Glossary

Turn Tier (Light/Medium/Heavy Turn)

Also known as: Turn Scope Tier

A classification system operators use to triage a vacated unit's make-ready scope — commonly light (cleaning and touch-up only), medium (paint, minor repairs, appliance service), and heavy (flooring replacement, cabinet or countertop work, or full renovation-program scope) — used to budget cost and schedule crews before work begins.

Tier assignment is typically made at a pre-turn inspection conducted within 24 to 48 hours of notice to vacate or actual move-out, allowing vendor scheduling and materials ordering to begin in advance rather than only after the move-out inspection is complete, which meaningfully compresses vacant unit days. Tier assignment interacts directly with the move-out inspection and security deposit disposition process: damage identified beyond normal wear and tear can push a unit from a budgeted light turn into a medium or heavy tier, disrupting both that unit's cost budget and, at volume, the broader make-ready pipeline's crew and materials scheduling. Portfolios track the tier mix — the percentage of turns falling into each category over time — as an indicator of resident quality and overall property age and condition trends, distinct from tracking average turn cost or turn time alone.