Just moved in? Here is what to look after.
Just moved into a new place and not sure where to start? This is the whole list, grouped by when each job is worth doing. The good news first: only a handful of these protect people, and most of them are free. You are mostly just finding and testing things you already own. Start with the few safety-first items, then pace the rest over your first weeks and seasons. Whether you own or rent, and wherever you live, changes which jobs are yours, so we have flagged those as we go.
Two honest notes. First, this is general guidance, not professional advice. For anything involving gas, carbon monoxide, electrical panels, or your roof, a quick check from a licensed pro is money well spent. Second, your home is specific: its climate, its systems, and whether you rent or own all change the list. We point out the big depends-on-your-home forks below, and at the end you can turn this into a plan built for your exact address.
Most of this list is not urgent. We have tagged each job:
- Safety firstprotects people (gas, carbon monoxide, fire, electric shock, scalding, or a major flood). Worth doing.
- Saves moneyprevents expensive damage or wasted energy, but nobody gets hurt if it waits a bit.
- Good habitsensible housekeeping, low stakes.
First week: find the off-switches
The calm, mostly-free phase. You are locating and testing things you already own. Do the few safety-first items now; the rest can wait a day or two.
- Find and label the main water shut-off (usually where the water line enters: a basement, crawl space, garage, or by the meter).Safety first
If a pipe ever bursts, this one valve is the difference between a quick mop-up and a flooded house.
- Find your breaker panel and map which breaker controls each room.Safety first
When you need to cut power to a room for a repair or a problem, you can do it in seconds instead of guessing in the dark.
- Find the main gas shut-off, gas homes only (usually at the meter), and learn which way it turns off.Safety first
If you ever smell gas, the right move is to leave and call the gas company or 911 from outside, not to fix it yourself. Knowing where the valve is means you can act calmly if you ever need to.
- Test every smoke alarm, and replace any that stay silent or are over 10 years old (the date is printed on the unit).Safety first
A smoke alarm with a dead or missing battery is the same as having no smoke alarm at all. It takes about five minutes and it is the most important thing on this whole list.
- Test every carbon-monoxide alarm, and make sure there is one on each level and outside each sleeping area.Safety first
Carbon monoxide is invisible and has no smell, so a working alarm is the only way to catch it. Furnaces, gas water heaters, and attached garages are the usual sources. Replace any alarm past the service life printed on it.
- Change or rekey the locks (renters: ask your landlord to confirm this was done for you).Saves money
It is cheap and fast, and it instantly shuts out everyone who held an old key: previous owners, their contractors, neighbours.
- Walk the house and find the smaller shut-off valves under sinks and behind toilets, plus the water heater and its temperature dial.Saves money
A small leak only needs the local valve, so you can stop one toilet without shutting off the whole house.
Want this as a plan for your exact home?
You have got the general list. CedarKeep turns it into your list, built around your climate, your systems, and whether you rent or own, with reminders at the right time. It is free and takes a couple of minutes. No card needed.
Build my free home planFirst month: get to know the big systems
Settle-in phase. Tune the systems you now control, and catch slow problems while they are still cheap.
- Change or check the heating and cooling air filter, and note its size so you buy the right one next time.Saves money
A clean filter helps the system run efficiently and last longer, while a clogged one makes it work harder and can shorten its life. How often depends on the filter: a thin 1-inch one is roughly monthly to quarterly, a thick 4-inch one roughly every 6 to 12 months. We will tell you yours in the personalised plan rather than guess one number here.
- Set the water heater to about 120°F.Safety firstSaves money
120°F is the recommended setting to prevent scalding, and the Department of Energy notes a lower setting also slows corrosion and trims your water-heating bill. It is a simple dial setting, not a repair. (Most modern dishwashers heat their own water, so 120°F is fine for them; a few older ones without a built-in heater clean best hotter, so check that manual first.)
- Test your GFCI outlets, the ones with Test and Reset buttons (kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and outdoors).Safety first
These outlets are what stop a shock near water, and they wear out silently. Easy to remember: test them the same day you test the smoke alarms.
- Look for leaks under sinks, around toilets, and at the water heater.Saves money
Slow leaks are cheap to fix early and expensive to ignore. Catching one now can save a rotted cabinet or a mould problem later.
- Write down the make, model, and age of the furnace, AC, water heater, and major appliances, and find their manuals (usually online).Good habit
Knowing how old a system is tells you when to start saving for its replacement, and the manual answers most is-this-normal questions for free.
First season: match the home to the weather
Get the house ready for the weather you are heading into. Several of these only apply in certain climates or certain homes, and we have said which.
- Clean the gutters and check that downspouts carry water several feet away from the foundation.Saves money
Clogged gutters are one of the most common causes of drainage problems, and water pooling at the foundation is what causes the expensive cracks and wet basements.
- Book an HVAC tune-up before its season (heat in the fall, AC in the spring).Safety firstSaves money
It keeps the system efficient and catches problems early. For gas or oil furnaces the technician also checks for cracks that could leak carbon monoxide, which is a real safety check. This one is a call-a-pro job, not DIY.
- Clean the dryer's vent duct, not just the lint screen, about once a year.Safety first
Lint build-up is a leading cause of dryer fires, and a clear vent also dries clothes faster and cheaper. Do it sooner if clothes start taking longer to dry.
- Cold climates only: before the first freeze, disconnect hoses, drain outdoor spigots, and shut off their indoor valves if they have them.Saves money
Water left in an outdoor line can freeze, expand, and split the pipe, which is a common and avoidable winter flood. Skip this entirely if you are somewhere that does not freeze.
- Basement or flood-prone homes only: test the sump pump by pouring a bucket of water into the pit.Saves money
Better to learn it works on a dry afternoon than during the storm when you are counting on it. It should switch on, pump out, and shut off.
First year and the steady rhythm
The ongoing cadence. This is exactly the part CedarKeep automates, so you are not keeping it all in your head.
- Test smoke and CO alarms monthly, and change the batteries at least once a year (unless they are sealed 10-year units).Safety first
It is the cheapest insurance there is, and it only works if it actually works.
- Flush the water heater about once a year to clear sediment, and have the anode rod checked every few years.Saves money
Sediment makes the heater work harder and wear out sooner. The anode rod is a cheap metal rod inside the tank that corrodes so the tank does not, and a fresh one can add years to the tank. This is DIY-able, or a cheap plumber visit.
- Once a year, eye the roof from the ground (binoculars are fine) and re-caulk around tubs, showers, sinks, and exterior gaps.Saves money
Small seal failures are what let water in, and spotting them early is the whole game in home upkeep.
- Test your home for radon with an inexpensive test kit.Safety first
Radon is a natural gas you cannot see or smell, and a cheap test is the only way to know whether your home has it. The EPA recommends testing every home in any area; the action level is 4 pCi/L or above, and the fix is straightforward. Long-term radon exposure is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, which is why the test is worth the few dollars.
- Septic homes only: find the tank and drainfield, get any records, and plan an inspection about every 3 years and pumping every 3 to 5 years.Safety firstSaves money
Routine pumping is cheap, and staying ahead of it avoids one of the most expensive repairs a home can have.
- Well-water homes only: test the water.Safety first
A private well is not covered by public water rules, so nobody else is checking it for you. The test tells you whether the water your family drinks is safe.
- Walk the house and yard two to four times a year, looking for new cracks, leaks, or wear.Saves money
A regular look is what catches problems while they are still small and cheap. A little prevention goes a long way.
- Set aside roughly 1% of the home's value a year for upkeep.Good habit
Things wear out on their own schedule, and a small fund turns a surprise repair into an annoyance instead of a crisis.
Renting?
Most of the system-level jobs are your landlord's, not yours. In most states the landlord installs and maintains the smoke and CO alarms and is responsible for the structure, heating and cooling, plumbing, water heater, roof, gutters, and any septic or well. Your part is the locate, test, report subset: know where the shut-offs are, test the alarms and report dead ones (replacing alarm batteries is often the tenant's job once you move in), change the filter if your lease says so, and report leaks promptly. Laws vary by state and county.
Where you live changes the list.
The freeze jobs (outdoor faucets, frozen pipes) only matter where it actually freezes. Filter changes ramp up in long, hot cooling seasons. Septic, wells, and sump pumps only apply to certain homes. Roof life and gutter frequency swing with hail, heavy rain, tree cover, and sun, so we will not quote you a single your-roof-lasts-X-years figure. Radon is the exception: the EPA says test everywhere, because high homes turn up in every zone.
Turn this checklist into your plan.
This is the same advice, but kept generic. CedarKeep tailors it to your address, then reminds you when each job is due, so none of it lives in your head. Free, no card, a couple of minutes.
Build my free home planWhere this advice comes from: the safety items follow the US Fire Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the EPA; the energy and water-heater tips follow the US Department of Energy; and the seasonal upkeep follows university extension services. Always double-check anything important for your own home.