You've completed, picked up the keys, and the house is yours. Before you start unpacking boxes and choosing paint colours, there are a few things worth doing in the first few days, while you still have the energy and before everyday life takes over.
Most of these take minutes. All of them can save you time, money, or stress later on.
1. Take meter readings and photograph them
Do this the moment you get the keys: gas, electricity, and water if you have a meter. Photograph each one with a timestamp.
This protects you from being charged for the previous owner's usage. Energy suppliers will estimate if you don't provide readings, and those estimates are rarely in your favour.
2. Find your stopcock, fuse box, and boiler controls
You don't want to be looking for these for the first time during an emergency.
The stopcock (main water shut-off) is usually under the kitchen sink or in a downstairs cupboard. The fuse box is often near the front door or in a utility area.
Know where they are and check they work.
3. Change the locks
You don't know how many copies of the keys exist: previous owners, their family, neighbours, tradespeople, old tenants.
A new set of locks is cheap and gives you a clean start.
A standard lock change on a front and back door typically costs £100–£200 from a local locksmith.
4. Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Press the test button on every alarm in the house. Replace any that don't respond. Check the expiry date, smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years, CO alarms every 5–7.
If there are no alarms, fit them immediately. It's a legal requirement for landlords and it should be a personal requirement for homeowners.
5. Get the boiler serviced
Even if the seller said it was recently serviced, book your own. An annual service keeps the manufacturer's warranty valid and catches problems before they become breakdowns.
Most boiler services cost £60–£100. A boiler replacement costs £2,000–£4,000. The maths is straightforward.
6. Check your broadband options and order early
Broadband installation can take two to four weeks depending on the provider and what infrastructure is already in place. If you work from home, this isn't something you want to leave until after you've moved in.
Check what's available at the property before completion if you can.
7. Register for council tax
You need to register with your local council for council tax at your new address. This doesn't happen automatically. You can be backdated and fined if you don't do it promptly.
If the property is empty for a period before you move in, check whether you're eligible for a discount or exemption during that time.
8. Set up buildings and contents insurance
Buildings insurance should already be in place from exchange, your mortgage lender requires it. But contents insurance is separate and often forgotten in the rush.
If anything goes wrong in the first week: a leak, a break-in, a damaged appliance, you want to be covered from day one.
9. Keep your completion documents somewhere safe
Your solicitor will send you a completion pack that includes the title deeds, transfer documents, and mortgage paperwork. These are important if you ever remortgage, extend, or sell.
Store digital copies somewhere accessible and keep the originals in a fireproof safe or with your solicitor.
10. Introduce yourself to the neighbours
It sounds old-fashioned, but most boundary disputes, noise complaints, and parking arguments escalate because people don't know each other.
A quick hello in the first week sets a tone. You don't need to become friends, just known.
None of this is glamorous. But the first week sets the foundation for everything that follows. Get the practical stuff done early, and you'll enjoy the place a lot more once you do start settling in.