral decoration, a bathroom that looks clean rather than merely functional and a front entrance that is not tired will shift a property faster than almost any other spend. None of those are expensive during a void.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a typical void turnaround take?
A two-bedroom property with repairs and touch-up decoration is usually three to five working days once it is clear and accessible.
Should I redecorate between every tenancy?
Not fully. Touch-up decoration each time and a full repaint every second or third tenancy is the normal balance.
Is it worth replacing the bathroom during a void?
If the existing one is more than fifteen years old or looks tired in photographs, a void is by far the cheapest and least disruptive time to do it.
Can the work start before the tenant has left?
Only for quoting and inspection, which we can do in the final notice period so the work can start the day the keys come back.
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