Landlord turnover cleanouts in San Jose

The short answer

Turnover cleanouts are priced from the same flat list as any other job: by item for a few left-behind pieces, or by truck fill for a unit full of contents. A sofa and a mattress set are $126 + $143 = $269. A quarter truck is $241, a half truck $431 and a full truck $732. Property managers can set up one account covering several properties, and a certificate of insurance is emailed within one hour.

Why turnovers matter so much here

Rental housing in the South Bay is expensive, so every vacant day costs real money. A unit that sits for an extra week because the previous tenant left a sofa, a broken dresser and a garage full of boxes is a week of lost rent.

San José and its neighbors have plenty of rental stock. Japantown's ZIP is about a quarter owner-occupied, Sunnyvale's central ZIP and Redwood City's east side around a third. On the east side, in Mayfair, Alum Rock and around Story Road, many single-family homes and small multifamily buildings are rentals, and turnovers there often involve large households and a lot of left-behind furniture.

The goal is simple: from keys returned to unit ready in as few days as possible. That means the cleanout has to be booked quickly and priced without a site visit.

Before anything leaves: abandoned property

Before you dispose of anything a tenant left behind, make sure you have followed the notice steps required for abandoned property. Rules about tenants' belongings are specific, and the consequences of getting them wrong can be expensive.

Talk to your attorney or your property-management association if you are not sure what applies. Photograph everything left in the unit, with dates, before it is moved. Keep a record of any notices sent.

Once you are clear to proceed, the cleanout itself is straightforward. Sort quickly into three groups: anything the owner is keeping, such as appliances that belong to the unit; anything that may have value to the former tenant and is being held; and everything else, which is going.

Mark the first two clearly with tape or move them to a locked garage. Crews take what is marked as going.

Common turnover jobs and their prices

When a unit has mixed contents, compare the item total with the nearest truck tier and book whichever is lower. A unit with five or six large pieces is often cheaper itemized. A unit full of bags, boxes and small things is usually cheaper as a truck tier.

Multi-unit buildings and property managers

If you manage several properties, whether a few duplexes on the east side or a portfolio of units across Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, you can set up one JunkRabbit account covering several properties. Each job is booked and priced individually, so costs are easy to assign to the right property.

Managed buildings usually need paperwork. JunkRabbit emails a certificate of insurance naming the building or the management company within one hour of booking. If the building has elevator reservations or dock hours, book the cleanout inside them.

Complex dumpsters are often the problem, not the solution. Tenants dump furniture beside them on move-out day, and the complex ends up paying to clear it. Pricing a pile by the small, medium or large pile rate, $82, $129 or $208, makes those cleanups predictable.

Appliances and items that need care

Turnovers often involve appliances, and some need extra steps.

Refrigerators, freezers and window AC units contain refrigerant, which has to be recovered by a certified technician before scrapping. A standard fridge is $164, a chest freezer $146 and a small window unit $87.

TVs, monitors and most electronics are universal waste in California and cannot go in household trash. A medium TV is $68.

Paint is accepted, at $30 per gallon can. Other hazardous products such as pesticides, pool chemicals or automotive fluids are handled case by case, so mention them when you book.

Disconnect gas appliances and shut water supplies before the crew arrives. If an appliance belongs to the unit and is staying, tape a note on it.

Booking a turnover cleanout

Walk the unit with your phone and photograph every room, closet and garage. Upload the photos on the instant quote page. The price is set before you book and only changes if you approve a change. You do not need to meet anyone on site to get a quote.

Choose a two-hour arrival window. Crews work seven days a week from 8am to midnight, and booking by 4 PM usually means same-day service. That can take a day or two off a vacancy.

Vetted, insured local haulers carry everything out from any floor, with no stairs fee. We try to donate usable items when local charities accept them, and we recycle whatever we can.

Frequently asked questions