Guide · updated 2026-11-14

New homeowner first 90 days checklist

The first three months in a house go better with an order of operations. Do the safety items first, learn where everything shuts off, then build the paper trail you will be glad to have in year five.

Days 1 to 7: safety and shut-offs

Before you unpack the kitchen, spend an hour on the things that cannot wait.

Smoke alarms. Press the test button on every alarm and look at the manufacture date printed on the back. NFPA says smoke alarms should be tested monthly and replaced every 10 years. If the date is missing or old, replace the unit.
Carbon monoxide alarms. The CPSC advises CO alarms on every level and outside sleeping areas. If your home has a gas appliance, an oil furnace, a fireplace or an attached garage, this matters more. Check the end-of-life date in the manufacturer's literature.
Fire extinguisher. One in the kitchen and one near the garage or utility area is a sensible start. Check the gauge, and read the NFPA guidance on choosing and using one.
Find and label the shut-offs. Main water valve, water heater supply, gas shut-off, and the main electrical panel. Walk every adult in the household to each one. Put a paper tag on each.
Change the locks or rekey. You cannot know who still holds a copy.

Weeks 2 to 4: learn the systems

Now take a slow tour of the house with a notebook, or a spreadsheet if you prefer. For each major system, write down the brand, model, serial number and install year where you can find it. Water heaters, furnaces and air conditioners carry a data plate; the serial number often encodes the build date.

HVAC filter. Note the size printed on the old filter's frame, buy a few, and set a recurring date. A clogged filter makes the system work harder, and the U.S. Department of Energy includes filter changes in its basic home upkeep advice.
Water heater. Look at the temperature setting. DOE suggests 120°F as a temperature considered safe for most people and a cheaper setting to run. The same guide suggests draining a quart from a tank every three months to clear sediment, subject to the maker's instructions.
Leaks. Read your water meter, then read it again after two hours with everything off. If the number moved, something is leaking. EPA's Fix a Leak Week page notes that household leaks can waste thousands of gallons a year.
Radon. EPA recommends testing every home for radon. Short-term test kits are inexpensive and take a few days. Do it in the lowest lived-in level.

Weeks 5 to 8: the exterior and the unseen

Walk the outside after a rain if you can. Water tells the truth about a house.

Look for gutters that overflow or pull away, and downspouts that dump water against the foundation. Extend them away from the house.
Check that soil slopes away from the foundation and that vents, hose bibs and siding have no gaps.
Look at the roof from the ground with binoculars: missing, curled or cracked shingles, and flashing around chimneys and vents. Do not climb up unless you are trained and equipped.
In the attic or crawl space, with a flashlight, look for stains, damp insulation, or signs of pests.
Test every GFCI outlet in kitchens, baths, garages and outdoors with its test and reset buttons.

Weeks 9 to 13: paperwork and plan

This is where most owners lose the thread, and where a record pays off.

Turn the inspection report into a to-do list. Every item gets a status (open, quoted, scheduled, done), a severity, and a person responsible. Safety and water items first.
Build a contacts page. A plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, roofer, and the utilities' emergency numbers, before you need them.
Start a service log. Date, what was done, who did it, cost, and any warranty. Keep receipts and manuals alongside.
Estimate big-ticket replacements. Published life-expectancy ranges, such as the InterNACHI chart, give a rough idea of when roofs, water heaters and HVAC are likely to need replacing. Ranges vary with climate, quality and care, so treat them as planning figures, not deadlines. Divide an estimated replacement cost by the years left to get a monthly amount to set aside.
Set the recurring calendar. Monthly, quarterly, twice a year and yearly tasks. See our month-by-month maintenance schedule.

What to leave to a professional

Electrical panel work, gas appliance repairs, structural cracks, roof repair and anything involving asbestos or lead paint in an older house should go to licensed people. A licensed home inspector or contractor can confirm anything on this list that you cannot judge yourself.

Keep it in one place

All of the above works fine on paper. If you would rather not build the system yourself, the lelalune Home Maintenance Binder includes a First 90 Days tab with 29 ordered items, a home profile page, an inspection tracker, a service log and a recurring task library that calculates what is due. Whatever tool you use, the habit matters more than the tool: write it down once, check it on a schedule.

General information, not professional advice. Electrical and gas safety checks must be done by a licensed professional.

Sources

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Written by lelalune/UYNOS; drafted with AI assistance and reviewed. Sources are linked above; wording is our own.

See the Home Maintenance Binder