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Plan it before the tenant leaves. In Ontario, a monthly tenant must give at least 60 days' notice, so book the painter as soon as it arrives. Standardize one wall colour, one trim colour and one ceiling white across your units. Then get a written quote that names the paint, the scope and the turnaround.
When should you start planning a rental turnover paint job?
As soon as you know the tenant is leaving. A monthly tenant in Ontario gives at least 60 days' notice, and the tenancy ends on the last day of a rental period. That leaves time to inspect the unit, get a price and book dates before the gap between tenants.
The gap itself can be short. If the next tenant moves in on the first of the month, painting has to fit in beside cleaning and repairs. Booking early is what gets you the dates you need.
Inspect before the tenant leaves. With 24 hours' written notice, an Ontario landlord can enter between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. for reasons that include repairs and inspections. Photos from that walk, taken with the tenant's agreement, let a painter give you a price range before the unit is empty.
What order should turnover work happen in?
Repairs first, painting in the middle, cleaning last. Painting after the other trades means nobody scuffs fresh walls. Cleaning after painting clears the dust from prep.
- Walk the unit at move-out and photograph every wall, ceiling and door.
- Remove anything left behind, including hooks, anchors, shelves and TV mounts.
- Bring in the trades that cut into walls, such as plumbing and electrical.
- Repair the drywall: fill holes, fix dents and cracks, and spot-prime every patch.
- Paint, starting with the ceilings.
- Clean or replace the carpets.
- Do the final clean, then take the listing photos.
Step 4 decides how good the paint job looks. The guide to fixing nail pops and cracks shows how each kind of damage is repaired before painting.
Should every rental unit use the same paint colours?
Yes, if you can. One standard wall colour, one trim colour and one ceiling white make every turnover faster. Touch-ups match, leftover paint moves between units, and any painter can quote from the same spec.
Write the spec down once and hand it to every painter you use:
| Surface | Common choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Walls | A light neutral in eggshell or a washable matte | Wipes clean, and lower sheens touch up best |
| Ceilings | Flat white | Hides flaws, and ceilings rarely need washing |
| Trim and doors | Semi-gloss white | Hard-wearing and easy to wipe |
| Bathrooms | Satin, or a paint made for humid rooms | Stands up to moisture and cleaning |
For each surface, record the brand, the product line, the colour code and the sheen. Keep the spec in the unit's file, with a labelled can of each paint in storage. The paint sheen guide explains how each finish wears.
A light neutral also works with whatever furniture the next tenant brings. Repainting the same light colour usually covers well in two coats, with no primer needed to hide a bold wall.
Is a touch-up enough, or does the unit need a full repaint?
Touch-ups work when the same paint is on the wall, it's fairly recent and the marks are small. Otherwise, repaint each marked wall from corner to corner. Spot touch-ups on older paint often show as patches that catch the light.
Flashing:
shiny or dull patches where touched-up paint dries with a different sheen or texture from the wall around it.
A full repaint makes sense when:
- The tenant painted a room a different colour.
- Walls show heavy wear, scrubbed patches or many repairs.
- There are smoke, grease or water stains. These need a stain-blocking primer first, or they bleed through the new paint.
- The last full repaint was several tenancies ago.
The Residential Tenancies Act sets no repainting schedule. It does require the landlord to keep the unit in a good state of repair and meet health, safety, housing and maintenance standards.
Take care with prep in older buildings. Health Canada says a home built before 1960 probably contains lead-based paint. It says not to use sanders, heat guns or blowlamps to remove lead-based paint, because they create toxic dust and fumes. That matters in many older houses and walk-ups across the GTA.
Can you charge the tenant for repainting in Ontario?
Only for damage beyond normal wear and tear. Repainting after ordinary use is the landlord's cost. A tenant must repair or pay for damage they cause, on purpose or through carelessness.
Normal wear and tear:
the gradual decline that comes from ordinary daily living, such as light scuffs and faded paint, which the landlord pays to put right.
Ontario landlords can't collect a damage deposit. The rent deposit can only be used for the last month's rent, not for repairs. To claim from a former tenant, apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board on Form L10. The deadline is one year after the move-out.
Keep dated move-in and move-out photos, and the painter's itemized invoice, as your evidence. The invoice should separate damage repairs from routine repainting.
What should a turnover painting quote include?
Everything a normal painting quote needs, plus the details that make turnovers repeatable. Ask for these in writing:
- A price per unit type or per room, before HST
- The scope: walls, ceilings, trim, doors and closets
- The paint by brand and line, with your spec's colour codes and sheens
- The number of coats, and which small repairs are included
- How larger repairs and stain-blocking primer are priced
- The turnaround in working days, and how keys and access work
- How short-notice touch-ups are priced, and the minimum charge
- A separate invoice for each unit, if your books need one
- A current WSIB clearance certificate and a certificate of insurance
On the WSIB point: the WSIB says a principal who hires a contractor for construction work must get a clearance before the work begins. Its home renovation exemption is for people hiring work on a home they live in. The guide to what a painting quote should include covers the rest of the line items.
How do you get a price for rental turnover painting in the GTA?
Send photos and your colour spec first. At Great North, rental turnovers are commercial work, quoted from photos or a site walk. A named person replies within 1 business hour, and the itemized quote arrives within 24 hours of seeing the job, naming the paint by brand and line.
Turnovers have no published price list. Each one is quoted from the unit's size, its condition and the colour change. Small jobs are billed at the $750 + HST minimum, so group touch-ups across units into one visit. The guide to why painters have a minimum charge explains how.
See commercial painting for what's covered, or use Get My Estimate to start.