Landlord turnover cleanouts in Providence

The short answer

Providence's free bulky pickup serves only buildings of six or fewer units, excludes mattresses, and does not come inside. Buildings of seven or more units get no city trash service at all. For turnovers, landlords typically book a pickup for what tenants left: sofa $126, queen mattress $103, TV $68, quarter truck $241, half truck $431, full truck $732. Carry-out from any floor is included.

Why turnovers are a Providence problem

Providence is a city of small rental buildings. Triple-deckers, two-families and small multi-family houses make up much of the housing in neighborhoods like Elmwood, South Providence, Washington Park, the West End, Olneyville and Mount Pleasant, and in Pawtucket, Central Falls and Woonsocket next door. Across the line, Fall River and New Bedford have thousands of them.

Each unit turns over on its own schedule, and the student areas turn over all at once in mid-May. Tenants leave things behind: mattresses, sofas, TVs, bags of trash in the basement, a broken window AC on the back porch.

The landlord has a few days to get the unit clean before the next tenant, and the city's options do not fit that window well.

What the city covers, and what it does not

For buildings with six or fewer units, the free bulky pickup through Waste Management takes furniture and large appliances, scheduled 24 hours before trash day and set out no earlier than the night before. That can handle a sofa or a fridge if the timing works and someone carries it down.

It does not take mattresses; those go to the DPW drop-off on Allens Avenue on Saturday mornings, two per visit with a Providence ID, or to a paid curbside pickup if bagged. It does not take TVs or other e-waste, which Rhode Island bans from the trash. Loose bags and boxes are not bulky items.

For buildings of seven or more units, none of this exists. The owner is responsible for all trash and bulky disposal, every time.

What the do-it-yourself turnover really costs

Many small landlords clear units themselves, and the free routes do work if you have the time. It helps to count it out. Take a three-family in Washington Park where two units turn over in the same month, and each tenant leaves a queen mattress, a box spring, a sofa and a TV.

The sofas can go out on trash day, once someone carries them down. The mattresses and box springs are four pieces per unit, eight in all, and the DPW drop-off takes two per visit on Saturday mornings only, with a Providence ID. That is four Saturdays, or a trip to the Central Landfill in Johnston with a truck. The TVs need a separate Waste Management e-waste appointment or an RIRRC event.

Priced as one pickup per unit, each unit is $103 + $92 + $126 + $68 = $389, and both units are $389 + $389 = $778. A full truck at $732 may cover both if the crew does them in one visit, and the photo quote shows which is lower. Either way, both units are empty the same day and ready for cleaning and showings.

Typical turnover jobs

Some typical combinations: a queen set and a sofa, $143 + $126 = $269; a mattress, a TV and a window AC, $103 + $68 + $87 = $258; a dresser and 10 bags of trash, $126 + $132 = $258.

Abandoned units

Sometimes a tenant leaves everything. A furnished triple-decker floor with two or three bedrooms is often a full truck at $732. A one-bedroom is often around half a truck at $431.

Follow the legal process for abandoned property before you clear anything. Once you are clear to proceed, send photos of each room for an instant quote. You see the price before booking, and it only changes if you approve a change.

Basements and back porches are part of the same job. Shared triple-decker basements often hold years of left-behind items from several tenancies. Clearing them at turnover keeps them from growing.

Small repairs at turnover

Turnover is also when landlords replace the worn things: the stained carpet, the cracked toilet, the vanity that has rotted at the base, the dead fridge. Those go out at listed prices too, and they can ride on the same visit as what the tenant left.

Carpet removal is $71 per room, and an already-rolled carpet is $68. A detached toilet is $64, a bathroom vanity $69 and a standard refrigerator $164. A typical bathroom refresh is $64 + $69 = $133. Pulling carpet from two bedrooms and taking out the old fridge is $71 + $71 + $164 = $306.

If a contractor is doing the work, have them stack debris in one spot so the crew can load it in one pass. Bigger jobs, such as a kitchen rip-out, are covered in renovation debris removal in Providence.

Accounts for multiple properties

Property managers and landlords with several buildings can set up an account that covers multiple properties. That means turnovers across your portfolio are booked the same way, with the same flat prices, whether the building is on the West End, in Pawtucket or in Fall River.

Larger buildings often require a certificate of insurance from any company working on site. JunkRabbit emails a COI within one hour of booking. Crews are vetted, insured local haulers.

There are no recurring pickups and no volume discounts. Each turnover is booked as it comes up, at the listed prices or truck tiers.

Fitting turnovers into a tight schedule

• Book as soon as the tenant leaves. Same-day pickup is available when you book by 4 PM.
• Crews work late. Pickups run seven days a week from 8am to midnight, so a turnover can be cleared after a day of showings.
• Arrange access ahead. A lockbox or a super on site keeps the two-hour arrival window easy to meet.
• Plan for May. The weeks after the colleges finish are the busiest. Book ahead for units on College Hill, in Fox Point and near Providence College.

For abandoned furniture rules and the curb, see can you leave furniture on the curb in Providence.

Frequently asked questions