The call came; the house is yours. Keys are normally collected from the estate agent once the seller's side confirms funds, and the first hour in the property — before the boxes obscure everything — is your one chance to document its handover condition and find the things you will urgently need to find.
The first hour, systematically
Photograph every gas, electricity and water meter reading immediately — timestamped photos settle billing disputes before they exist. Locate the stopcock (water shut-off), the consumer unit (fuse box) and the gas valve; the day you need them is not the day to search. Test the locks, the alarm (ask the agent for codes), the boiler and the hot water. Find the instruction manuals and guarantees the seller hopefully left.
Check the TA10 promises
Walk the rooms against the fixtures and fittings form: the promised appliances, curtains, light fittings, shed contents. Photograph anything missing or any damage that was not there at your last viewing, and report it to your conveyancer and the agent the same day — remedies exist, but they favour the buyer who documented immediately.
Change the locks
You have no idea how many key copies exist — cleaners, trades, ex-partners, the previous owners' neighbour. A locksmith visit or a set of new cylinders on day one is cheap certainty, and some insurers expect it. While the locksmith mindset is active: check window locks and any side gates too.
Your action list
Practical tips
- Ask the agent whether all key sets were returned — the answer influences how fast you change the locks.
- The seller's manuals-and-warranties drawer, if it exists, is worth its weight in gold; ask the agent to ask.
What can go wrong
- Unloading the van before photographing meters and condition destroys your evidence exactly when it is strongest.
- Missing promised items get harder to recover with every passing day — the same-day report is the one with teeth.
- PropertySquares provides education, not financial or legal advice. Verify current rules and obtain advice for your circumstances before acting.