Septic Tank Record Keeping
A private drainage system is invisible and entirely yours. What to establish about it, why emptying dates matter more than they look, and the warning signs.
Guide
Property records · PR-06
New Home Record Sheet
A free printable sheet for the first weeks in a new property — stopcock and shut-off locations, meter numbers and readings, suppliers and systems.
Download Free · no sign-up
2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Capture the things you need to know about a new property while you are still paying attention, rather than at two in the morning during a leak.
Who it is for
Anyone who has just moved in — buyers, renters, and landlords setting up a property record.
How to use it
- Do the shut-off section first, and physically walk to each one.
- Take meter readings on the day you move in and photograph them.
- Tick the systems the property actually has — it decides what needs servicing.
- Keep this at the front of your property folder.
What is on the sheet
2 pages, in this order:
Page 1
Printed under the title: The things you need to find out in the first weeks in a property, and will regret not knowing at two in the morning.
Start here. Fill in the shut-off section first, before anything else, and walk to each one so you know the route in the dark. Everything else on this sheet can wait; that part cannot.
Shut-offs and isolation — walk to each one and note exactly where it is
Write-on lines: Mains water stopcock · Internal stop valve · Gas meter and emergency control valve · Consumer unit / breaker panel · Heating system isolation
Meters and supply
Write-on lines: Electricity meter no. · Reading on arrival · Date · Gas meter no. · Reading on arrival · Date · Water meter no. · Reading on arrival · Date · Electricity supplier · Gas supplier · Water supplier · Broadband
Page 2
Systems in this property — tick what you have — it changes what needs servicing
- Gas boiler
- Oil boiler
- Heat pump
- Electric heating
- Solid fuel stove or open fire
- Solar thermal or PV
- Mains drainage
- Septic tank or treatment plant
- Mains water
- Private well
- Water softener
- Sump pump
- Air conditioning
- Mechanical ventilation
Ruled lines: Anything unusual about this property
Ruled lines: Notes and anything specific to yours
Questions
Why does the shut-off section come first?
Because it is the only part of this sheet that matters during an emergency, and a stopcock you have never turned is very often seized.
Read next
Related sheets
Emergency Shut-Off Locations Sheet
Make sure anyone in the household can turn off the water, gas or electricity quickly, including people who did not move in with the property.
PR-10 2 pages
Appliance and Equipment Register
Collect the numbers you can never find when something breaks: model and serial numbers, install dates, and when the warranty runs out.
PR-03 2 pages
Home Maintenance Schedule
Turn a vague intention to look after the house into a page you can tick off, so the jobs that only need doing once or twice a year actually get done.
PR-01 2 pages
Also in the resources library
The same subject, with a version you can fill in on screen.
First Month in New Home Checklist
Where the stopcock, fuse box and meters are, found on day one.
MV-538 Checklist PDF Online
