Landlord turnover cleanouts in Pittsburgh

The short answer

Turnover cleanouts clear what a tenant leaves behind so the unit can be cleaned, repaired and re-let. JunkRabbit prices them by item for a few pieces, such as $126 for a sofa and $143 for a mattress and box spring set, or by truck share for bigger loads, from $241 for a quarter truck. Property managers can set up one account covering several properties. There is no stairs fee, and a certificate of insurance is emailed within 1 hour.

A renters' city

More than half of City of Pittsburgh homes are rented; owner-occupancy is about 47.7 percent. In some neighborhoods the share of renters is far higher. Oakland is about 27 percent owner-occupied and Shadyside about 28 percent, driven by students, medical residents and young professionals. The Hill District is about 20 percent owner-occupied. In Wilkinsburg, about 45 percent of homes in the ZIP are owner-occupied, and housing vacancy runs above 15 percent, which means landlords there deal with long-vacant units as well as regular turnovers. Much of the rental stock is in older buildings: houses split into flats, doubles, rowhouses and small buildings of two to four units, which make up about 14.5 percent of City housing. That means turnover work in Pittsburgh is often stair work, with a third-floor unit, a narrow shared stairwell and a front walk to the street, and the price needs to account for that without surprises.

The two-item limit and turnovers

The City's free bulk pickup is built for households, not landlords. It accepts sofas, mattresses, dressers and similar items, but the limit is two items per week, set out between 6 p.m. the night before and 6 a.m. on collection day. A unit with a sofa, two mattress sets, a dresser and a table would take weeks to clear that way, while the unit sits empty and earns nothing. The City's paid collection for more than two items costs $173 for the first hour and $54 for each additional hour, by check or money order after a phone call. The curb also refuses freon appliances, TVs and computers, construction waste and tires, all of which turn up in vacated units. In the suburbs, each municipality's hauler sets its own terms. For most landlords, a scheduled pickup that clears the unit in one visit is the cheapest option once vacancy days are counted.

Abandoned property: check first

Before anything is removed, make sure the tenant has actually given up possession and that you are following your lease and any rules that apply to items left behind. If there is any doubt, for example after an eviction or a tenant who stopped responding, get advice before disposing of belongings. Document the unit with dated photos of every room before the cleanout. Pull out anything that looks like personal documents, medication, photographs or valuables and store them as your process requires. Once you are clear to proceed, the cleanout itself is straightforward. Photos of the unit are enough for a flat price; nobody needs to visit first for an estimate. If the unit is in a building with other tenants, coordinate the time so the hallway and stairwell are not blocked when neighbors are coming and going. Hazardous materials left behind are handled case by case, so flag them when booking.

Typical turnover jobs, priced

Carpet that has to come up between tenants is $71 per room. There are no volume discounts and no recurring pickups, but one account can cover all of your properties and every job is priced the same way.

Timing turnovers in a university town

Pittsburgh's rental calendar is shaped by its universities and hospitals. Late summer and May bring heavy student turnover around Pitt, CMU, Duquesne, Carlow, Chatham and Point Park, concentrated in Oakland, Shadyside, the South Side and Polish Hill. Medical residents and fellows rotate on their own schedule around UPMC and Allegheny Health Network hospitals. Many units turn over in the same few weeks, and cleaners, painters and haulers all get booked up. Plan ahead for those weeks. Schedule the cleanout for the day after keys come back, so cleaners and repair crews can start on time. JunkRabbit works 7 days a week from 8am to midnight, with same-day pickup when you book by 4 PM, which helps when a tenant leaves earlier or later than expected. You choose a 2-hour arrival window, which makes it easier to coordinate with a building superintendent or a lockbox.

One account, several buildings

Property managers with units across the City and suburbs can set up one account covering several properties. That keeps booking, pricing and paperwork in one place, whether the unit is a Shadyside walk-up, a Hill District rowhouse, a Wilkinsburg double or an apartment in Monroeville. The flat price list is the same everywhere, so you can budget turnovers without separate quotes for each address. Buildings that need a certificate of insurance before any vendor arrives get it emailed within 1 hour of booking. Crews carry from any floor with no stairs fee, which matters in older buildings with no elevator. Vetted, insured local haulers do the work. We try to donate usable items when local charities accept them, and we recycle whatever we can, from appliance steel to old electronics.

Frequently asked questions