How to Create a Home Inventory

If you experienced a fire at home would you be able to list all your belongings by memory? Would you remember the model and serial number of your television, laptop, and camera. What about your stove, washer and dryer? 

Insurance helps to restore your home and belongings but without accurate information determining the amount paid out for your claim can get a bit more complicated. To ensure you make the most of your policy we recommend you make an inventory of your home. While this might seem like a daunting task we assure you that it is worth the time and effort, and most likely, it won’t take as long as you think.

How to start the home inventory 

It is important to have a list of all your belongings stored safely in case you have to make a claim. We have provided this home inventory to help keep you organized. The inventory goes by room and already has the most common household items and personal belongings listed. There are also apps such as Sortly that can make home inventory a breeze; however, there is a monthly fee to have access to all features. Feel free to create your own if you prefer. 

The big stuff

Start with the most recent, higher cost items that you have purchased. Be specific when listing the item (i.e. 50” Samsung LED) and include the model and serial number if available. If you have a receipt for the item, especially larger purchases, keep a copy with your home inventory. Use the purchase date on your receipt or if you don’t have a receipt, give your best estimate. ​

The little stuff

After listing the big ticket items, room-by-room, start going through the list. Group together items such as decor, books, cooking ware and clothing. Here you won’t be able to list all the details, but give your best description and estimate of your belongings and their costs.  ​

​The special stuff

Do you have any family heirlooms, antiques, jewelry, firearms, or maybe even some mint-condition comics? In the case of some of your most valuable items it might be necessary to get them appraised and attach a rider to your home insurance policy. This will help protect the value of the item in case of disaster or theft. ​

The forgotten stuff

Check that list twice. You might have forgotten a few things. Items that you carry with you daily are often left off the home inventory. Make sure to include your smartphones, tablets, laptops, watches, wedding rings, jewelry, and cameras. Also, make sure to include your outdoor belongings such as tools, gardening and lawn equipment, hobby supplies, and patio furniture. Finally, get up in the attic or down in the basement and include those items you have in storage.

What to do with the home inventory

After you make it to the end of your inventory adventure you might be wondering how to keep all that hard work safe. Well you have a few options. If you used an app then your work is done. Otherwise, you can keep it in a safe deposit box or a fireproof safe. Alternatively, you could scan the list into a PDF and save it on a cloud-based drive. Whichever option is easiest for you as long as it is accessible in the case of an event that you have to make a claim.

How to visually document your home inventory

We also recommend that you take pictures or video of your belongings in addition to your home inventory. This can make documentation easier especially when recording video as you can describe your belongings while you go through your home. Take a moment to capture the model and serial numbers when possible. Pictures and videos can be stored on a cloud-based drive,  along with the home inventory list. Just make sure you keep it stored in a folder that is easy to remember.

The stress of a natural disaster, fire, or burglary is a lot to handle without adding the burden of listing your belongings from memory. Just a bit of preparation now can make your recovery from an unfortunate event much easier to manage. 

​We are committed to you. If you have any questions while filling out you home inventory feel free to give us a call, 417-863-1900, or email me, sean@ioallc.com.