Got the Keys? Everything You Need to Sort in the First 48 Hours

Getting the keys to your new home is a feeling like no other. After months of viewings, paperwork, and waiting, it's finally yours.

But once the excitement settles, often within the first 24 hours, the to-do list starts to reveal itself. The good news is that with a bit of preparation, none of it is overwhelming. Here's a practical guide to everything you need to sort out when you move in, so nothing slips through the cracks.

1. Take Meter Readings Immediately

Before you unpack a single box, take readings from your gas, electricity, and water meters and photograph them with a timestamp. This protects you from being charged for the previous occupant's usage and gives you an accurate starting point for your bills.

2. Set Up Your Utilities

Contact your energy and water suppliers to register as the new occupant. You're not obliged to stay with whoever the previous owner used; this is a good moment to shop around for a better deal. Set up direct debits once you're happy with your suppliers so payments are handled automatically from day one.

3. Sort Your Broadband Early

Broadband installation can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on your provider and area, so don't leave this one until you've moved in. Book it in advance if you can, especially if you work from home. It's one of those things that feels minor until you don't have it.

4. Register for Council Tax

Contact your local council as soon as you move in to register for council tax at your new address. If you don't, you may receive a backdated bill further down the line. While you're at it, check which band your property sits in, if you think it's wrong, you have the right to challenge it. Also worth confirming your bin collection days and any local recycling arrangements while you have the council on the line.

5. Update Your Address - All of Them

This one catches a lot of people out because the list is longer than you'd expect. Work through it methodically:

• DVLA - update your driving licence and vehicle registration (there's a fine for not doing this)

• Your bank and any credit providers

• Your employer (for payroll and HR records)

• HMRC

• Your GP and dentist

• Electoral roll - register to vote at your new address

• Insurance providers

• Subscriptions, delivery services, and online accounts

Keeping your address consistent across financial accounts also helps protect your credit profile, so it's worth being thorough.

6. Put Your Insurance in Place

Buildings insurance is typically a condition of your mortgage, so this should ideally be arranged from the day of completion, not after. Contents insurance is equally important and often underestimated; it covers everything from furniture and appliances to clothing and personal belongings if they're damaged, stolen, or destroyed.

Review both policies carefully and consider adding accidental damage cover if it's not already included. A new home is full of fresh paintwork and brand-new carpets, it's worth protecting them.

7. Register With a Local GP and Dentist

NHS GP and dentist lists can have waiting times, so don't leave this until you need an appointment. Register as soon as you're settled, particularly if you have children or ongoing health needs.

8. Plan for the Ongoing Costs of Homeownership

Your mortgage payment is the biggest monthly commitment, but it's not the only one. As a homeowner, you're now responsible for maintenance and repairs, and costs have a way of appearing when you least expect them. A boiler service, a leaking roof, a broken appliance, none of these come with warning. Building an emergency fund specifically for the home, even a modest one, gives you a financial buffer that makes a real difference.

If your property is leasehold, also check whether you have service charges or ground rent obligations, and make sure you understand the terms.

How Endurance Mortgages Can Help

Our relationship with clients doesn't end at completion. We're here to help you feel confident and prepared for life in your new home, whether that's helping you arrange the right insurance cover, talking through your finances as a new homeowner, or simply answering questions as they come up.

Getting the mortgage is one chapter. We're here for the whole book.

If you're preparing to move or already have a completion date, get in touch with Endurance Mortgages, we'll make sure you're ready for everything that comes next.

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Your Home (or property) may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debts secured on it. Some Buy to Let mortgages are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority A fee may be charged for mortgage advice. The exact amount will depend on your circumstances.

Endurance Mortgages Ltd is an appointed representative of The Right Mortgage Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales no. 15060351. Registered Address: Worting House, Church Lane, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG23 8PX.