Moving Into a New House – What to Do First

Moving day is chaotic enough without discovering a leaky faucet on day two or realising the locks haven’t been changed since the previous owners left. This checklist covers the practical things Scarborough homeowners should tackle before or immediately after moving in — so you start on the right foot.

1. Change the Locks

Do this before you bring a single box inside. You have no idea how many copies of the old keys exist — previous owners, contractors, neighbours, real estate agents. New deadbolts are inexpensive and a locksmith or handyman can swap them in under an hour. It’s the single highest-value security task on this list.

2. Set Up Utilities Before Move-In Day

Electricity, gas, water, and internet all need to be transferred or set up in your name. Contact Toronto Hydro, Enbridge, and your internet provider at least a week before your move date. Nothing slows down unpacking like no Wi-Fi and no hot water.

3. Deep Clean Before You Unpack

Clean the house thoroughly before your furniture goes in — especially inside cabinets, behind appliances, and in bathrooms. Once everything is unpacked it’s much harder to get into corners. If you’re short on time, hire a cleaner for the day.

4. Do a Full Repair Walkthrough

Walk every room with a notepad. Look for holes in drywall, sticking doors, dripping faucets, loose fixtures, cracked caulking around tubs and windows, and any hardware that’s broken or missing. Small issues caught now are far cheaper to fix than ones discovered six months later.

Common move-in repairs we handle for Scarborough homeowners include drywall patching, faucet and fixture swaps, door adjustments, and carpentry fixes. We can knock out a full punch list in a single visit.

5. Check Caulking and Weatherstripping

Before Toronto winter arrives, check that exterior doors have intact weatherstripping and that windows and tubs are properly caulked. Failed caulking lets in drafts, moisture, and eventually mould. A quick re-caulk now saves a much bigger repair bill later.

6. Set Up Home Security

Beyond locks, consider motion-sensor exterior lighting, window locks on ground-floor windows, and a video doorbell. These are all small handyman jobs that take under an hour each and make a real difference to peace of mind in a new neighbourhood.

Get Your Move-In Punch List Done in One Visit

Fixrr specialises in exactly this — bundling multiple small repairs into one tidy visit so you’re not waiting on three different tradespeople. Book a visit online or call 437-264-6010. We serve Scarborough, The Beaches, East York, and the broader East GTA.