New Home Move-In Checklist
Moving into a new home? This checklist covers every safety item and system you should inspect, test, or replace during your first week. Print it out and work through it room by room. Many of these items have unknown histories in a new-to-you home, and a fresh start is the safest approach.
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Why This Matters
When you move into a home, you inherit the previous owner's maintenance history, or lack of it. Smoke detectors may be expired. The water heater may be 15 years old. The dryer vent may not have been cleaned in years. The HVAC filter may be months overdue. None of these are things you would notice during a showing or even a home inspection.
Working through this checklist during your first week establishes a baseline. You will know the age and condition of every critical system, which lets you plan and budget for replacements rather than reacting to emergencies.
The Priority System
Items marked Critical should be addressed on the first day or as soon as possible. These are items with immediate safety implications: working smoke detectors, functioning GFCI outlets, a known location for the main water shutoff, and a garage door opener with a working auto-reverse feature. If any of these fail inspection, address them before unpacking your boxes.
Items marked Important should be completed within the first week. These include recording the age of major systems (water heater, HVAC, roof), inspecting washing machine hoses, cleaning the dryer vent, and replacing the HVAC filter. These items are not immediately dangerous but represent the systems most likely to cause expensive problems if neglected.
Items marked Moderate should be completed within the first month. These include exterior inspections, radon testing, and deep cleaning or replacing items like shower curtain liners and cutting boards that you inherited from the previous occupant. These tasks establish the cleanliness and maintenance baseline for your ownership.
Older Homes Need Extra Attention
If your home is 15 years or older, the additional checks in the "Older Home" section are not optional. Federal Pacific and Zinsco electrical panels have documented safety defects and should be replaced regardless of whether they appear functional. Polybutylene plumbing (gray plastic pipes common in homes built between 1978 and 1995) is prone to sudden failure. Homes built before 1978 may contain lead paint, and homes built before 1980 may have asbestos in insulation, floor tiles, or pipe wrapping.
None of these conditions are emergencies in the sense that you need to evacuate. But all of them are conditions that should be identified, assessed, and addressed on a planned timeline. Knowing about them during your first month is better than discovering them during a renovation or an emergency repair.