PlannedTidyNest Blog

New Homeowner Checklist: 30 Things to Do in Your First Year

The first year in a new home is a blur of boxes, small repairs, and surprises you did not see coming. This new homeowner checklist breaks the year into four phases, so you always know what matters now and can stop worrying about everything else.

Why the First Year Needs a Plan

Most new homeowners treat year one as one long to-do list, and that is exactly why things slip. The smoke detector with a dead battery, the water shutoff valve you cannot find during a leak, the warranty that expired before you filed it. None of these are hard tasks. They just need to happen in the right order.

This checklist organizes 30 tasks across four phases: the first week, the first month, the first six months, and the end of year one. Work through them in order and you will head into year two with a safe, documented, well-kept home.

First Week: Safety and Security

Before you hang a single picture, make the house safe. These are the tasks with real consequences if they wait.

• Change the locks or rekey every exterior door. You have no idea how many copies of the old keys exist.
• Test every smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Replace batteries and note each unit's expiration date.
• Find the main water shutoff, the breaker box, and the gas shutoff. Label all three clearly.
• Check that every exterior door has a working deadbolt and every ground-floor window locks.
• Write down emergency numbers (poison control, plumber, electrician, insurance agent) and post them somewhere visible.
• Walk the property for trip hazards, loose railings, and anything a child or pet could get into.
• Introduce yourself to at least one neighbor. Ask about trash day, parking rules, and anything odd about the street.

First Month: Settle In and Set Up Systems

With safety handled, month one is about building the routines that keep a house running without constant mental effort.

• Deep clean before you fully unpack, or schedule cleaners for the day after move-in.
• Set up a weekly cleaning rotation so every room gets attention without a marathon session.
• Replace the HVAC filter and write down the filter size somewhere you will find it again.
• Create one home folder, physical or digital, for manuals, warranties, and receipts.
• Confirm trash, recycling, and yard waste schedules, and get the right bins if the city requires them.
• Check the attic, basement, and crawl space for leaks, pests, and insulation gaps.
• Set up autopay for utilities and the mortgage so nothing slips during the chaos.
• Photograph the condition of every room. Future you will thank present you.

First 6 Months: Maintenance and Records

By now you know the house's quirks. This phase is about preventive maintenance, the unglamorous work that prevents expensive surprises.

• Clean the gutters and check downspouts direct water away from the foundation.
• Inspect caulk around windows, doors, and tubs. Re-caulk where it is cracked or pulling away.
• Schedule HVAC servicing before the heavy heating or cooling season hits.
• Drain a few gallons from the water heater to clear sediment, and check the anode rod if it is accessible.
• Test the sump pump if you have one, before the rainy season, not during it.
• Keep a running log of every repair and improvement with dates and costs. It matters for resale and taxes.
• Review your homeowner's insurance. Make sure the coverage matches the home's actual rebuild cost.

By the End of Year One: Protect and Plan

The final phase is about documentation and looking ahead. A full year of living in the house has taught you what it needs.

• Complete a room-by-room home inventory with photos and serial numbers, stored somewhere off-site or in the cloud.
• Build a written family emergency plan: meeting places, out-of-town contact, and go-bags.
• Review what broke or wore out this year and set a maintenance budget for year two.
• Check your property tax assessment for errors. An incorrect square footage or bathroom count costs real money.
• Note what your climate demanded: extra insulation, better drainage, shade. Plan those projects now.
• File or digitize every receipt from year one purchases and repairs in your home folder.
• Celebrate. You made it through the hardest year of homeownership.

Tip: do the boring documentation tasks (photos, serial numbers, shutoff labels) in one focused afternoon. They take two hours total and save you days of stress when something actually goes wrong.

Related reading

Want the maintenance tasks broken down by season? See our home maintenance checklist printable. And for the safety side of year one, read our family emergency binder checklist.