New homeowners often find themselves knee-deep in boxes, unpacking furniture, and figuring out where the closest hardware store is.
But according to one lender, they’re also forgetting something major—and it could be a safety risk.
TikTok user @theonithelender, a professional lender, went viral after posting a video on three key steps new homeowners should take right after moving in. In a video that now has more than 687,400 viewers, she calls out some of the biggest oversights that many of her clients seem to miss.
Her first essential tip? Change the locks
“You would be shocked at how many check-ins I do with my clients, like, months in, and they still haven’t changed the locks yet,” she says in the video.
“Hopefully, the reason why kind of goes without saying, but if it doesn’t… The sellers might have not given you all of the keys that they had, or maybe some got lost, or a neighbor has a key,” she says. “Who knows, but change the locks.”
According to one survey, 74% of homeowners do not change their locks after moving.
The second tip is less urgent but just as crucial. She says, “You’re gonna want to keep all of the things that you just signed at closing, including the mortgage stuff, the title things, all of that in one place.”
She suggests a document organizer, noting that it’s a trending item on TikTok and something she even gifts to her clients. “Having all of those things in one place, like all the important docs, people usually forget, but you really need it,” she adds.
And for her third piece of advice, she points out two often-overlooked cleaning tasks. “Find where the dishwasher filter is… and clean it,” she says, adding, “do the same thing with all of the air filters.” While new homes might come with fresh filters, she says older homes often need this maintenance immediately.
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, viewers shared a few extra tips.
“Don’t forget the garage code, CHANGE THE GARAGE CODE!!” one commenter warned.
“Clean out the dryer vent. Ours had so much accumulated, it was a fire danger,” wrote another.
But some viewers confessed that these suggestions were new to them. “Going on four years here and have never once thought to change the locks,” one user admitted.
@theonithelender What else would you add to the list? #homebuyer #newhomeessentials #homeessentials #homeowners #homebuying #buyingahome ♬ original sound – Not Ur Daddys
The Daily Dot reached out to @theonithelender via TikTok comment.
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