The UK Home Documents Checklist: What to Keep and For How Long
Every UK home runs on paperwork: warranties, certificates, policies, manuals and receipts. Most of it lives in a kitchen drawer until the exact moment you need it, at which point it has vanished. This checklist covers what to keep, how long to keep it, and the simplest way to stop losing it.
Certificates you must be able to produce
| Document | Keep for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| EICR (electrical safety) | Until replaced (5 yearly) | Required for landlords; buyers' solicitors ask for it |
| Gas Safety Record | 2 years minimum | Legal requirement for rentals; proof of servicing for everyone |
| FENSA / window certificates | Life of the installation | Requested on sale; replacements cost time and money |
| Building regs completion certificates | Forever | Extensions and conversions without them stall sales |
| EPC | 10 years | Needed to sell or let |
Warranties and guarantees
- Boiler warranty: keep the certificate AND every annual service receipt. Most warranties are void without the service history.
- Appliance warranties: keep the receipt with the warranty. The warranty is worthless without proof of purchase date.
- Roof, damp proofing and timber guarantees: often 10 to 25 years and transferable to buyers, but only if you can produce them.
- New build (NHBC or similar): the full policy document, for the life of the cover.
Insurance and finance
- Buildings and contents policy schedules: current year plus the previous one.
- Claims correspondence: six years.
- Receipts for high value items: as long as you own them, for claims.
- Home improvement invoices: forever. They evidence work for buyers and can reduce capital gains tax on some sales.
The renewal dates that catch people out
Insurance renewals, boiler services, alarm tests, MOT and tax on household vehicles, chimney sweeps, gutter cleans. None are hard individually; the problem is that they are spread across a dozen reminder systems, or none.
Keep every document and every renewal in one vault
HomeVaultHQ stores your home's documents securely, tracks every renewal date and reminds you before anything lapses. Built for UK homeowners, families and landlords.
Start your vault at homevaulthq.comMore home guides
- The UK Landlord Document Checklist
- What Documents Do You Need to Sell a House in the UK?
- Moving House Admin Checklist (UK)
- The UK Home Maintenance Schedule
- How to Organise Your Home Paperwork
- How to Create a Home Inventory for Insurance
- What Documents Do You Need to Remortgage in the UK?
- The First-Time Buyer Document Checklist
- How to Keep Your Boiler Warranty Valid