First Apartment Checklist

Everything you need for a first place, at three levels of kitted-out — plus the move-in costs that catch people out.

How kitted out?

Level
Start at the bare minimum. Everything above it can be bought in the second month, once you know what you actually reach for.
What to include
65 lines

First Apartment Checklist

Sensible — everything you need, and what it costs to get in.

Sensible • 1 person • Unfurnished

What it costs to get through the door

Work this out before the shopping list. Move-in costs are what catch people out, not the sofa.

CostAmountPaidRefundable?
First month’s rent
Security deposit
Last month’s rent, if required
Application and screening fees
Pet deposit or pet rent
Utility deposits and connection fees
Internet installation
Renters insurance — first payment
Moving costs
The shopping list below
Total to move in

Kitchen

  • Two plates, two bowls, two mugs, two glasses per person
  • Cutlery
  • One good knife, and a cutting boardOne sharp knife beats a block of blunt ones. This is the item most worth spending on.
  • A frying pan and a saucepan
  • Can opener, bottle opener, tin foil, cling film
  • Washing up liquid, sponges, tea towels
  • Wooden spoon, spatula, tongs, ladle
  • Colander, mixing bowl, measuring jug
  • Baking tray and an oven dish
  • Storage containers
  • Kettle or coffee maker
  • Dish rack, bin, recycling box

Bathroom

  • Two towels per person, plus a hand towel
  • Shower curtain and rings, bath mat
  • Toilet brush and a plungerBuy the plunger before you need it. This is not advice you get twice.
  • Toilet roll, hand soap, bin
  • Shelf or caddy, and a mirror if there is none
  • First aid kit

Bedroom

  • Bed and mattress
  • Two sets of sheets, duvet, pillowsTwo sets. One is on the bed and one is in the wash, which is the whole reason for two.
  • Hangers — more than you think
  • Bedside lamp
  • Chest of drawers or storage
  • Curtains or a blind that actually blocks light

Living area

  • Somewhere to sit
  • A table to eat at
  • A lamp — overhead light alone is grim
  • Router placed somewhere central
  • Rug, cushions, curtains
  • Shelving or storage

Cleaning

  • All-purpose spray, bathroom cleaner, cloths
  • Broom, dustpan, mop and bucket
  • Bin bags
  • Vacuum cleanerThe one thing genuinely worth buying rather than borrowing, and worth not buying the cheapest of.
  • Rubber gloves, scrubbing brush, limescale remover

Laundry

  • Detergent, laundry basket
  • Drying rack

Tools & spares

  • Screwdriver set, hammer, tape measure
  • Torch, batteries, spare light bulbs
  • Extension leads and adapters
  • Fire extinguisher and a smoke alarm battery
  • Pliers, adjustable wrench, level, drill
  • Picture hooks, wall plugs, an assortment of screws

Day one, before the shopping

None of this costs anything and all of it is easier now than later.

  • Photograph every room empty, from two corners, and email the landlord a copyThe deposit is decided on day one. This is the single highest-value thing you will do all week.
  • Find the water shutoff, the fuse box and the alarm
  • Test the smoke alarm and check the date on the back
  • Check every window and the front door lock
  • Read the meters and photograph them
  • Get renters insuranceIt is cheap, it covers your things anywhere, and it includes liability — which is the part that actually matters.
  • Work out which day the bins go out

Before you buy furniture

  • Measure the doorways, the stairwell and the liftSofas do not care how much you liked them in the shop.
  • Measure the wall the bed is going against, and the one the sofa is going against
  • Check what the lease says about drilling, painting and mounting anything
  • Buy the bed first and everything else slowlyYou will use the bed every night from tonight. The rest can wait until you know how the space is actually used.

Still needed

theprintablehome.com/first-apartment-checklist/

Work out the entry cost before the shopping list

The rent is almost never what catches people out. It is the stack of things in front of it:

First month's rent
Security deposit                often a full month, sometimes more
Last month's rent               required by some landlords
Application and screening fees
Pet deposit or pet rent
Utility deposits & connection   several accounts, each with its own
Internet installation
Renters insurance
Moving costs
Everything on the list below

For a first apartment that total frequently comes to three or four times the monthly rent, and it is all due at once, before you have lived there for a day. Work it out before signing anything — the worksheet at the top of the printed sheet is there to be filled in with real numbers from the actual lease.

Buy the bare minimum first

The bare-minimum level exists because almost everybody over-buys in the first fortnight, based on an imagined version of how they will live, and then discovers which things they actually reach for.

Start minimal. Live there for a month. Then buy the rest, from a list of things you have genuinely wanted rather than things a checklist told you to want. It is cheaper, and the second month’s purchases are consistently better chosen.

Three things worth spending on

Almost everything can be second-hand or basic without any real cost to daily life. Three exceptions:

A mattress. Used every night, for years, and the difference between cheap and adequate is felt daily.

A vacuum cleaner. The cheapest ones do not pick things up, which is the entire function.

One sharp knife. One good knife beats a block of blunt ones, and a sharp knife is also considerably safer than a blunt one.

The things everyone forgets

  • A plunger, bought before it is needed. This is not advice anyone gets twice.
  • A shower curtain — discovered at about nine on the first evening.
  • Spare light bulbs, and knowing what fitting they are.
  • A screwdriver. Everything flat-packed needs one and you will not have one.
  • Hangers. Always far more than expected.
  • A second set of sheets. One on the bed, one in the wash. That is the whole reason for two.
  • Bin bags, in the right size for the bin you have.

Day one, before you unpack anything

Photograph every room empty, from two corners, and email the landlord a copy the same day.

Your deposit is decided on day one, not on the day you leave. Once there is a bed in the bedroom, the floor under the bed is undocumented for the whole tenancy — and that is exactly the kind of thing that gets disputed. The email matters as much as the photographs, because it carries a timestamp neither party controls.

Then: find the water shutoff and the fuse box, test the smoke alarm, check the window locks, read the meters, and work out which day the bins go out.

Renters insurance

Cheap, and the part that matters is not the part people think.

The belongings cover is useful and fairly small. The liability cover is the reason to have it: the day a bath overflows into the flat below, or a guest is injured, the numbers involved are of a completely different order to the value of your possessions. Many leases require it anyway.

While you are at it, the home inventory sheet takes twenty minutes when you own almost nothing, and it never gets easier than that.

Before buying furniture

Measure the doorways, the stairwell and the lift before buying anything large. A sofa does not care how much you liked it in the shop, and a mattress that will not go up a turn in the stairs is a genuinely common and completely avoidable disaster.

Then check what the lease says about drilling, painting and mounting things, before you buy anything that needs to go on a wall.

The bed first, everything else slowly. You will use it tonight. The rest can wait until you know how the space is actually used.

Frequently asked questions

What do I actually need for a first apartment?

Far less than a shopping list suggests. Somewhere to sleep, somewhere to sit, one pan, one sharp knife, two sets of sheets, two towels, cleaning supplies and a screwdriver. Set the level to bare minimum and buy the rest in the second month, once you know what you actually reach for rather than what you imagined you would.

How much does it cost to move into a first apartment?

The rent is rarely what catches people. It is the stack in front of it: first month, security deposit, sometimes last month, application fees, utility deposits, internet installation, renters insurance and the shopping list itself. Work that total out before signing anything — the worksheet at the top of the sheet exists for exactly that.

What is worth spending money on?

A mattress, a decent vacuum, and one sharp knife. All three get used constantly, the cheap versions are genuinely worse rather than merely plainer, and all three last a decade. Almost everything else can be second-hand or basic without any real cost to daily life.

Do I need renters insurance?

Yes, and it is one of the cheapest useful things you can buy. It covers your belongings — including outside the apartment — but the part that actually matters is the liability cover, for the day a bath overflows into the flat below. Many leases require it anyway.

What should I do on the first day?

Photograph every room empty, from two corners, and email a copy to the landlord the same day. Your deposit is decided on day one, not on the day you leave, and once there is furniture in a room you cannot evidence the floor underneath it. Then find the water shutoff and the fuse box.

What do people forget to buy?

A plunger, before it is needed. Spare light bulbs. A screwdriver. Hangers, always far more than expected. A second set of sheets — one on the bed, one in the wash, which is the entire reason for two. And a shower curtain, which is discovered on the first evening.

Related printables

Apartment Walkthrough ChecklistA tenant’s sheet for viewing, moving in or moving out — built around documenting condition rather than grading it.Moving ChecklistAn eight-week countdown anchored to your actual moving day, with the tasks that do not apply to your move left out.Cleaning Schedule MakerA weekly cleaning rota packed into the time you actually have, sized to your rooms — with a minute estimate on every line.