Replace a Unit's Windows Between Tenants
The unit is empty for two weeks between leases, and the windows have been on the list for years.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-250-3621.
To replace a unit's windows between tenants, JMB Builders measures the vacant unit, puts its two to eight windows on one order, and installs them in one or two days inside the turnover window, before the painter and the new lease. One unit is a normal job for us, priced per opening, matched to the building's other windows. Twin Cities metro. Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- One vacant unit is a normal job, priced per opening
- Two to eight windows on one order, one or two days
- Scheduled before paint and the new lease
A turnover is the easiest time to replace windows in a rental. The unit is empty, so there is no furniture to move, no schedule to work around and no one to disturb. The windows come out and go in, the drywall around them is patched, and the painter follows. The new tenant moves into a unit with windows that open, lock and seal.
A unit has two to eight windows, and they go on one order so they match each other. Styles can mix: a slider in the kitchen, double-hungs in the bedrooms, a small unit in the bath. Mixed styles on one order is normal. Bedroom windows keep their escape opening at code size, which we check at the measure, because that is the one thing an inspector or a future buyer will look for.
The rest of the building matters too. If other units have been done already, the new windows are ordered in the same line and color so the building reads as one from the street, and we check the existing ones at the measure. If this is the first unit, the line, color and grille pattern go on the quote so the next turnover matches.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-250-3621.
What you supply
- A photo of each window in the unit from inside, labeled by room
- A photo of the building wall from outside, showing this unit's windows and any already replaced
- The turnover dates: when the unit is empty and when the painter or new tenant arrives
- Access to the unit on the install days
- Paint color for the drywall patch and trim, or the painter handles it: painting is quoted as a separate line
What JMB supplies
- A line-item quote, each window priced per opening, invoiced per unit
- One in-person measure of the unit with an egress check at each bedroom window and a match check against other units
- All of the unit's windows on one order through our supplier
- Removal, sill pan or flashing tape, shims, low-expansion foam and sealant at each opening
- Interior stops or casing and exterior capping or trim as written on the quote, ready for the painter
- New sash locks and screens on every window, and an opening control device where you want one
- Cleanup, haul-away of the old units, a permit when the city requires one, and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- How many windows the unit has and the size and style of each
- Insert into sound frames or full frame where sills have rotted
- Brand, series, frame material and glass package, usually one standard for the building
- Floor the unit is on and how the exterior is reached
- Interior finish: stops only, or new casing and stool
- Egress at the bedroom windows, and whether an opening needs to change size to meet it
- A patio door or balcony door on the same order
Send the turnover dates with the photos. Lead time on the windows decides whether this turnover or the next one is realistic, and we tell you which.
How long it takes
Lead time depends on the line and is written on the quote. A vacant unit's two to eight windows: one to two working days once they arrive, scheduled before the painter.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
One unit this turnover
The vacant unit's windows done in one or two days inside the empty window. The line and color go on the quote so the next unit matches when its lease ends.
Two vacant units together
When two units turn over the same month, both go on one order and one schedule. Fewer trips and a lower per-window number, and both match.
Unit windows plus the common hallway window
The stairwell or hallway window beside the unit is often the same age. It goes on the same order in the same color, and the building face is finished.
Replace a Unit's Windows Between Tenants: questions, answered
How long does it take to replace the windows in a vacant rental unit?
One to two working days for two to eight inserts, once the windows arrive. The lead time on the windows is the longer part, so the order should go in as soon as the move-out date is known. JMB Builders writes the lead time on the quote so you can tell whether this turnover or the next one is realistic.
Can I replace just one unit's windows and leave the other units?
Yes. One unit is a normal job for JMB Builders, priced per opening and invoiced per unit. The windows in the other units are checked at the measure so this unit matches them from outside, or, if this is the first, the line and color are written down for the next turnover. Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
Should the windows go in before or after the unit is painted?
Before. The new windows and trim go in primed and caulked, the drywall around them is patched, and the painter does the whole unit once. Windows after paint means touch-up at every opening. Painting is quoted as a separate line, or your own painter handles it.
Do the bedroom windows in a rental have to meet egress?
A replacement bedroom window has to keep an escape opening large enough to climb through. An insert makes the opening a little smaller, so we check each bedroom window at the measure and tell you which can take an insert and which need a full-frame install or a different style to keep the opening.
Can a unit's windows be different styles on one order?
Yes. Mixed styles on one order is normal. A kitchen slider, bedroom double-hungs and a small bath unit can all come from one line in one frame color and glass, so the unit matches itself and the rest of the building.
Do I need a permit to replace windows in a rental unit?
Some Twin Cities cities require one for replacement windows, and rental properties are sometimes inspected on a schedule that will notice new windows. JMB Builders checks with the city and pulls the permit when one is needed. It is listed on the quote.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 25, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All windows pages
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