Chapter 01Records · System
Who to call: one list of your service companies and every visit
Make one row per service your home has: heating, cooling, chimney, septic and anything else you pay for on a schedule. Put the company, phone and account number on each row, then the last visit and the next due date. The FTC tells homeowners to keep all the paperwork for a job in one place and to keep a log of calls and conversations. Write one line after every visit and file the invoice in the same folder.
Source: FTC, Hiring a Contractor, checked October 11, 2026; ENERGY STAR maintenance checklist, checked October 15, 2026; EPA How to care for your septic system, checked October 11, 2026.
- A contractor check-up for heating and one for cooling, per ENERGY STAREvery year ENERGY STAR maintenance checklist, October 15, 2026
- Longest gap between household septic inspections, per EPA3 years EPA How to care for your septic system, October 11, 2026
- What to write down before the tech leaves6 boxes Counted from this page
Do it, skip it or get help
Keep the list yourself
Writing down who you call, when they came and what they did takes a folder, a printed page and a few minutes after each visit, and nobody else sees every company that comes to the house.
Skip the rows you don't have
No septic tank, no chimney, no central air: leave those rows off. Rows for services you never book just get in the way when you need a number fast.
The work itself goes to a contractor
Heating, cooling, chimney and septic work is for a contractor, and if you rent, the landlord or building office arranges it. This page keeps names, dates and paperwork. It does not say what a visit should include or which company to hire.
The steps, in order
List the services your home has
Walk the house once and write one row for each: heating, cooling, a fireplace or wood stove, a septic tank, and anything you pay for on a schedule, such as carpet cleaning or lawn care.
Have ready: A pen and the printed contacts page
Write one contact for each
The company name, the phone number and any account or customer number. Take them from the last invoice, a sticker on the equipment or the company's emails. If the house came with no records, leave the row open until the first visit.
Have ready: Old invoices and the stickers on the equipment
Find the last visit dates
Type each last visit into the home service log. It adds a year for heating, cooling and the chimney and up to three years for a household septic inspection, then gives a book-by date four weeks before each.
Have ready: The date on each last invoice
Source: ENERGY STAR maintenance checklist, checked October 15, 2026; USFA heating fire safety, checked October 11, 2026; EPA How to care for your septic system, checked October 11, 2026.
Put the next dates on the calendar
ENERGY STAR suggests planning check-ups around the spring and fall time changes. In 2026 the clocks go back on November 1, so use that day to read the list and book anything that is due.
Have ready: Your calendar or phone
Source: ENERGY STAR maintenance checklist, checked October 15, 2026; NIST, daylight saving time rules, checked October 12, 2026.
Have the model number ready when you call
The company will ask what you have. Keep the appliance log open, with the model and serial numbers, so you don't have to go and read the label on the unit.
Have ready: The appliance log
Log every call
The FTC's brochure on hiring a contractor says to keep a log of phone calls and conversations. One line per call: the date, who you spoke to, what they said and any date they gave you.
Have ready: The call log page
Source: FTC, Hiring a Contractor, checked October 11, 2026.
Write one line after each visit
Before the tech leaves, write the company, the date, what was done in their words, the invoice number and when they want to come back.
Have ready: The invoice
Keep the paperwork in one place
The FTC says to keep all the paperwork for a job together: the contract, any changes, letters and a record of payments. EPA tells septic owners to keep the maintenance records. Use one folder, newest at the front, and photograph each invoice.
Have ready: One folder or binder section
Source: FTC, Hiring a Contractor, checked October 11, 2026; EPA How to care for your septic system, checked October 11, 2026.
Read the list once a year
Cross out companies you stopped using, check that each phone number still works and carry the next due dates into the new calendar.
Have ready: The list and next year's calendar
Print the working copy
One page, black and white, US Letter. Tick the boxes and write the dates in.
- One row per service in the home
- Company and phone on each row
- Account or contract numbers added
- Who books it written on each row
- Companies saved in your phone by service
What goes wrong
The number is in an old text
When the heat stops on a Sunday, the company's number is buried in a text from two years ago. A printed list on the binder's first page is quicker to find.
The date is a guess
Without the visit date, the next due date is a guess too. Write it down on the day of the visit, not the day the bill gets paid.
Nobody wrote down what was said
A call ends with "we'll keep an eye on it" and a month later nobody knows what "it" was. A one-line note in the call log would have kept it. The FTC suggests a log of calls and conversations for this reason.
Source: FTC, Hiring a Contractor, checked October 11, 2026.
Paperwork in three places
The invoice is in a drawer, the warranty in an email and the receipt in the car. The FTC says to keep it all in one place.
Source: FTC, Hiring a Contractor, checked October 11, 2026.
Two people book the same visit
In a shared house, two people call the same company, or nobody does. Put one name in the "who books it" column for each row.
When the steps change
Renting
Check the lease for who books what. Where the landlord or building office handles a service, put them in the company column, and log the date you reported a problem and the date someone came.
New home, no paperwork
Leave the last-visit dates blank. The home service log puts a service with no date at the top, so the first booking gives you a real starting date.
A service contract
If a company sold you a plan with its own visits, use the contract's dates on the list and write the contract number in the account column.
Shared house
Add a "who books it" name to each row and keep one copy of the list where everyone can find it, so a call made by one person shows up for the others.
Tips and tricks
- Tip 01
Save the companies in your phone by service
Name each contact by the job, such as "Heating" followed by the company, so a search for "heating" finds it.
- Tip 02
Ask for the invoice by email
A dated email is easy to find next year, and the invoice number goes straight onto the list.
- Tip 03
Keep it next to the appliance log
File the list in the home records binder beside the appliance log, so the model numbers are at hand when you call.
- Tip 04
Write down the tech's first name
Some people like to ask for the same person next time. The name also helps when you call back about the visit.
- Tip 05
Note the hours
Write each company's hours and whether it takes weekend calls, so you know which number to try first.
What we would do
Fill it in tonight from the last invoices
Pull every service invoice you can find, write one row per service with the company and phone, and type the last dates into the home service log. Book whatever comes up first, file the paper in one folder and read the list again at the fall time change.
The tools and guides in this system
Chapter 01Home service logTurn the last visit for your heating, cooling, chimney and septic service into the next due date and a book-by date, then print a log of who to call.Open the tool
Practical noteWhat to write down after a service visit: one line before the truck leavesThe tech is packing up. Get the company, the date, what they did, the invoice number and when to come back onto one line, and photograph the invoice.Read the guide
Know-howHow often each home service is due: furnace, AC, chimney and septic on one calendarFurnace and AC check-ups once a year, the chimney every year, septic inspection at least every three years, and where each one goes on your calendar.Read the guide- Chapter 01All records toolsPrintable home records with a calculator behind each one: appliance and warranty log, HVAC filter sizes and change dates.Open the chapter
Questions
What should be on a household contacts list?
One row per service: what it is, the company, the phone number, any account number and who in the house books it. Add the last visit and the next due date, and the same page becomes your service history.
Why keep a log of calls to a contractor?
The FTC's brochure on hiring a contractor says to keep a log of phone calls, conversations and activities, along with all the paperwork for the job in one place. It says those records matter if there are problems during or after the work.
Source: FTC, Hiring a Contractor, checked October 11, 2026.
How often should home services be booked?
ENERGY STAR suggests a contractor check-up for heating and for cooling once a year each, cooling in spring and heating in fall. The U.S. Fire Administration says heating equipment and chimneys should be cleaned and inspected each year. EPA says a household septic system should be inspected at least every three years.
Source: ENERGY STAR maintenance checklist, checked October 15, 2026; USFA heating fire safety, checked October 11, 2026; EPA How to care for your septic system, checked October 11, 2026.
Who books service visits if I rent?
Check the lease. Where the landlord or building office books a service, put them on the list as the contact, and write down the date you reported a problem and the date someone came.
Where should I keep service invoices?
In one folder or binder section, newest at the front, with a photo of each on your phone. The FTC says to keep a job's paperwork in one place, and EPA tells septic owners to keep the maintenance records.
Source: FTC, Hiring a Contractor, checked October 11, 2026; EPA How to care for your septic system, checked October 11, 2026.
The primary source
Hiring a Contractor (consumer brochure), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumer.ftc.gov. Checked October 11, 2026.
The steps on this page follow this source. Other figures cite their own source where they appear.
Other sources on this page
- Heating and Cooling Maintenance Checklist, ENERGY STAR (U.S. EPA and DOE). Checked October 15, 2026.
- How to Care for Your Septic System, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked October 11, 2026.
- Heating fire safety outreach materials, U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA). Checked October 11, 2026.
- Daylight Saving Time Rules, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Checked October 12, 2026.
See every source on the site on the sources page. Spotted an error? Tell us.