How a 1,200-Unit Property Manager Cut Make-Ready Vacancies by 3 Days with a Unified Unit Turn Dashboard
- Company type: Third-party property manager (single-family portfolio)
- Portfolio size: ~1,200 units
- Region: Southeast U.S.
- Systems: Rent Manager (PMS), Aptly (service tickets)
- Problem: Vacant units were invisible to management because no maintenance tickets existed
- Impact: Units sat empty, rent was lost, and teams blamed each other
- Solution: A single dashboard combining Rent Manager and Aptly
- Result: Maintenance teams always know what to work on next and average vacancy due to make-ready dropped by 3 days
The Business Problem: Invisible Vacancies Cost Real Money
For this third-party property manager, unit turns looked manageable on paper. But in reality, leadership had no reliable way to see what was actually happening on the ground.
Vacant units often sat untouched—not because maintenance was overwhelmed, but because no service ticket had been created. If a ticket didn’t exist, the unit was effectively invisible.
By the time leadership realized a unit wasn’t being worked on, rent had already been lost and move-in dates were at risk.
The “Before” Reality: Idle Units, Idle Time, and Finger-Pointing
Before implementing a unified view:
- Units sat empty waiting for work to begin
- Maintenance staff was underutilized while work existed elsewhere
- Rent loss increased due to extended vacancy
- Reviews devolved into finger-pointing between operations and maintenance
Leadership lacked a single, trusted answer to basic questions:
- Which vacant units are actively being worked?
- Which units are stalled with no ticket?
- How long do turns really take?
Why Existing Systems Fell Short
Each system worked—just not together:
- Rent Manager showed vacancy status
- Aptly showed maintenance activity
- Neither showed the full picture
Critical gaps existed between systems, forcing managers to manually check multiple tools and still miss problems. As the portfolio scaled, this approach simply didn’t hold.
The Solution: A Single Unit Turn Dashboard
RentViewer built a Power BI dashboard that combines data from Rent Manager and Aptly into one clear operational view.
The dashboard shows:
- Unit turn times by property and unit
- Vacant units with active tickets
- Vacant units with no tickets (the hidden risk)
Now, every vacant unit is either being worked—or clearly flagged.
The Results: Faster Turns, Clear Accountability
With one shared view:
- Managers no longer jump between systems
- Maintenance reviews are factual and focused
- Work is continuously queued—no downtime between jobs
- Surprise vacancies are eliminated
Executive result:
“Now our maintenance staff knows which unit to work on next as soon as they are finished with the current one. And our vacancy due to make-ready time is down on average by 3 days.”
Why This Matters for Leadership
For executives and asset managers, this isn’t just about reporting—it’s about control.
- Fewer days vacant means protected revenue
- Clear accountability across teams
- Predictable operations at scale
- Confidence that no unit is quietly slipping through the cracks
Key Takeaway
If a vacant unit doesn’t have a ticket, it’s invisible—and invisible vacancies quietly destroy NOI. A unified dashboard turns hidden risk into immediate action.
Q&A
Q: How can property managers reduce make-ready vacancy time?
A: By unifying vacancy and maintenance data into a single dashboard that highlights units without active tickets and tracks turn time in real time.
Q: Why do vacant units get ignored?
A: Because vacancy lives in the PMS while maintenance lives in a separate system—if no ticket exists, the unit is often missed.
Q: What metrics matter most for unit turns?
A: Average turn time, vacant units without tickets, and days vacant due to make-ready.
Q: Who benefits most from a unit turn dashboard?
A: CEOs, Heads of Operations, Asset Managers, and Maintenance leaders who need early visibility and accountability.
Ready to Speed Up Your Make-Ready Process?
Stop losing rent to invisible vacancies.
Get a clear, real-time view of every unit turn—and make sure your teams always know what to work on next.