What home records should you keep from day one?
A clear checklist of the documents, dates, and details worth capturing the moment you move in, so nothing gets lost later.
The first weeks in a new home are busy, and paperwork is easy to shove in a drawer and forget. But the records you gather now are the ones that pay off years later — when something breaks, when a warranty matters, or when you sell. The goal isn't to build a filing empire. It's to capture a handful of things once, while they're fresh and findable.
Here's what's worth keeping from day one.
Ownership and legal documents
These are the papers that prove the house is yours and describe exactly what you bought.
- Closing documents and settlement statement — the full packet from your purchase, including the deed and title insurance policy.
- Mortgage paperwork — your loan terms, lender contact, and account details.
- Property survey and plat map — these show your boundaries, easements, and where things like utility lines run.
- Homeowners insurance policy — with the policy number and your agent's contact.
- Property tax records — your assessment and any exemptions you qualify for.
Keep these somewhere secure and backed up. If a document is ever lost, knowing where it came from — which title company, which lender — makes it far easier to replace.
The home inspection report
Don't file your inspection report away and never look at it again. It's one of the most useful records you own. It documents the condition of the roof, systems, and structure on the day you moved in, and it often flags things to watch. Years from now, it's your baseline for what has changed.
Equipment and appliance details
Walk the house and capture the basics on every major piece of equipment while you can still reach the labels.
What to record
- Make, model, and serial number for the furnace, air conditioner, water heater, and major appliances.
- Age or install date, if you can find it — inspection reports and manufacturer date codes often reveal this.
- Warranty status and any registration the previous owner passed along.
- A photo of the data plate on each unit. This single habit saves enormous frustration later.
This matters because when something stops working, the first questions a technician or parts supplier asks are the model and serial number. Having them on hand turns a scavenger hunt into a two-minute lookup.
A record of the people who worked on the house
If the seller gave you names — the HVAC company that services the furnace, the plumber, the electrician — write them down. Continuity is valuable. A contractor who already knows the quirks of your system is worth keeping.
As you hire your own pros, note who did what and when. Over time this becomes a service history you can hand to the next owner, or lean on when a recurring issue crops up.
Manuals, warranties, and prior work
Ask the seller for any owner's manuals, appliance warranties, permits for past renovations, and receipts for recent work like a new roof or water heater. Some of these transfer to you and can save real money. Permits, in particular, tell you which past projects were done to code and inspected.
If you can't get the paper, you can usually find manuals online later using the model numbers you recorded.
Utility and account setup
Jot down which company provides each service and your account numbers.
- Electric, gas, water, and sewer or septic.
- Trash and recycling.
- Internet and any HOA account.
This is dull to gather but painful to reconstruct when you need to report an outage or start a transfer.
Why capturing it now beats finding it later
Every detail above is easiest to collect in your first month, when the seller is reachable, the paperwork is in one pile, and the equipment labels are new to your eyes. A tool like Jack's View exists to hold all of this in one place — documents, equipment details, service history, and the people who care for your home — so it stays with the house instead of scattering across drawers and inboxes.
You don't have to do it all in one sitting. Start with the closing packet and the inspection report, then photograph a data plate or two each time you're near one. A little bit captured early becomes a record you'll be glad to have.
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- What should I get from the seller at closing? A homeowner's checklist of the keys, documents, manuals, and details worth collecting from the seller when you close on a house.
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- How Do I Start a Home Inventory as a New Homeowner? A simple, room-by-room guide to starting a home inventory as a new homeowner, plus what to record and why it matters.
Common questions
- How long should I keep my closing documents?
Keep your closing packet, deed, and title insurance for as long as you own the home — and hold onto the settlement statement even after you sell, since it can matter for taxes on the sale. Store a backup copy digitally in case the originals are lost.
- What's the single most useful record for a new homeowner?
Photos of the data plates on your furnace, water heater, air conditioner, and major appliances. They capture the make, model, and serial number in seconds and save you from hunting for them the day something breaks.
- Do appliance and system warranties transfer when I buy a home?
Some do and some don't. Manufacturer warranties are often tied to the original purchase date rather than the owner, so a newer unit may still be covered. Ask the seller for registration and receipts, then confirm the terms with the manufacturer.
- Should I keep the previous owner's contractor and service records?
Yes. Names of the companies that serviced the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems give you a head start on trustworthy pros who already know the house. Any past service history also helps you spot recurring problems.
Keep a record your home deserves.
Jack's View is the home management system that remembers so you don't have to. Maintenance, documents, projects, equipment — one place. Built by a homeowner, named for a craftsman.
Start with Jack's View