Resident halls are rarely empty over the summer break, which often results in essential maintenance projects taking a back seat. As students move out, young campers often move in to attend summer camps hosted by the college or university. With the continuous revolving door of occupants coming and going, facility managers face the unique challenge of balancing the needs of short-term occupants with the long-term interests of the school. Many encounter time constraints which make it a challenge to complete meticulous dorm flips to welcome students back in the fall. Nevertheless, it’s essential to prioritize residence hall maintenance as it provides an invaluable first impression, helps students feel more comfortable and enhances an institution’s reputation and recruitment process.

To maximize time and ensure dorms are aesthetically pleasing by fall:

Establish a Realistic Timeline Before School Adjourns

Beginning in December, establish a residence hall turnover timeline and identify goals to account for all required projects. Confirm move-out and move-in dates for both university students and summer occupants. This proactive approach enables facility managers to identify and take advantage of all available time to ensure dorms receive as much maintenance attention as possible before students return.

Coordinate Maintenance and Custodial Department Schedules

Create a detailed schedule that efficiently coordinates projects and timing between the maintenance and custodial departments. This helps prioritize time, while also eliminating confusion, project overlap or unnecessary delays between departments.

Begin Work Immediately on Student Move Out Day

It may seem counterproductive to start work immediately with campers about to move in. However, the time between mid-May when students move out and early June while younger children are still in school, is the most uninterrupted time that building maintenance professionals may have all summer. Prepare teams to start in-depth projects immediately. This is the ideal time to perform inventory checks, preventative maintenance repairs and other projects including renovations, top-to-bottom deep cleaning, painting, floor care, carpet extraction and utility inspections.

Perform Touch-Ups in August

As summer camps come to an end, August is the ideal time to perform touch-ups to ensure dorms are in exemplary shape for student move in day. Inspect all rooms and perform minor tasks and cleaning touch-ups to ensure a great first impression and satisfy students and parents.

Outsource to Guarantee On-time Completion

If a college or university is experiencing staffing issues, time constraints or has extra funds available, outsourcing residence hall turnover is a headache-free way to ensure dorms are professionally updated and shining by move in day. Use a provider that offers an array of facility management services including cleaning, maintenance and repairs to guarantee all needs can be accommodated.

With more than 60 years of experience, The Budd Group is a leading facility services provider that specializes in residence hall turnover. Our seasoned, professional experts have the experience and innovative thinking required to tackle any issues that may arise. Working with numerous campuses for both short and long-term projects, our teams understand the unique challenges faced by many colleges and universities. Full resident hall turnover services are available, which can include stripping and waxing floors, carpet cleaning, painting, and cleaning and disinfection services.

Finding the time to ensure resident halls are move-in ready can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. By planning ahead, prioritizing major projects as soon as possible and setting aside time for final touch ups, facility managers can meet and exceed expectations. However, know that help is always available. Outsourcing residence hall turnover is an efficient way to ensure all maintenance, repair and cleaning projects are completed professionally and on time. Clean functional dormitories are a staple of an institution’s reputation and student satisfaction, so it’s important to make them the number one priority over summer break.