Upkeep Papers

Category

Moving and buying

The paperwork of changing address — moving, viewing, snagging, renovating and switching the supplies over.

Moving is a paperwork problem wearing the costume of a lifting problem. These sheets hold the comparisons, the box numbers, the meter readings and the snags in one place, so the things that go missing in a move are written down before they do.

Moving House Checklist

Work backwards from the moving date instead of remembering things in the wrong order, and see at a glance what has actually been done rather than what has been worried about.

MB-01 2 pages

Moving Inventory and Box Log

Know what is in every box and where it is meant to end up, so you can find the kettle on the first night and tell on the day whether anything is missing.

MB-02 1 page

House Viewing Comparison Sheet

Compare properties on the same points instead of on whichever one you saw last, and remember the things that are easy to ask about on the day and impossible to check afterwards.

MB-03 1 page

New Build Snagging List

Keep every fault in a new build on one dated sheet, so the record of what was reported and when exists in your handwriting rather than in a builder's inbox.

MB-04 1 page

Renovation Quote Comparison

See where three quotes actually differ, which is usually in what has been left out rather than in the number at the bottom.

MB-05 1 page

Renovation Budget Tracker

See the gap between what you planned to spend and what you have spent while there is still time to do something about it, rather than at the end.

MB-06 1 page

Utility Change-Over Record

Close the old accounts and open the new ones with the readings and balances written down on the day, so a change-over dispute has a sheet of paper behind it.

MB-07 1 page

Meter Reading Log

Build a running record of readings and the usage between them, so a bill is something you can check rather than something you have to accept.

MB-08 1 page

Home Buying Document Checklist

Have a prompt list to work through with whoever is handling the transaction, so documents are found before they are asked for rather than afterwards.

MB-09 2 pages

Elsewhere in the library

Other categories

Property records

The paperwork that covers the whole building — service history, registers, warranties and the seasonal rounds.

10 sheets

Home systems

Heating, hot water, ventilation, drainage and water supply — the fixed systems that need servicing on a schedule.

13 sheets

Safety checks

Alarm tests, extinguisher checks and the records that prove they happened.

2 sheets

Outdoor machines

Mowers, saws, generators, washers, compressors and tractors — hour-based servicing and the part numbers you can never find.

8 sheets

Vehicles

Cars, motorcycles, motorhomes, trailers and boats — service history, schedules and pre-use inspections.

8 sheets

Water and pools

Pools, hot tubs and private water supplies — chemistry logs and test records.

2 sheets

Rental property

Maintenance logs, periodic inspections and changeover checklists for let property.

3 sheets

Pets and animals

Vaccination and health records, sitter instructions and the emergency details somebody else would need if you were not there.

9 sheets

Trailers and marine

Trailers, horseboxes, caravans and boats — annual service records, pre-use inspections and the towing figures you should never be guessing at.

9 sheets

Workshop and tools

Inventories, service logs and the working paperwork a small workshop, a trade or a van actually runs on.

10 sheets

Cleaning and routines

Cleaning schedules, rotas, deep-clean checklists and the dated records a cleaning routine is supposed to leave behind.

9 sheets

Garden and growing

Sowing plans, plot layouts, greenhouse logs, compost records and fruit tree histories — blank wherever the answer depends on where you garden.

5 sheets