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New homeowners

What documents to keep after buying a house — and for how long

The title company handed you a folder at closing. It's been sitting on your counter for two weeks.

Every document in it has a specific job at a specific future moment. Here's exactly what to keep, for how long, and what happens when you can't find it.

Documents from closing day

Keep for as long as you own the home — plus seven years after you sell

Deed
Own + 7 years after sale
Proof of ownership. Required for refinancing, title disputes, and estate planning. The county has a copy, but you need your own.
Title insurance policy
Own + 7 years after sale
Protects against ownership claims from before your purchase. May be needed a decade from now if an old lien or inheritance dispute surfaces.
Purchase agreement
Own + 7 years after sale
The signed contract between you and the seller. Relevant if any dispute arises about what was included in the sale.
Survey
Own + 7 years after sale
Your property's legal boundaries, easements, and encroachments. Needed if you ever build, fence, or have a neighbor boundary dispute.
Closing disclosure
Own + 7 years after sale
Complete financial breakdown of your transaction. Needed for capital gains calculation when you sell, and for tax purposes in the purchase year.

Mortgage documents

Keep for the life of the loan — plus proof of payoff

Mortgage note
Life of loan + reconveyance
Your signed promise to repay. Keep until you receive the satisfaction of mortgage or reconveyance after payoff.
Deed of trust or mortgage
Life of loan + reconveyance
The lender's security interest in your property. Same retention as the mortgage note.

Tax-related documents

Keep for seven years from the relevant tax year

Form 1098 (mortgage interest)
7 years from tax year
Used to claim the mortgage interest deduction.
Property tax receipts
7 years from tax year
Proof of payment for state and local tax deduction.
Closing cost details
7 years from tax year
Some closing costs are deductible in the purchase year. Others adjust your cost basis when you sell.

Documents you'll accumulate over the years

Keep for the life of the home — these are the records that matter at resale

Inspection report (purchase)
Baseline for every repair and insurance claim. Your buyer's inspector will use it as a reference at resale.
Permits for improvements
Required disclosure at resale. Unpermitted work becomes a negotiation issue — permitted work is an asset.
Contractor invoices (major work)
Capital improvements raise your cost basis, reducing capital gains tax when you sell. You must be able to prove them.
Appliance warranties and manuals
Needed when something breaks. Coverage dates determine whether a repair is free or paid.
HOA documents and rules
Relevant for buyer disclosure and fee dispute history.
Homeowners insurance policies
Claims history and proof of past coverage if disputed.
What happens when you don't have them
At resale
Buyers ask for permit history and repair records. Sellers who can't produce them face renegotiation. Capital improvements you can't prove don't reduce your capital gains.
Insurance claim
Adjusters ask for proof of condition and prior repairs. Without documentation, settlements take longer and sometimes pay less.
Something breaks
Without service history, contractors start from zero — and sometimes redo work that was already done. You pay twice.

The system that keeps it together

Instead of building a filing system you have to maintain forever, HOMEFolio AI does it from the upload. You upload the document; it reads the vendor, the date, and what was done, and connects it to the right property. An inspection report becomes a searchable baseline. An HVAC invoice becomes part of your system's service history. A permit becomes a disclosure-ready record.

The best time to start is closing day. Upload the deed, the inspection, the survey, the closing disclosure. Everything after that gets added as it happens.

Start building your property record →

Free for 1 property. No credit card. Takes 2 minutes.