Where the stopcock is, when the boiler was serviced, what you own
A fillable A4 file that records the house itself: the shut-offs and meters, the certificates and when the next ones are due, the suppliers and account numbers, the insurance, and a room-by-room contents inventory valued as new. It is for homes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, whether you own, rent or let, and for whoever has to find these things when you are not there. Type into it on screen, or print it and write.
- 24 A4 pages and 598 fillable fields, for screen or pen
- Alarm and electrical-inspection rules set out nation by nation, with the official source for each named
- A room-by-room contents inventory, living room to shed, with a totals page to set against your sum insured
Secure card payment by Stripe. It downloads the moment you pay, so by buying you ask for it straight away and there’s no 14-day cancellation. Terms of sale.
For whoever is holding the torch
Section 01 is the three shut-offs: stopcock, consumer unit and gas emergency control valve, each with a box for where yours is and a note on how to turn it off. Then the emergency lines, which differ in Northern Ireland, and your own numbers: water company, network operator, heating engineer, plumber and electrician, landlord or agent, the home emergency cover claims line. Someone else in the house, or a neighbour with a key, is not left guessing.
For the day you claim
The contents inventory runs room by room, living room to loft, garage and shed, with the cost to replace each item new, which is the basis the Association of British Insurers gives for valuing contents. A totals page is there to add up each room and set the grand total against your sum insured, and there is a separate table for valuables above the single item limit. The appliances page records the model and serial numbers insurers may ask for, and the insurance pages hold the policy numbers, claims lines and excesses, with the steps to take if you need to claim.
Written for four nations, not one
Only Scotland requires alarms in every home, owned or rented; in England, Wales and Northern Ireland the rules mainly fall on landlords, and the electrical-report rules differ in when they began and what they include. The file sets the alarm and electrical rules out in tables, says which checks are legal duties for landlords and only good practice for owner-occupiers, and names the official source for each nation. Council tax or domestic rates, who bills for water, and where an unresolved water complaint goes are set out nation by nation. Where a figure changes each year, such as the TV licence fee, the file points to the official site rather than printing it.
Look inside
Shown filled in, in a made-up household’s handwriting. Yours arrives blank, with every line ready to type into.
What’s inside
12 sections across 24 pages. Fill in what applies and skip what doesn’t.
When not to buy this
If you already keep a folder with the certificates, the policy numbers and a photographed inventory, you have most of this and do not need it. If you rent a room, most of these pages are your landlord's to keep; your own contents insurance and a list of what you own are the parts that are yours, and a notebook covers those. For the shut-offs and who to ring, the government's Prepare website has a free household emergency plan to download and print, and tells you to learn how to turn off your gas, electricity and water and to write down the numbers you would need in a power cut. If all you want is a contents figure for an insurance quote, an insurer's free contents calculator gets you there faster than a room-by-room inventory.
Questions
Is it for owners, tenants or landlords?+
All three. The shut-offs, suppliers, contents insurance, inventory and maintenance pages apply to any home. Where a check is a legal duty for landlords but only good practice for owner-occupiers, such as the gas safety record and the electrical inspection report, the page says so, with the rule for each nation. If you rent, there is a line for your landlord or letting agent and one for where the latest gas safety record is kept.
How long does it take to fill in?+
The file suggests a walk-round first: find and label the three shut-offs, which it puts at about ten minutes, write in the emergency numbers for your nation and copy the dates off your certificates. Then a page a week. The contents inventory is the long part, and the file suggests doing it over a few evenings, one room at a time, phone in hand for photos. After that it is upkeep: a tick a month in the alarm test log, a line in the certificates log when something is done, and a year log for the annual review.
Does it ask for alarm codes or passwords?+
No. The keys and security page records who holds each key and who knows the alarm code, never the code itself, and the broadband section asks for the network name, not the password. The file's own rule is that no alarm codes, key-safe codes, safe combinations or door PINs go anywhere in it, because anyone who finds the file finds what is in it. It does hold account and policy numbers, so keep the printed copy somewhere safe, with the insurance papers.
What exactly do I get?+
A PDF file, A4, that you download straight after paying. Every line is a real form field: open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader or Apple Preview, type into it and save. Or print it and write by hand. We also email you a link to your downloads.
Does it work in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?+
Yes. Where the rules or services differ between the four nations, the file says so and points to the right official service for each.
Will it go out of date?+
It names the official service to check rather than printing fees or amounts that change. If we update the file, your download link gives you the current version.
Can I get a refund?+
Because it downloads the moment you pay, the 14-day cancellation period doesn’t apply to digital files you’ve asked to receive straight away. If a file won’t open or something is wrong with it, email us and we’ll sort it out.
Secure card payment by Stripe. It downloads the moment you pay, so by buying you ask for it straight away and there’s no 14-day cancellation. Terms of sale.
The House File is general information to help you organise your household’s records. It is not legal, financial or medical advice. Written by Tom Calder for PreparedBritain, an independent publisher not affiliated with HM Government.
