The first 72 hours in a new home: what to check before unpacking

Before the boxes open, verify five things: where the water, gas, and electricity shut off; that the smoke and CO detectors actually work; that the locks are yours alone; that the meter readings match what the utilities have on file; and — if you rent — that the unit's condition is documented in photos. Everything else about move-in is reversible. These five get more expensive every day you skip them.

Hour one: find the main water shutoff and test that it actually turns — older valves seize. In a burst-pipe situation, the difference between knowing where it is and searching for it is the difference between a wet floor and a flooded one. While you're at it, find the breaker panel and check how honestly it's labeled, locate the gas shutoff, and find the water heater.

With everything found, run the leak test: turn off every faucet and water-using appliance, then watch the water meter for several minutes. Any movement means something is leaking somewhere. You want that conversation with the seller, landlord, or plumber to start in week one — while the problem is provably not something you caused — not when the first full water bill arrives.

Detectors next. Press the test button on every smoke and CO alarm, replace batteries on any you can't verify, and check the manufacture dates printed on the back: CO detectors typically expire after about five to seven years and smoke alarms after about ten. A previous owner's expired detector looks identical to a working one right up until the moment it matters.

Locks: you do not know how many copies of the current keys exist. Previous owners, their relatives, dog walkers, contractors, the neighbor who watered plants in 2019. Rekeying is cheaper than replacing hardware and is usually a same-week locksmith visit. Renters should ask the landlord directly whether locks were changed between tenants — some states and cities require it, many don't.

Photograph the electric, gas, and water meters on day one, timestamped. Utility start readings get estimated more often than people realize, and the previous occupant's final usage has a way of landing on the new account. A dated photo of the meter ends that dispute in a single email instead of three phone calls.

If you rent, the same camera does double duty: photograph or video every room, inside cabinets, under sinks, and every existing scuff and stain — before furniture hides them — and send the set to the landlord the same day so it's timestamped on both ends. This is your security deposit's insurance policy, and it only works if the documentation provably predates your stuff.

Run the systems while problems are still fresh: hot water at every tap, every toilet through a flush, HVAC through both heat and cool, each appliance through a cycle. Mover damage claims and home-warranty disputes both get harder with time — a problem found in the first 72 hours is credible, a problem found in week six is arguable.

The quieter checks fit in the gaps between boxes: replace the HVAC filter (you have no idea how old it is), locate the sewer cleanout, learn the trash and recycling schedule, set the water heater near the commonly recommended 120°F if a previous owner cranked it, and start writing 'not at this address' on the previous resident's mail rather than letting it pile into a project.

One check is genuinely urgent and almost universally missed: if a VoIP phone or an alarm system is moving with you, update the registered address immediately. 911 dispatch for VoIP and the response address for alarm monitoring go to the address on file, not to wherever the equipment is plugged in. This is the most dangerous quiet failure in the entire move, and it takes five minutes to fix.

This 72-hour stretch is where a checklist beats memory, because you're operating on no sleep amid cardboard. LocateFlow's moving checklist and AI move briefing put the dated, state-specific tasks — DMV windows, utility starts — next to these one-time verifications, so the urgent-but-quiet items don't get buried under box-cutting.

First, locate and test the water, gas, and electrical shutoffs. Second, test every smoke and CO detector and check the dates on the back. Third, rekey the locks or confirm the landlord did. Fourth, photograph the meters and, if renting, every room before unpacking. Fifth, run water, HVAC, and appliances while problems are still provably not yours. Sixth, update the registered address on anything that dispatches — 911, alarm monitoring — before the first night if you can.