Most moving home checklist advice stops the moment the van pulls away; boxes labelled, broadband booked, sofa measured against the stairwell. What it skips are the dull practical details that quietly decide how settled a house feels, and those tend to sit untouched until something goes wrong at an inconvenient hour. These are the ones worth doing first.
Key Takeaways
- Change the locks on day one.
- Find the utility controls and photograph the meter readings.
- Update your driving licence or risk a £1,000 penalty.
- Buildings insurance starts at exchange, not completion.
- Royal Mail redirection is a safety net, not a solution.
- Keep a summary note inside a kitchen cupboard door.
Work Out Who Else Has a Key
Nobody can tell you how many keys exist for a property you have just bought. Copies may sit with cleaners, builders, neighbours or an ex-partner, and letting agents rarely track every set. Change the locks.
Expect roughly £85 to £190 per door fitted, or £200 to £350 for all external locks on a three-bedroom house. A locksmith such as Barry Bros can cut fresh family sets at the same time. On a budget, swap uPVC euro cylinders yourself: measure from the centre screw to each face, buy that exact size, and pay the extra for an anti-snap TS007 3-star cylinder.
While you are at it, find the window keys. Almost every house has a drawer with four unlabelled ones and no idea which window they belong to.
Find the Stopcock Before You Need It
The internal stopcock is usually under the kitchen sink, but older properties hide it in airing cupboards, under floorboards or behind boxed-in pipework. Find it on day one, turn it to check it moves, and photograph where it is.
Do the same for the consumer unit, the gas meter and its emergency control valve, and the isolation valves behind the washing machine and toilet. A burst hose at 11pm is a mopping job if you know where the valve is, and a new ceiling if you do not.
Photograph the meter readings with the serial numbers visible. Two minutes, and the easiest way to avoid a billing argument.
Check the Appliances You Inherited
Fitted appliances usually stay, and usually arrive with no manuals and no service history. Note the make and model of the boiler, oven, hob, extractor and anything integrated, then download the manuals into one folder.
Check three things early: when the boiler was last serviced, whether the extractor filters have ever been cleaned (they have not), and whether the fridge or washing machine actually appears on the fittings and contents form.
With no recent service record, book a Gas Safe registered engineer and have an electrician carry out an electrical installation condition report. Landlords in England must hold an EICR at least every five years; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate rules. Either way, it’s worth doing in any home where you can’t see evidence of recent checks.
Update Everyone Who Needs Your New Address
Royal Mail redirection is a safety net rather than a solution, and it starts at around £45 for three months for one adult. Check the current price with Royal Mail, as it changes.
The ones people forget: your driving licence, the V5C for any vehicle, the electoral roll, your GP and dentist, pension providers, premium bonds, and any subscription that posts something annually. Buildings insurance needs to be in place from exchange of contracts, not completion, which catches a lot of first-time buyers.
Tell the council at both ends. You may be owed a refund on the property you have left, and a single occupant discount will not apply itself.
Check for Small Maintenance Issues Early
Empty houses hide their faults. Once you are living in the place, a handful of small problems announce themselves, and they are far cheaper to fix now than in six months.
If any of these checks turn up something bigger than a tube of silicone can fix, read our smart homeowner’s renovation checklist before committing to any work.
- Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm and check the manufacture date on the casing. Sealed units last around ten years, and plenty of inherited alarms are already past it.
- Bleed the radiators. Note any that stay cold at the bottom.
- Run every tap and shower, then check under the sinks for damp.
- Check the silicone around the bath and shower tray. A £10 tube now beats a rotten floor later.
- Inspect gutters and downpipes after heavy rain, not on a dry day when nothing looks wrong.
Write Down How the House Works
Keep a single page inside a kitchen cupboard door: stopcock and consumer unit locations, boiler model and pressure setting, meter serial numbers, bin collection days, which key opens which window, and when the alarms were last tested. Add to it as you learn the place.
Sort the unattractive details in the first fortnight and everything you were actually looking forward to — the colour on the walls, the furniture — happens in a home that already works.
FAQs
Can a Landlord Refuse to Change the Locks Between Tenancies?
There is no legal requirement for a landlord to change locks between tenancies, but tenants can request it and it is considered good practice. If a landlord refuses, tenants can ask in writing and document the response.
What Should I Do if I Can’t Find the Stopcock in My New Home?
Check under the kitchen sink first, then the airing cupboard, under the stairs, and near the front boundary of the property where there may be an external stopcock under a small cover in the pavement or garden. Your water supplier can help locate it if you are stuck.
How Do I Check if My Smoke Alarms Are Past Their Replacement Date?
Look for a manufacture or expiry date stamped on the back or inside the casing, most sealed units last around ten years from that date. If there is no date visible and the alarm looks old, replace it rather than test it and assume it is fine.