Filing, keeping and closing household paperwork

Bills, contracts and receipts are proof: proof of address, proof you paid, proof of what was agreed. A simple filing system, and a clean finish when you move out, saves hours of stress.

What to keep

• Tenancy agreement or Ejari, inventory and move-in photos, and deposit receipts.
• Contracts and welcome letters for energy, water, internet and phone, plus your house money agreement.
• Bills and payment confirmations, especially the first and final bill for each account.
• Council tax exemption letters, TV licence confirmation and insurance documents.
• Meter photos and any complaint emails with reference numbers.

How long to keep it

• Monzo (a UK bank) suggests keeping bank statements for at least a year and utility bills for up to a year; bills used as proof of address usually need to be dated within the last 12 months.
• Keep active contracts, insurance documents and debt repayment records for as long as they are active, says Monzo.
• Monzo notes that six years is as far back as HMRC can usually go when investigating tax, so keep tax-related records longer.
• If you file a UK Self Assessment tax return on time, GOV.UK says to keep records for at least 22 months after the end of the tax year.
• When you no longer need paper documents with personal details, shred them to reduce identity theft risk.

A simple digital filing system

• Create one folder called 'Home' with subfolders: Tenancy, Energy, Water, Internet, Phone, Council tax or DEWA, Insurance, Receipts.
• Name files consistently: '2026-10 Energy bill.pdf' or '2026-09-15 Meter photo.jpg', so they sort by date.
• Photograph or scan paper letters on the day they arrive, then file or shred the paper.
• Back up the folder to cloud storage; the AI and Digital Skills module covers backups and file organisation.
• Share a separate 'House bills' folder with flatmates for shared accounts only, not your personal documents.

Closing accounts when you move out

• UK: Shelter says to take your name off all bills, take a final meter reading and tell the energy company; companies can usually charge you for up to 2 days after you tell them.
• Citizens Advice suggests keeping a note of final readings and dates in case you dispute the final bill.
• Dubai: request move-out through DEWA's website or app; DEWA says supply is deactivated and final readings taken within 24 working hours, and the final bill is emailed.
• DEWA offsets your security deposit against the final bill and refunds any surplus by your chosen method, such as IBAN transfer; make sure the beneficiary name matches your DEWA account name.
• Cancel or transfer internet and phone contracts, and update your address with your bank and university.

A monthly ten-minute paperwork routine

• File any new bills and confirmations.
• Take and file meter photos.
• Tick off payments in your bills calendar.
• Shred paper you have scanned and no longer need.
• Note any contract end dates coming up in the next two months.