The non-resident move-in checklist: utilities, access, safety

The non-resident move-in checklist plays out in the days following the signing: meter readings, a photographed initial inventory, home insurance activated, electricity, water and internet contracts set up, access organised, locks changed or recoded. Every milestone leaves proof to keep, and together they form the property file from the first day. The set-up of contracts can be coordinated for you, and basic safety is put in place before the first long departure. This article complements our guide to fitting out a home from afar, in the Furnishing & installation category.

What should be done in the 48 hours after the signing?

The rhythm of the first days shapes months of peace of mind. Four actions follow straight on from the handover of keys:

• Read and photograph the water, electricity and gas meters, then pass the readings to the suppliers, so each contract opens at the right starting point.
• Photograph the initial condition room by room, equipment included: this base will be the reference for every visit and any claim.
• Activate home insurance, with cover from the handover of keys, and keep the certificate with its policy number.
• Test what can be tested: hot water tank, boiler, shutters, sockets, drains, noting what must be put right before the first stay.

Milestone	Action	Proof to keep
Signing day	Read and photograph the meters	Timestamped photos of the readings
Signing day	Activate home insurance	Certificate and policy number
First days	Photograph the initial condition	Dated photo file, room by room
First days	Set up electricity, gas, water, internet	Opening confirmations for each contract
Before the first departure	Change or recode the locks, check the detectors	Tradesman’s invoice or note of new codes
First week	Build the property file	Single digitised file, accessible from anywhere

These steps often unfold in the real disorder of taking possession: the checklist exists precisely so none is forgotten, as the flight home approaches and the list of priorities blurs. If you attend the signing, do everything on the spot straight afterwards; if you fly back quickly, set priorities: meters and insurance the same day, the rest within the week, with a trusted contact for the physical steps.

How can contracts be set up from abroad?

Each contract is opened remotely, with the expected documents: proof of ownership, meter reading, bank details. The real issue is the possible physical appointment: on-site activation, the actual opening of a meter, an internet connection. Rather than chasing suppliers across your time zone, you can entrust this coordination to the utility set-up service: your dedicated contact gathers the documents, opens the contracts with the suppliers you choose, schedules the appointments and reports back in writing, the assignment being on quotation.

Two points of care complete the picture. Opening times vary with contracts and seasons: plan ahead of a first stay, so you do not find a home without power on arrival. And direct debits must be honoured from your account: a contract cancelled for a payment incident is always discovered at the worst moment, often after the first problem it should have covered.

Which access arrangements should be made from day one?

Access falls into three families, all recorded in the property file:

• Keys: how many sets, with whom, under which handover and return rules. The number of holders is countable on the fingers of one hand, and every handover leaves a written record.
• Codes: building entry panel, gate, alarm, key box. Each code is noted, dated, and changed after every external intervention or change of contact.
• Spares: where the emergency set sits, with a trusted neighbour or in a key box, and who may access it on what terms.

The cross-cutting rule fits one sentence: from a distance, what is not written does not exist. A code passed on by word of mouth gets lost, a set lent without a note multiplies, and it is the security of the property that pays for the approximation.

In a block of flats, two players complete the picture: the caretaker, who can take in a parcel or report a problem in the common parts but holds none of your keys unless a long-standing relationship exists; and the managing agent, whom you inform of your contact address abroad, so that general-meeting notices actually reach you. These two declarations, made at the move-in itself, spare endless follow-ups.

What basic safety should be in place before leaving?

The safety of the first departure comes down to a few things, each of which counts:

• Locks changed or recoded: you are probably not the only one to know the old key, and the moment imposes itself while the home is occupied or watched.
• The smoke alarm checked, mandatory in every home, tested before the first absence.
• Shutters and locks in good condition, exits kept clear, the water shut-off and the fuse box located and noted.
• The neighbourhood informed, discreetly: knowing whom to alert, and about what, without advertising the absence.
• Insurance aligned with a long absence, with the preventive measures required by the policy actually in place.

This base is then extended to suit the property: water detection, a remotely controlled thermostat and sensors follow the method described for fitting out a home from afar, as the need arises.

How do you build the property file from day one?

The property file gathers, in a single digitised place accessible from anywhere, six families of documents:

• The property papers: title deed, plan, surveys, building rules where they apply.
• The contracts: energy, water, internet, insurance, with customer numbers and due dates.
• The equipment: manuals, installation dates, upkeep to plan.
• The contacts: managing agent, caretaker, neighbour, tradesmen already called, insurer.
• The access: key holders, codes, location of the key box.
• The proofs: initial photos, meter readings, inventories, visit reports.

It is the foundation of the full method described for managing French property from abroad: every visit, every intervention and every claim hooks onto it.

Fed from the first week, this file spares you years of reconstruction. Every document is filed with its date and purpose, and the habit rests on a simple rule: every action on the property produces its proof, and every proof joins the file the same day.

And if the property is aimed at seasonal letting, carry on with our article on furnishing for seasonal lets: once the contracts are open and the safety in place, what remains is equipping the home for travellers.

The first days of a property tell everything that follows. If you would like to organise them calmly from your country of residence, the personal study offered by French Realty lets you build this checklist with your dedicated contact, milestone by milestone.