When the calendar flips from July to August, leases will end and thousands of students will migrate out of summer quarters and into campus housing or new apartments.

It’s a busy week for students and residents, but just as busy for the Ames businesses managing those properties.

“It’s just as hectic for us,” said Alex Sidorowych, office manager for Campustown Property Management.

With just a few days between tenants moving out and tenants moving in, property management companies need to move at breakneck pace.

First, tenants need to be checked-out of the apartments they’re leaving.

“We do a pre-inspection of the apartment and mark down if there are holes,” Sidorowych said.

Once vacant, the apartments need to be cleaned, inspected and then recleaned if need be.

“We go around and inspect the apartments very carefully,” he said.

Keys need to be counted, and if any are missing, replacements must be cut.

Utility accounts, such as electric bills, must be converted to bear the names of the new residents.

“We convert all of the utilities in the students’ names. We go ahead and transfer it all,” Sidorowych said.

Organization is key, he said.

“There’s an endless amount of preparation involved. We spend two months out of the summer just getting all ramped up for it,” Sidorowych said. “I have a four-sheet-long Excel spreadsheet that has basically everything that needs to get done, line by line.”