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New homeowner checklist: the first week, the first month, the first year
A house comes with keys but no manual. This checklist is the manual you build yourself: the safety jobs for the first week, the systems and paperwork to learn in the first month, and the habits that carry you through the first year.
Five things to find on day one
Know where these are before you need them, because you will need them in a hurry:
- The main water shutoff, and whether the valve still turns.
- The electrical panel, and whether the breakers are labeled.
- The gas shutoff at the meter, if the house has gas.
- The sump pump and where its discharge line comes out.
- The furnace or air handler filter slot, and the filter size.
The first week
Safety and access first.
- Change or rekey the exterior locks, and reset the garage door opener and any keypad codes.
- Tag the main water shutoff so anyone in the house can find it.
- Fix the breaker labels that are wrong or missing.
- Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, and check the date on the back of each. Replace smoke alarms more than 10 years past their manufacture date.
- Add smoke alarms where they are missing. The U.S. Fire Administration says inside each bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level, basement included.
- Put a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and read its instructions before you need them.
- Replace the furnace or air handler filter and write its size down.
- Clean inside the cabinets, the oven and behind the appliances before the furniture arrives.
The first month
Learn the systems and gather the paperwork.
- Photograph the rating plate on the furnace, water heater, air conditioner and major appliances. The serial number gives each one’s age; see how long a furnace lasts and how long water heaters last.
- Keep one folder, paper or digital, for the closing papers, deed, survey, inspection report, warranties and manuals.
- Reread the home inspection report and list every item it flagged, most urgent first.
- Test for radon if the sale did not include a test. The EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or more.
- Learn the heating and cooling: the thermostat schedule, the filter, the outdoor unit and when each was last serviced.
- If the house has a septic system, find the tank lid and the date it was last pumped. The EPA says most household tanks need pumping every three to five years.
- Clean the dryer vent if nobody knows when it was last done; see how often to clean a dryer vent.
- Make a home inventory while the boxes are still open. It is the easiest moment to list what you own.
- Ask your town or state whether it offers a homestead exemption or declaration, and file if you qualify.
- Meet the neighbors and ask who they call for plumbing, electrical work and snow.
The first year
Turn one off jobs into habits.
- Start a home maintenance log: each job, the date and what it cost.
- Follow a home maintenance schedule and do each season’s list once, so you see the whole year.
- Have the heating checked in the fall and the cooling in the spring.
- Clean the gutters in the spring and again after the leaves fall.
- Set aside a yearly home maintenance budget based on the age of the roof, the furnace and the water heater.
- Keep receipts for improvements. They can add to your basis and lower the taxable gain when you sell (IRS Publication 523).
- At the end of the year, walk the house and note what changed: new cracks, stains, drafts, the room that never warms up.
Why the first year matters
A house shows its habits over one full year: where the snow piles up, which room runs cold, where the water goes in a storm. Writing those down the first time saves guessing every year after.
Fire safety is the part that cannot wait. Roughly three out of five home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working ones, according to the NFPA.
Questions
What should a new homeowner do first?
Change the locks, find the main water shutoff and the electrical panel, and test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. Then gather the closing papers and the inspection report and list what needs attention.
How is a new homeowner checklist different from a moving checklist?
A moving checklist covers boxes, utilities and the change of address. A new homeowner checklist covers the house itself: safety, the systems, the paperwork and the maintenance that comes with owning it.
Should first time homeowners test for radon?
Yes, if the sale did not include a recent test. The EPA estimates nearly one in 15 U.S. homes has a radon level that should be reduced, and recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or more. Test kits are sold at hardware stores.
Is there a printable new homeowner checklist?
Yes. Use the Print this page button at the top, or your browser print command. The page prints as a clean checklist with boxes to tick, without the menu and footer.
How do I keep track of everything in a new house?
Keep one file for the house: the documents, the equipment with model and serial numbers, and a log of every job. Housemap keeps that file for your address for free, with reminders by email before each job is due.
Sources
- NFPA smoke alarm guidance (three out of five home fire deaths, replace at 10 years)
- U.S. Fire Administration: smoke alarms (where to install, replace every 10 years)
- NFPA carbon monoxide safety
- U.S. EPA: what the radon action level of 4 pCi/L means
- U.S. EPA: radon in homes, schools and buildings (nearly one in 15 homes)
- U.S. EPA SepticSmart: how to care for your septic system (pump every three to five years)
- IRS Publication 523, selling your home (basis and improvements)
Related guides
Start the house file on day one.
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