All tools / Turnover costs / Richmond, VA
Apartment turnover cost in Richmond, VA
A typical 2-bedroom apartment turnover in Richmond runs about $1,120–$3,634 (expected $1,909). That is close to the national figure of $1,960 (-3%).
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- Same scenario, nationally
- $1,960
- Virginia median
- $1,811
- Data
- BLS OEWS May 2025
What a turnover costs in Richmond, by unit size
Expected cost of a make-ready turn for five common unit types, under three move-out conditions. The typical column also shows the likely range.
| Unit | Light | Typical | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio1 bath | $767 | $1,363$756 to $2,729 | $3,760 |
| 1 bedroom1 bath | $767 | $1,578$911 to $3,090 | $4,830 |
| 2 bedroom1 bath | $819 | $1,909$1,120 to $3,634 | $6,049 |
| 3 bedroom2 bath | $924 | $2,377$1,414 to $4,459 | $7,554 |
| 3 bedroom house2 bath | $968 | $2,701$1,639 to $5,049 | $8,778 |
- LightMove-out in good shape: a few nail holes and scuffs, a dirty range and refrigerator, one bent blind.
- TypicalA full repaint, spot-treated carpet stains, a hole in an interior door, bent blinds, torn screens, dirty grout, range and refrigerator.
- HeavyPet-damaged carpet replaced, many wall holes and a full repaint, heavy-soil cleaning, odor treatment, a trash-out, a replaced door, missing keys and damaged cabinet doors (plus yard debris for the house).
Every scenario also carries the standard turn baseline: cleaning by bedroom and bathroom, HVAC filter, alarm test, bulbs, rekeying the exterior locks, a pest inspection and the final punch walk. Standard profile, property-manager vendor pricing, built in 2005, typical unit sizes assumed.
Local labor by trade
Labor is mixed in Richmond: 7 trades cost less than the national median and 1 cost more. The widest gap is cleaning, 6% below the national median. 4 more are within 1% of national. 1 of the 13 trade groups have no published figure for this area and are priced at the national median.
Cheaper than national
- Cleaning6% below
- Yard and landscaping5% below
- Plumbing4% below
Pricier than national
- Appliance repair4% above
- Window glass1% above
- Pest control1% above
Index is the local median hourly wage divided by the national median for the same occupations. Only the labor share of each price is scaled; materials are not.
| Trade | Index | Versus national median |
|---|---|---|
| Appliance repairappliance repair and install | 1.04 | 4% above |
| Pest controlinspection and treatment | 1.01 | 1% above |
| Window glassglass replacement | 1.01 | 1% above |
| Hauling and trash-outtrash-out and bulky items | 1.00 | same as national |
| Locksmithrekeying and keys | 1.00 | same as national |
| Handyman and maintenancesmall repairs, blinds, alarms, final walk | 0.98 | 2% below |
| Electricallicensed electrical work | 0.97 | 3% below |
| HVACservice visits | 0.97 | 3% below |
| Paintingrepaints and touch-up | 0.97 | 3% below |
| Plumbinglicensed plumbing work | 0.96 | 4% below |
| Yard and landscapingmowing and yard cleanup | 0.95 | 5% below |
| Cleaningturn cleans and carpet cleaning | 0.94 | 6% below |
| Drywalldrywall visit charges | 0.84 | 16% below * |
| Flooringcarpet and plank installation | 1.00 | No BLS figure; national median used |
* Does not scale any task price. It only sets the visit minimum, so it is left out of the comparisons above.
Unit prices for common make-ready tasks in Richmond
What one unit of each task costs here, before any vendor visit minimum. Materials are included.
| Task | Low | Expected | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repaint all wallsper floor sq ft | $0.54 | $0.83 | $1.36 |
| Carpet replacement with padper sq ft | $2.25 | $3.25 | $5.00 |
| Standard turn clean, kitchen and living areasper unit | $51.87 | $75.44 | $113.16 |
| Rekey a lock cylinderper cylinder | $15.00 | $25.00 | $45.00 |
| Trash-out and haul-awayper cu yd | $30.00 | $40.00 | $60.00 |
| Drywall patch, doorknob-size holeeach | $58.80 | $107.80 | $196.00 |
| Replace window blindseach | $16.83 | $35.64 | $94.05 |
| Replace a smoke alarmeach | $21.45 | $35.45 | $83.46 |
| Replace an HVAC filtereach | $9.60 | $18.91 | $40.92 |
How Richmond compares
It ranks 2nd of 13 areas in Virginia by cost (1 is the most expensive). A typical 2-bedroom turn there ranges from $1,680 in Southwest Virginia to $1,916 in Staunton-Stuarts Draft, with a median of $1,811. Richmond is 5% above it. Nationally the same scenario comes to $1,960.
| Area | Typical 2 bedroom | Versus national |
|---|---|---|
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft | $1,916 | -2% |
| Richmond | $1,909 | -3% |
| Charlottesville | $1,894 | -3% |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $1,857 | -5% |
| Roanoke | $1,849 | -6% |
| Winchester | $1,830 | -7% |
| 6 more areas not shown | ||
| Southwest Virginianonmetropolitan area | $1,680 | -14% |
| National figure | $1,960 | baseline |
Typical 2-bedroom turn, expected cost. Areas are ordered from most to least expensive within the state.
Notes for Richmond
- Older buildings. Rental units built before 1978 need lead-safe work practices when paint is disturbed (EPA RRP). For the typical 2-bedroom scenario that adds about $1,067 in Richmond, taking the expected total from $1,909 to $2,976. Enter the year built in the estimator to include it.
- Trades priced at the national median. BLS suppressed or did not publish wages here for flooring. Tasks in those trades use national prices, so they will not reflect Richmond conditions.
- ZIP codes. The estimator maps ZIP prefixes 230xx, 231xx, 232xx to this area. ZIP lookup works at the 3-digit level, so a ZIP at the edge of Richmond may be priced at a neighbouring area.
- Price level. Figures assume a property manager buying turns from local vendors (the estimator's default). A one-off owner hiring a single contractor typically pays more; a portfolio contract pays less.
Method and data
Every figure was computed by the same engine behind the free estimator and the API (ruleset pt-2026.10.3). National unit prices from published cost guides and bids are scaled by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics wage index for the Richmond metro area (OEWS May 2025). These are estimate ranges for budgeting, not quotes (read the disclaimer). How the estimate works.
We keep an anonymized record of estimates (ZIP3, unit size, findings and totals; never your notes, address, IP or contact details) to improve accuracy.
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