First 30 Days After Settlement: A Practical Homeowner Checklist

The useful work after settlement is practical: confirm that completion and access have actually been authorised, secure the property, preserve your records and move each account into the right name. Not every task belongs on settlement day, and not every authority is notified in the same way across Australia.

Start with the completion advice from your solicitor, conveyancer or settlement agent. Their final statement and your contract—not a generic checklist—control what was paid, adjusted or handed over.

Before entering the property

Wait for your representative to confirm that settlement has completed and ask where and when access will be released. Key handover and possession arrangements depend on the contract and the parties' arrangements; a scheduled settlement time is not itself permission to enter.

The first day

Photograph meter readings and the condition in which you received the property. Keep the images with the settlement documents and note anything that differs from the pre-settlement inspection. This record does not create a remedy; it gives your adviser clear evidence if an issue needs to be raised.

• Check that every key, remote and access credential promised to you has been supplied.
• Consider re-keying external locks and changing alarm, garage and access codes.
• Locate the electrical switchboard and water and gas shut-offs without altering unfamiliar equipment.
• Confirm essential services are operating and record provider reference numbers.
• Report urgent safety, security or property-condition concerns to the appropriate professional.

The first week

Recheck your home policy and certificate of currency against the address, insured parties, start date and property description. Moneysmart explains that home and contents cover, exclusions and insured amounts differ between policies, so use the policy documents rather than assuming a standard level of cover. See the Moneysmart home-insurance guidance and our property-insurance guide for buyers and owners.

Update service and correspondence addresses directly with organisations that use them. Services Australia currently asks people who move to update their address within 14 days and explains which linked services may update through myGov. Follow the Services Australia instructions for your circumstances. A mail-redirection service can catch some post, but it does not replace notifying each sender.

The first month

Once you have lived at the new address for at least one month, the Australian Electoral Commission says you are eligible to update your enrolment there. Use the AEC update service rather than relying on an old, fixed deadline from a moving checklist.

Build a maintenance list from the property's actual condition, professional reports and manufacturer instructions. Rank urgent safety or water-ingress issues ahead of cosmetic work. There is no responsible national schedule that makes the same inspection frequency right for every construction type, climate and pest exposure.

Revisit the household budget after the first statements arrive. Moneysmart's buying-a-house guide identifies ongoing items such as mortgage repayments, council rates, land tax where applicable and insurance. Use your own notices and policy schedule for amounts.

Strata and investment properties

For a strata or community-title property, notify the manager or owners corporation as your representative directs, confirm where notices will be sent and obtain the current insurance certificate and levy information. Building and lot-owner responsibilities vary by scheme and jurisdiction. For example, the NSW strata guidance says individuals remain responsible for their personal property even though the scheme must hold specified insurance.

If the property is tenanted, ownership does not end the tenancy or make immediate access automatic. Have the property manager or a local tenancy professional explain the lease, bond, notices, records and insurance before contacting the tenant about changes.

Records and unresolved issues

Keep a durable digital copy of:

• the signed contract and disclosure documents;
• the final settlement statement and evidence of funds paid;
• duty, registration, loan and professional-fee records;
• inspection reports, invoices, warranties and compliance documents; and
• insurance schedules, certificates and material correspondence.

Ask your representative what post-settlement registration confirmation you will receive and when. If a final amount, title detail, adjustment or promised item appears wrong, raise it promptly with the professional who acted for you; do not infer a legal deadline from another buyer's transaction.

General information only. Settlement, possession, tenancy, insurance and notification requirements depend on the contract, property and jurisdiction. Last substantively updated 24 August 2026.