| 6 min. read |

Yay you bought a house!!! While I know you are ready to go to home goods and start making your house a home there is some not so fun stuff that should happen before you start decorating and D.I.Y.ing!

There are a few safety measures you should take prior to moving in all of your things and getting situated. Below are the the top 12 things you should do upon moving into your new home:

Click here for a downloadable version of this checklist.

1. Change the locks and any door codes!

You have no idea who may have access to your house with the previous owners’ codes or copies of your keys, so change those ASAP. This way, you can sleep peacefully at night, knowing no one has access to your house.

2. If the previous owner left their fridge or washer check the connection hoses

Checking the water supply hoses for your fridge and washer could be integral to saving you thousands of dollars!!

If your house is 20 years old and the hoses have never been replaced, then you are leaving yourself susceptible to a possible leak. You never know when a hose may crack or fail, and if you happen to be out of town, you could come back to a flooded house with thousands of damage. If you are lazy and busy like me and have yet to check your hoses, be sure to turn off the water supply next time you leave the house for a couple of days.

3. Check the age of smoke detectors and test the batteries

Again, if your house is over 10 years old, you should ensure that the smoke detectors work and the batteries are charged. Smoke detectors typically need to be replaced every 10 years and 5-7 years if you have a smoke detector with built-in CO detection.

4. If the previous owner left their dryer, clean out the connection hose for lint

Now that you own a house, I would also like to take this time to remind you that you should never let your dryer run when you are not home! Dryers are known for catching fire for more reasons than failing to empty the lint trap. So be sure to clean out/check the hose connection that is connected to the back of your dryer and out of the house. Make sure there is a clear pathway for the hot air to exit the machine, as a buildup in the hose could also cause a fire.

5. Buy a dehumidifier!

If you live in eastern Pennsylvania, like I do, and moved from an apartment, chances are you will need a dehumidifier for your basement. This is to prevent the growth of mold, as mold can start to grow when the relative humidity is above 60%.

6. Check the filter on your HVAC unit 

Your HVAC filter should be changed every 3 months (and possibly more often if you have multiple furry friends), so make sure to check that out as a clean filter allows for a more efficient HVAC system!

7. Start a maintenance record log 

Alright, now that you have done all of these things, you’re gonna want to sit down and write a list of everything you’ve just done, as well as anything else you may know about the house, like when the roof was last replaced or the garage door hinges greased, etc.

This will help you keep track and be aware of when you will need to do other maintenance on your house.

8. Change your address

Yes, unfortunately you are going to need to log onto every bank account and subscription you still get mail from and update your address. In the meantime, you can go to this Link to have your mail that goes through USPS forwarded after the move.

9. Transfer /stop utilities 

Yes, you’ll need to remember the login for all your utilities, such as your gas, Wi-Fi, electricity, etc., and transfer your utilities or stop them completely. No need to be paying for utilities you are no longer using!

10. Clean 

While an empty house looks clean to the naked eye, the previous homeowners are not obligated to do a thorough clean before you move in, so you’ll want to do a proper clean prior to moving in all your belongings.

We also decided to rent carpet cleaner from Lowe’s so that we could steam the carpets prior to the move. Renting the carpet cleaner from Lowe’s was a breeze, and the machine worked very well. While the house we bought did not smell bad, it smelled way different after cleaning the carpets!

To rent a carpet cleaner all you do is head to your nearest Lowe’s, find the nearest employee to tell you where you can get a carpet cleaner, purchase a cleaning solution to use with the machine, and sign it out for 24 or 48 hours. Use the link below for additional information for renting from Lowe’s. Note: you have to return the carpet cleaner to the same Lowe’s you rent it from. You can also rent from The Home Depot, which I have also included a link for below.

To be clear, a clean prior to move-in is mainly for disinfecting purposes, as there will be plenty of people tracking dirt through the house after move-in. But at least you know you removed whatever dirt and germs were there prior to you. Some things that we wished we thought to clean prior to the move include:

• Shelves inside the kitchen cabinets 
• Grout if you have tile 
• Kitchen Walls – Kitchen walls tend to get greasy over time from normal wear and tear 

Besides steam cleaning the carpets, the usual standard cleaning practices apply like vacuuming, mopping, sweeping, and wiping down all surfaces.

 Lowe’s Carpet Cleaner Rental Info

The Home Depot Carpet Cleaner Rental Info

11. Locate your main shut off valves 

Make sure to locate your main shut off valves in case you are ever in a pickle that requires you to shut them off. In our first week, we had a gas leak and needed to turn off the gas quickly for our safety.

You should also have a main water shut off valve or valves. Some houses have one valve that shuts off all water, and others have a system that allows you to shut off water to specific parts of the house, similar to an electric panel.

12. Meet your neighbors!

The most fun tip of all is to meet your neighbors (if they are close enough that you will cross paths with them regularly). You will likely see them around often and might even need a helping hand from time to time. So, while you’re dragging your belongings into your house, don’t be scared to walk over and introduce yourself to anyone you see outside. This will be your community for the foreseeable future, so you might as well make the most of it!