Gift guide · 12 ideas
Gifts for new homeowners
The things every first-time buyer discovers they need in their first month, and the gifts that save them a trip to the DIY shop.
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Moving into your first home comes with a long list of surprises: the curtain pole that needs putting up, the shelf that needs a drill, the realisation that you own no tools at all. The most welcome housewarming gifts fill those gaps.
These ideas work for first-time buyers, new renters and anyone moving somewhere new.
A household tool kit
The first flat-pack wardrobe goes up in week one, and someone starting from scratch has nothing to build it with yet.
VonHaus Ultimate 120-Piece Tool Kit
£44.99 RRP
- 54-piece fixings set included
- Three pairs of pliers
- LED torch included
- Heavy at 4.4kg
Alongside the hammer, three pairs of pliers and a ratchet with 5–13mm sockets, the case holds an LED torch, a voltage probe, a crimping tool, a putty knife and a 54-piece set of wall plugs, screws and picture hooks.
What owners say: Owners say it holds nearly everything needed for jobs round the house and the odd bit of DIY, and like the sturdy tools and tidy case. A few had the spirit level come apart.
A closer look: Treat the voltage probe as a quick extra check, never a safety device: switch off at the consumer unit before touching any wiring. Before drilling for the wall plugs, run a pipe and cable detector over the spot, as the kit doesn’t include one.
A cordless drill driver
Curtain poles and shelves in a new place all need holes in the wall, and a drill of their own beats borrowing one each weekend.
Ginour 21V Brushless Combi Drill (2 batteries)
£50–£75
- Two batteries in the box
- Up to 50Nm torque
- 48-piece accessory kit
Fixing heavy brackets to a brick wall is the kind of job this brushless combi drill’s hammer setting is for. A 48-piece accessory kit is included to get you started. It also takes Makita 18V batteries, which is handy if you already have some in the shed.
What owners say: Plenty of bits and two batteries that last a good while come in the box, and owners rate it powerful and simple to use. Durability is mixed. It feels sturdy to some, while others had one break on first use.
A closer look: The flexible shaft in the kit reaches screws in awkward corners, such as inside a cupboard carcass or behind a door hinge. Before drilling a wall for shelves, run a cheap pipe and cable detector over the spot, and wrap a strip of tape round the bit at the depth the wall plug needs.
A stud and cable detector
They don’t yet know where the pipes and cables run in the new walls, and finding out before the first hole matters.
HANMATEK SF1 Stud Finder
£20–£30
- On-screen depth readout
- Scans for metal too
- Warns of live cables
- Needs calibrating on clear wall
A screen that shows how deep a find is, in inches or millimetres, with modes for wood, metal and live cables and a centre finder, and a 9V battery and a carry pouch in the box.
What owners say: Owners say it’s simple to pick up and use, and handy to have in the drawer for DIY jobs around the house.
A closer look: Calibrate it on a patch of wall with no nails, cables or metal behind it, as HANMATEK advises, or the readings will be off. It switches itself off after five minutes without use, which saves the battery between jobs.
A heavy-duty coir doormat
A doormat is one of the things nobody packs for moving day, and the new hall carpet needs one from the start.
FloorPro Living Heavy-Duty Coir Matting
£10–£20
A 50 × 100cm doormat of thick 17mm coconut-fibre bristles on a PVC backing, tough enough to scrape mud and grit off boots before they reach the hall. It’s easy to cut down to fit an awkward doorway.
What owners say: Owners find it thick, sturdy and easy to cut to size, and say it cleans shoes well, though some had it come apart and reports of shedding range from hardly any to quite a lot.
A closer look: Measure the doorway or mat well before choosing a size, and if it’s slightly too big, turn it over and score the backing with a sharp craft knife along a straight edge. A good shake outside or a quick vacuum lifts the grit out of the bristles, and new coir often sheds a few loose fibres at first.
- 50 × 100cm
- 17mm coconut-fibre bristles
- Cuts to size
Smart plugs
Their first energy bills after moving can be a shock, and seeing what each appliance costs to run helps them get on top of it.
Tapo P110 Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring (2-pack)
£23.99 RRP
- Energy monitoring with unit pricing
- Two plugs in the box
- No motors over 1/6HP
Two plugs that show how much electricity each appliance is using, so it’s easy to see whether the telly or the gaming PC is eating the bill. Tapo is the smart home range from TP-Link, the networking firm two brothers founded in Shenzhen in 1996, and the same app runs Tapo’s lights and sensors too.
What owners say: Owners find them easy to set up with Alexa or Google, useful all round the house and good value, and like seeing what things cost to run; some report them switching unreliably or dropping off the Wi-Fi.
A closer look: Enter the price per unit in the Tapo app and the readings turn into running costs, handy for spotting an appliance that costs more than it should. Share control with the rest of the household, so everyone can switch the lamp from their own phone; they’re made for indoor sockets only.
A fire blanket
Most new kitchens come without one, and it’s the kind of thing a first-time buyer won’t think of until it’s needed.
Firechief Kitemarked Fire Blanket (1m × 1m)
£10–£20
A 1m × 1m fibreglass fire blanket, Kitemarked to the British Standard BS EN 1869, in a soft red case. Pull the black tabs and it comes free, ready to smother a pan fire on the hob.
What owners say: Owners find it well made, a good size for the kitchen and good value, and say it put fires out straight away.
A closer look: Keep it within reach of the cooker but not directly above it, so nobody leans over flames to grab it. As it opens, wrap the tabs round your hands so the blanket shields them while you lay it over the pan, and turn off the heat if you can. After that, it only needs a yearly check that it’s clean and undamaged.
- 1m × 1m fibreglass blanket
- Smothers a pan fire
- Kitemarked to the British Standard
A carbon monoxide alarm
A boiler they don’t know yet or a wood burner they’ve never lit comes with the new place, and carbon monoxide gives no warning on its own.
Kidde 5CO Carbon Monoxide Alarm
£18.95 RRP
A battery carbon monoxide alarm with a sensor built to last ten years and AA batteries in the box. It sounds an alarm if it detects the gas, shows its status with green and red lights, and warns when it reaches the end of its life.
What owners say: Owners find it easy to install and use, loud enough with flashing lights, neat and compact, and good value.
A closer look: Carbon monoxide is all it watches for, so it sits alongside a smoke alarm rather than replacing one. Fit it in the room with the boiler or other gas appliance, press the test button once a month, and write the fitting date on the back so it’s obvious when a replacement is due.
- 10-year sensor life
- AA batteries included
- No wiring needed
A low-maintenance houseplant
Bare rooms feel more like home with something green in them, and this one copes if watering slips their mind in the chaos of the move.
Snake Plant ‘Golden Flame’ (12cm pot)
£10–£20
A snake plant with dark green and yellow leaves, 30–40cm tall in a 12cm pot. It’s happy in bright, indirect light and needs watering only twice a month, so it suits someone new to houseplants.
What owners say: Owners find it healthy, growing well and just as pictured, though some had plants arrive with broken leaves or smaller than expected.
A closer look: Water it twice a month until winter, then once a month as temperatures drop, letting the soil dry out in between: soggy roots are the main thing that troubles a snake plant. In its 12cm pot it fits a narrow spot on a shelf or by a window.
- 30–40cm tall
- Water twice a month
- Two-tone green and yellow leaves
Heads up: It comes in a plain grower’s pot, so add a decorative pot a little wider than 12cm for a shelf or windowsill.
or compare other optionsA laser level
Hanging pictures in a new home goes better when a row of frames comes out level, with no extra holes to fill.
Nikotek Green Cross Line Laser Level
£20–£30
- Green beam
- IP54 dust and splash rating
- Manual mode for angled lines
- No tripod in the box
Plenty for hanging pictures and putting up a shelf: a self-levelling green cross line in a small soft-grip body with IP54 protection and a 1m drop rating. Batteries and a carry bag come in the box.
What owners say: Owners find it simple to use and handy for occasional DIY round the home, and rate its self-levelling, brightness and accuracy.
A closer look: Lock the pendulum and hold the top button for three seconds to switch to manual mode, which holds the cross at an angle: handy for a row of pictures up a staircase. Unlock the pendulum again before moving on, or the next straight line won’t level itself.
A label maker
For the fuse box, storage boxes and kitchen jars. Especially handy when unpacking and organising.
Nelko P21 Bluetooth Label Maker
£10–£20
- Small enough for a pocket
- Built-in rechargeable battery
- Prints QR codes and barcodes
- Not for Android 14 Google phones
Small enough for a pocket, it prints from a phone app full of templates, icons and borders, so a matching set of pantry labels is quick to make. There’s no ink: it prints by heat onto sticker rolls.
What owners say: Owners find it quick to learn, say it connects straight away and prints clearly, even tiny text, and use it for sockets, switches and all round the house.
A closer look: Nelko recommends its own label rolls, which come in fixed sizes such as 14 × 40mm, handy for spice jars and light switches. The charging plug isn’t in the box, so keep a USB-C charger to hand.
A home first aid kit
A new home means weeks of DIY, and a slip with a craft knife is no time to be hunting for plasters among the boxes.
General Medi 210-Piece First Aid Kit
£25.99 RRP
A 210-piece first aid kit for cleaning and dressing minor cuts and scrapes, with a cold pack, a moleskin pad for blisters and an emergency blanket. It all fits in a green bag about 22 × 17cm with a reflective design.
What owners say: Owners find it comprehensive and compact, good value, and easy to keep in the car or take travelling and camping.
A closer look: Have a quick look through once it’s unpacked so everyone knows what’s inside, and replace anything that gets used straight away. The reflective bag is easy to spot in a dark car boot or shed, so it’s as useful on a road trip or a camping weekend as in a kitchen drawer.
- 210 pieces
- Cold pack and emergency blanket
- Reflective bag
A long tape measure
New homeowners measure everything twice before the sofa gets ordered, and a long tape covers the whole room in one go.
Stanley FatMax BladeArmor Tape Measure (8m/26ft, 32mm)
£10–£20
- Long 8m blade
- Stays out to about 3.3m
- Guarded blade end
- Too bulky for a pocket
Stanley’s trade tape for long runs: a 32mm Mylar-coated blade that stays out on its own for about 3.3m, and a BladeArmor cover over the end of the blade, where tapes usually crack first. The hook grabs an edge from the side, top or bottom.
What owners say: Owners find it strong and long-lasting with markings that are easy to read; it’s bulkier than a standard tape, and a few report the blade coming off its reel.
A closer look: The wide, stiff blade is what lets one person run it across a room or up a wall before it buckles. Guide it home with a finger rather than letting it fly back, and wipe grit off the blade after work outside so it reels in cleanly.
Housewarming gift tips
- Ask if they already have a tool kit: many don’t.
- Safety kit (CO alarm, fire blanket) isn’t glamorous, but it’s genuinely appreciated.
- Avoid decor unless you know their taste. Let them make the place their own.
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