Free checklist
Household document checklist
Nobody needs every piece of paper they have ever been sent. This is the list that is actually worth being able to find — and how long each one is worth keeping.
Free to use and print. No signup, no email required.
Keep permanently
- Deeds, title documents or your lease
- Mortgage agreement and any redemption statement
- Birth, marriage and death certificates
- Wills and enduring power of attorney
- Passports and PPS documentation
- Building certificates, planning permission and compliance certificatesYou will need these when you sell.
- Solar, heat pump and extension paperworkIncluding grant documentation and BER certificate.
Keep while relevant
- Current insurance policies and schedulesKeep the previous year too, for claims history.
- Warranties and receipts for anything still coveredThe receipt matters more than the warranty card.
- Appliance manuals and serial numbers
- Vehicle registration, service history and test certificates
- Utility contracts showing the fixed-rate end date
- Tenancy agreement, deposit receipt and inventoryRenters: photograph the condition at move-in too.
Keep for six years
- Tax returns and supporting paperwork
- Receipts for home improvementsRelevant to capital gains when you sell.
- Major purchase receipts and proof of payment
- Records of any insurance claim
Worth writing down somewhere findable
- Where the stopcock and the electricity meter are
- Meter numbers (MPRN and GPRN)
- Boiler make, model and last service date
- Alarm code hint and who monitors it
- Who to ring for plumbing, electrics and heating
Keeping track of it
This list is only useful if the documents are somewhere you can find them at short notice. MyHouseDesk stores them privately, filed against the policy, vehicle or appliance they belong to.