Do it in this order
The single biggest cause of a fortnight-long void is doing things in the wrong order and then redoing them. The sequence that works:
- Strip and clear first. Old flooring, fixings, anything the tenant left. You cannot price the walls until you can see them.
- Repairs and plastering next. Patch, fill, replaster where needed. This is the wet, dusty stage and everything after it depends on it drying.
- Decoration. Ceilings, walls, woodwork. Not before the plaster is dry — see our note on painting new plaster.
- Flooring last. Laying a new floor and then painting above it is how floors get ruined.
- Deep clean, then photographs. For the file and for the listing.
What is worth doing and what is not
Worth doing: making good every mark and hole properly, because a wall that has been dabbed rather than filled and sanded photographs badly and shows on viewings. Full redecoration in a neutral colour if the property has had more than two tenancies since the last one. Replacing flooring that is stained rather than cleaning it again.
Not worth doing between tenancies: feature walls, anything fashionable, and expensive fittings in a property let at market rate. They do not raise the rent and they get damaged.
What a two-bed actually costs
A standard two-bed make-good and redecoration starts at £1,350 and typically takes three to five working days on site with one crew. Split across three trades with three separate diaries, the same work takes a fortnight of void — which at Bournemouth rents is usually more than the difference in price.
Deposit disputes
Photographs before and after, with dates, settle almost every dispute. If you need them for the file, say so at the start and they will be taken as a matter of course rather than reconstructed afterwards.
Questions we get asked about this
How quickly can a property be turned around?
Three to five working days on site for a typical two-bed, once the property is cleared. We can usually start within one to two weeks.
Do you work directly with letting agents?
Yes — one contact, a fixed price before work starts and monthly invoicing across a portfolio if that suits the accounts.
Can you take before and after photographs?
Yes. Ask at the start and they are taken as standard, which is far more useful than trying to evidence it later.