Home Maintenance Checklist
Move-In Checklist
Clean, Repair, Paint, & Seal
- Thoroughly clean all surfaces walls, floors, counters, cabinets, tiles, & appliances with the appropriate cleaner following recommended methods. See, “How to Clean Practically Anything” by Consumer Reports.
- Survey your home making 2 lists: Items needing repair & Items you would like to change. Cosmetic damage & need for painting may be more noticeable after the previous owners furniture has been removed from the home. Check the hardware store for a “Home maintenance manual”.
- Prepare all surfaces before applying paint or stain. Proper preparation of surfaces can often take longer than the application of the finishes. Proper preparation and good quality materials will be repaid in the long run.
- Remove defective caulking from exterior windows & doors & clean the surfaces. Recaulk with a quality exterior caulk, ie:“Polyseamseal”.
- Scrape and clean all cracks in exterior concrete walls & fill with caulking or mortar depending on the size of the cracks.
- Remove all mildewed & defective grout & caulking from tubs & countertops. Thoroughly clean & dry the surfaces before applying new appropriate “quality” caulking Apply silicone based grout sealer to ceramic tile grout.
Deck
- Apply preservative sealer to wood surfaces following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Electric
- Locate and label (if not already completed) the main circuit breaker in the electric panel box (or by the meter) and show family members how to turn it of in case of emergency.
Fire Extinguisher
- Purchase at least 2 appropriate fire extinguishers and locate them in the garage, kitchen, & other locations as you determine necessary. Be sure to place them where they can be accessed in an emergency and will not be blocked by a possible source of fire. Your kitchen extinguisher should be appropriate for grease fires also.
Fire Safety
- Check all smoke detectors for their function & change the batteries. Change the batteries by-annually when you reset your clocks for daylight savings time.
- Establish & practice an emergence evacuation plan for your family in case of fire.
First Aid Kit
- Purchase a first aid kit and a book on first aid procedures. Familiarize your self with it and keep it in an accessible location.
Flooring
- Attach furniture protectors underneath furniture legs to protect hardwood, resilient, and ceramic tile floors.
Household Tools
- Acquire basic tools to help you with normal home maintenance chores, to include: pliers, adjustable wrench, flat-blade and Phillips head screwdrivers, claw hammer, hand saw, tape measure, caulk and caulking gun, putty knife, paint roller and brush, power drill and drill bits, assorted nails, brads, bolts, screws, nuts, utility knife, sandpaper, toilet plunger, flashlight and batteries.
Landscaping
- Review the needs of your existing plants & fertilize as needed.
- Check your sprinkler system & repair as needed.
- Establish a plan for new plantings and implement it as soon as you are confident with it.
Locks
- Change all locks or have the tumblers rekeyed by a locksmith.
Plumbing
- Locate and label the main water line shutoff valve and all individual valves and show all family members how to close them in case of a plumbing emergency.
Security
- If appropriate contact your security provider and establish service.
Service Providers
- Establish contracts with service providers Air conditioning mechanic, Pest control, Pool, Landscape, Sprinkler, etc.
Utilities
- Contact and establish service with all utility providers ie: cable or satellite TV, DSL, electric, garbage, newspapers, water, etc.