How Long Should You Keep Home Improvement Records in the UK?

Some certificates, such as an Electrical Installation Certificate for new wiring, do not expire but remain relevant for as long as you own the property. Keep these indefinitely.

The same applies to planning permission and building control completion certificates for extensions or structural work. A buyer's solicitor is likely to ask for these during a sale.

A Gas Safety Certificate is valid for 12 months. Keep the most recent one, along with at least the previous year's, to show a consistent history of checks.

Boiler service records should also be kept for as long as you own the appliance, since some manufacturer warranties require proof of annual servicing.

Keep any guarantee or warranty document for as long as it remains valid. Some, such as those covering damp-proofing or roofing work, can last 10 years or more.

Note the guarantee's terms, since some require the original company to still be trading for a claim to be valid. This is worth checking when the work is carried out, not years later.

Paper records are easily lost, especially over the many years some guarantees remain valid. A record bound to the property itself, rather than stored in a drawer, does not disappear when you move house.

This also means the next owner inherits the history, rather than starting again with no record of the work carried out before they moved in.