Moving Into a Rental Property: First Week Checklist

By Tenant Rights Around Repairs and Safety Standards
Comments 35
21 Aug 2026

Moving Into a Rental Property: First Week Checklist

Why the First Week Sets the Tone

Moving day is a blur of boxes, takeaways and hunting for the kettle. Once the dust settles, the first seven days are your best chance to get properly settled — and to protect yourself. The condition you record now, and the issues you report early, will shape how smoothly the rest of your tenancy runs and how straightforward your deposit return is at the end of it. Landlords and letting agents expect to hear from new tenants in that opening week, and it is far easier to resolve something now than three months down the line. Here is a practical checklist to work through.

Photograph Everything Before You Unpack

Before furniture covers the marks, take dated photographs of every room, plus hallways, stairs, the garden, the shed and any communal areas. Open the cupboards, look inside the oven, under the sink and behind the washing machine. Zoom in on existing scuffs, chips, cracked tiles, stained carpets and marks on walls.

You should have received an inventory and schedule of condition from your letting agent. Check it against reality and note any discrepancies — a missing blind, an extra shelf, a scratch the inventory missed. Most tenancies give you around seven days to sign and return the inventory with your comments. Do it in writing, keep a copy, and email rather than text. Timestamped photographs are the strongest evidence you can hold.

Locate the Stopcock, Fuse Box and Meters

In an emergency, minutes matter. Find these now, while the lights are on and nothing is leaking.

Stopcock: usually under the kitchen sink, in a downstairs cloakroom or in an airing cupboard. Turn it gently to check it moves, then open it fully again. If you cannot find it, ask the agent.
Consumer unit (fuse box): note which switch controls which circuit, and how to reset a tripped RCD.
Gas meter and emergency control valve: know how to switch the gas off at the meter.
Electricity meter: take a photo of the reading on move-in day.
Water meter, if there is one — same again, photograph the reading.

Also check for a boiler isolator, radiator valves and the location of any outside tap. Save a note on your phone so you are not searching in the dark.

Test the Alarms and Safety Equipment

Press the test button on every smoke alarm and any carbon monoxide alarm. If there is a heat detector in the kitchen, test that too. Note the expiry date printed on the alarm body — most have a ten-year lifespan. If a battery is flat or an alarm fails to sound, report it immediately; your landlord must provide working alarms at the start of the tenancy, and in most of the UK a carbon monoxide alarm is required wherever there is a fixed combustion appliance.

Check any fire blanket or extinguisher, and make sure escape routes from upstairs bedrooms are clear. If the property has a boiler, note the pressure gauge reading and ask the agent when it was last serviced.

Notify Utilities, Council Tax and Broadband

Take meter readings on day one, or as close to it as you can, and pass them to the suppliers so you are not billed for the previous tenant's usage. Notify the gas, electricity and water suppliers that you have moved in, and if the property is on a prepayment meter, arrange to have it changed or topped up.

Set up a council tax account with your local authority, and ask about the 25% single person discount if you live alone. Sort broadband early, as installation can take weeks. A TV licence is needed for live television and BBC iPlayer. Contents insurance is well worth arranging — your landlord insures the building, not your belongings. Finally, find out your bin collection day and where the bins are stored.

Report Existing Issues in Writing

Anything broken, leaking or not working should go to your letting agent during the first week, in writing. A dripping tap, a boiler that loses pressure, a window that will not lock, a broken extractor fan, patches of mould, a faulty door handle. Photograph each issue and send one clear list including the property address and your name.

Good agents log these quickly. Reporting early also protects you: if a problem worsens later, there is a dated record showing it was not caused by your neglect.

Settle In and Keep Good Records

Set up a folder — digital is perfectly fine — for your tenancy agreement, inventory, correspondence and photographs. Note your rent due date and set up a standing order for the day before, so there is no risk of a late payment. Check that your deposit is protected within 30 days and that you have received the prescribed information. Say hello to the neighbours, and keep a note of anything the agent tells you over the phone.

Then unpack the kettle. You have done the important bits.

Moving Home

Understanding Break Clauses in Fixed-Term Tenancies

Landlords must protect most tenancy deposits in a government-approved scheme. Understand prescribed information, dispute resolution, and how to claim your money back.

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5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

Jenny Watson

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A detailed check-in inventory records the property's condition before you move in. Compare it carefully, add comments, and keep a signed copy for your records.

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